The San Francisco call., 1895-11-17

had been in her grave many years. On.
fortunately, the night before, Darby had
been moved to show the portrait to the
American boys in the crowd and to ask
their opinion. There was, as they said,
but one word with which to describe it
s.bumn' 1t was absolutely fiat, without
form or substance. Had they known WHO
the artist was they would have kept quiet.
Darby refused to take the portraits and
while the poor man passed from one table
to the other begging with tears in his eyes
for their approval and his rights my friend
told me his story.
His father before him had been painter
in small way of local fame, though his
landscapes were so rarely bought that he
had no earthly possessions with which to
endow his son at his death beyond on old
and much-worn pair of corduroy trousers
and jacket.
The son had come to Paris from Brittany
when; a lad of sixteen. His earthly posses
sions consisted of the suit of clothes which
he had on and the aforementioned in
heritance. To these his uncle, the village
Mayor. had added a cut-away coat, which
increasing avoirdupois had forced him to.
abandon.
1t was this uncle, the Mayor, who sent
Gautler to Paris on an allowance of 200
francs year. He entered the Beaux Arts.
through friends of his uncle he was able
to add materially to his slender income.
But in the days of his prosperity be fell.
lie was now about twenty and rapidly get
ting on in his studies. He went to CO..
iarossl,s for the night class and there met
Eugene.
Eugene was model renowned for her
extreme ugliness and her temper. At
times she would be gentle as a lamb.
Again she was fierce as tiger. When
Gautler first knew her he saw only. her
lam bike moments.
lie wanted a private model. In an evil
moment he determined to take Eugenie
into his little domain to attend his menage
as well as to fill his model-stand. Many
other artists have such an evil moment.
Eugenle's last love had just left Paris for
Algeria for military service and she was
lonesome. Jean presented himself at the
right moment
She brought with her fortune of 100
francs, and so long as this sum lasted all
went we'll
She was his model for all sorts of char
acters-Venuses, Minervas and Madonnas,
She posed for numberless other characters
with and without clothes.
Gautler rarely appeared at the Beaux
Arts now. Off and on he would be seen
1or an hour or SO. In a few months time
Eugene preferred cafes to posing. Her
small savings soon fed, and with them her
good temper. His uncle, the Mayor. heard
OF Gautier's delinquencies and stopped his
allowance. Ills purse was low and his
rent due. Want began speedily to attack
their little household.
They were forced to take to pavning.
Then Eugene took to drinking and swal-
lowed his hard learned model throne in a
few days. At the end of month the con-
tents OF their little studio had disappeared.
Loves dream was dispelled. When he
awakened his ability to do good work was
gone. Eugene left him for fairer and
more beautiful fields. He himself became
an absinthe fiend. He has never been
able to get on his feet again, neither has
he ever become reconciIed to his uncle
and family. Twenty years have drifted
by, in which he has lived from hand to +
mouth. ).
Now he sleeps in little garret on the
Rue de Seine, which he rents for the sum-:
of 60 francs year. He does anything he
can get to do. 1t is many years since he :
has been able to sell any work at Father
Monaco's on the Rue Monsieur le-Prince.:
In his prosperous days he made many an
extra franc at this little picture store =
Darby finally paid him francs for the
portrait of his deceased niece. I wasin
there last night to dinner and he brought
in the portrait of another relative of Dar-
bly, for which he received the muniticent
sum of one franc.
FLORENCE BLANCHARD.
25 Avenue Wagram, Paris, Oct. 18, 1895. =
Mrs. Cleveland has a rarely beautiful
hand, not very small, but admirably