Middletown transcript., 1895-01-19

fun she said my idea was sensible
Deuced clever girl, Kitty"
"Who's this other one in the tailo
gown? It's sweet face; not so strlk
ing as your Bostonian, but, to m
taste, the more beautiful Of the twe
in quiet way.
"That! Oh, that's my little Wash
ington cousin; the one 1 used to sketcl
with down in Norfolk. jolly girl
Madge; used to think no end of her il
the old days. Paints nightly well
too. Not much style though; mothe
keeps swell boarding house there
BY Jove! what God send it would b'
to them if anything should happen tt
me; they'd come in for the property
Brand took the picture over to thu
window for better light. 1t seemed
to him there was tenderly, womanly
look in the great brown eyes; some
thing different from anything he had
seen. As the smoke from the cigar.
ette curled up throught the blond mus
tache, half-blinding one eye until il
made him squint, he conjured up a
mental impression Of the girlish CHAR
acter behind the charming features.
"Crittenden." "he said ''if | were pick
ing out wife I'd choose this girl OF
the two."
"You may have her, old man, and
my blessing in the bargain"
Il fancy the LADY would challenge
your right to dispose of her. A letter
of introduction now, might
be more in your power to give.''
"Seriously, Brand? You shall have
it. But really, 1 don't think she's a
girl you would marry. She's an incor-
rigible dauber; she'll paint all her life,
married or single. VALUES well, but
the cotillon's Greek to her; never goes
out, socially; crazy over theatre and
opera; besides there's the boarding
house.
ooh, l say, Crittenden, cut it!
You not auctioning off a circassian,
you know. was only taking Il lise
out of you about the introduction. Get
ting late, isn't it? l may drop in at the
club Tonight; SO long" AS Martin
civally bowed him out, nett her he nor
his master noticed that Brand bad
coolly pocketed the photograph before
he left.
The conversation, however, had
reused many slumbering memory
with Crit tenden ard as lie sat watch
ing a last touch of the sunlight as it
warmed The rich colorS of The smyrna
carpet; thinking Of the old Norfolk
days when he and Nudge scarcely
counted the passing of one soft summer
morning after the other, and contented
with themselves and their work
wished for nu greater happiness than
daily existence together.
Whether his inner consciousness
asked him two or three pertinent, re-
Prospective questions or not, it is i'm
possible TO say; some men are not
troubled much with conscience; but to
his man he sad, with yawD, MAR
tin lay out my evening clothes. Get
the bath ready, and have the brough-
man at the door at six sharp"
ooh, if l could only have half an
hour more of daylight! We may not
get another such striking effect for
years. Do look, Mis-. Halletl! Have
1 canghl it do yon thinkl''
"You certainly have, Madge, better
than Harry's, too. Don't you think
so, Harry? Make him look, Madge."
"Here! Mr.. Brand! don't you know
it isn't fair to keep on working after
l have stopped? Besides, you will ruin
your eyes"
"Just a moment more, please, Miss
Madge; want to get the depth and
tone in that black cloud; it's one of
the grandest sights ever saw on the
Pacific Coast. Wen have storm to-
night worth coming across the conti-
nent to see."
"Not another second; it ish't fair.
It's your turn to clean brushed, tonight
and we've scarcely time to get washed |
up before dinner"
''All right you have certainly beaten
me; but 1 was handicapped at the
start by your ability to catch outline"
s., picking up the stools and canvases,
they move toward the house, stopping,
now and then, to look at the grand !
picture at sea.
AS they 60 in, the moonlight begins
to strengthen, and they settle down ou
the cushions in the bay-window look
ing out over the water. Brand leaves
them for a moment, and Mrs. Hallet
asks: "Madge, do You never think of
marrying some day?"
YES" musingly; "every woman
does at times. Your own happy mar
ried life is constant suggestion when
l am with you; but there is an absorp-
tion about an artist IS life which makes
one independent of even human love, l |
think. I could sit here |
watching the moonlight on that rip
pling ocean, the black shadows of the !
rocks, the silver edging to those mas
sive clouds, and forget even my own
existence. My every day work brings |
me in contact-moment by moment
with the most beautiful things Of life;
and my idea of death is simply grad
ual drifting out to see, to somewhere
beyond the horizon line with the after