Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1896-02-12

tnence TO the SrOuno, ana look ner
silent way to the lonely room IN the
garret.
But the next day brought the sun
again, and with it Paquarette. And
no sooner had she seated herself on
the steps than the painter looked up,
smiled CHEEKY good-morning. and
motioned her to the seat in the win
dow.
She came gladly; and this time he
leaned far out and reached her with
his strong hands, and lifted her up at
one swing.
And she beamed with delight when
she found he had folded On old coat to
serve as a cushion for her; and, best
of oil, when he told her she might sit
there every day.
It was two months later, when the
summer had waned and departed. the
leaves were drifting into brown heaps
In the alleyway, aad the dandelion
blooms had resolved themselves into
airy globes that broke at each rude
puff of wind, and sent e cloud of
miniature white worlds soaring aloft
from the diugy court, as if to seek a
world of su.amer beyond the skies-it
was then, in the early autumn, that
one evening the picture was finished ;
and the painter said with sigh: sit
is donel"
Paquarette was not there at the fin
ish. He had hardly hoped to COM
plete it that day, but it had seemed
perfect to her in the morning when
she had viewed it from her throne on
the ragged coat. And she was 80
filed with admiration and delight that
she had found 1t hard to struggle
against an expression of her feeling
other than ecstatic claspings of her
hands. But silence had been her
watchword since that first delicious
day, fur back in a dreamy distance,
when he had given it to her. And
we'll she obeyed its warning.
When he had stopped once to crit
else, she had told him, half-regretfully,
that she would not return in the after
noon, as she was going out with he
mother, who had half-holiday tina,
day. He had scarcely heard her then.
SO absorbed was he in his own thoughts
but now, when the work was done, and
he laid down his brush, and was con.
fronted by thu old coat on the win,
dow-sill, he missed her presence from
the accustomed place.
He covered the picture carefully at
last, and went out for n walk in the
twilight.
When he came back, he brought
with him the morning paper, of which
he had notthought till now, and Light
ing his lamp, sat doWn by his pine
table to read.
AT the same moment m anxious
little figure crept halfway down the
steps outside, and leaned against the
wooden railing, looking in. He was
absorbed, and she kept. her accustomed
quiet, hoping he would see her soon,
and tell her of the picture.
Hia eyes sped rapidly dowr he
column ind stopped. fixed.
There vas marriage notice! Her
marriage!
He sat so still, and looked so white,
that PaqIarette was frightened, and
tried to call her mother.
Then he had sprung to his feet, torn
the sheet into thousand pieces, cast
it from him, trampled it, flung chair
and table out of the path, and ira,
ve1sed the room like wild beast
Gagged.
The trembling child gave but one
more scared look in the direction oI
the easel, safe in a distant corner,
then sped away up the dusky stairs.
Morning found the painter still
pacing up and down-more slowl!
now-with face of ghastly pallor.
The sun was high, the morning
warm, the voices of school children
floating in to him like harshest dis.
cord from the streets before he flung
himself into the char he had left the
night before, and buried his face in
his arms.
There he made resolve.
An hour later, he arose stif1y, with
the hesitation of an old men, ap-
preached the shelf above the fire.
place, and took down small vial. 1T
was half full of dark fluid; and he
looked, absent mindedly, at the grin.
ming skull and the cross bones that
the label bore, grotesquely colored in
orange and red by his own hard.
Then he drew out the cork. He
raised the bottle to his lips, and
paused; for q soft voice said, pity.
ingly:
"i thought you were sickl Do ypu
have to take bad medicine9" AID
Paquarette slipped down from the
window, and stood looking up ct b m
with innocent, tender eyes.
He turned from her, and leaned lis
head against the rough shelf.
"Don'tl Please don'tl" PLEADED
the trembling voice, while the little
hands caught at his own. 81 knew
you feel bad; but look here, what I've
brought you-a whole orange all br
yourselfl I didn't ask for it; /
bought it with my red beads. LooAl"
She tugged gently at his coat sleeve
with one hand, holding the orange Up
to him with the other.
He let his arm drop until it fSll
about the baby shoulders, the haid
still holding the vial; and she welt
on, soothingly, as mother persuad!s
tired child, as her own mother might
have done with her:
"Nowi I'll take the nasty medicit te
away-Tll put it over here-aEd yq
shall eat your olange." /
She drew the uncorked bottle carr
fully from the tense fingers as sle
spoke, and trotted away to put it q
the table.
Then she came back, smiling.
And the man stopped down, and pJt