The broad ax., 1896-09-12
NELLIE'S LOVE.
An Artists Story.
BY VIM. Baynelk

WI! ne mad been born. Years ago. be-
nu the modesty which had repeIled
ne praises Of his friends, there had
wonsS s q dream that one day the world
ouau resound with praise of him as
painter. Later, when a n;cturs A,
ans gained the favor of the academy
Uues' and critic filed a line by
Speaking of Philip Kelde's work as
prognostic OF really good things n
come the dream seemed to evolve to-
ward naturalization
Soon' however. he discovered that he
nad oVerestimated the importance Of
these things. This was four years
AFTER. he had two dingy rooms in an
up town office building.
During those four wears Kalda on
oeaVored to follow up his success.
NOBODY, however, would buy or ex-
plDlt MS pictures. And because no
hckcd fortune but yet desired To live
ne manufactured "old masters for a
scoundrelly Sixth avenue dealer tiu
the fraud and the low paw disgusted
hlm, when he turned again to the work
OIL his love, which was altogether too
ambitious to be successful
1t had taken him till now IN racoq-
nlze the utility Of his ATTEMPTS TO
fzak with the four or five noted artistu
OF the day without patiently climbing
tie ladder rung by rung. He called
himself a stupid ass, and the acknoWl-
sdgment Of fault being half war to
reform [elde forthwith grew saner.
He led aside n large, half-Hnish-
ed, Psychological scene, and applied
himself to an unpretentious one-dgure
Z which, because he could not sell, he
cursed. The curses ceased when he
recalled to mind the model whom, the
picture represented, for he respected
Nellie Owning. She was his only
comforter. She always encouraged by
words OF praise, when most he needed
them, and that with no sordid object,
for she had refused employment In
quarters where payment was larger
and prompter in order to pose for
Kelde He did not understand why,
Hind man that he wa
he was expecting Nellie, as usual.
Ca this particular morning. He had
Teen working mOOdily, brooding With
ruckered brow over his professional
Eon-success, when a heavy, hollow
thud in the letter box was followed
almost Immediately by the entrance Of
the janitor with a bulky brown paper
packet A moment later he was smiling
CHASTITY at the rejected black-and.
white work which was the form Of
ara that kept the pot warm for him.
"Your work, which have been sorry
30 Gee deteriorating Of late, is, / re-
gret to say, quite below our standard
this month" the accompanying note
explained-a note from the managing
editor 81 a popular magazine, for
which he had made severa, acceptable
designs.
e So even his bread and butter threat
ened to cease. 1t was especially awk-
ward Just now, when the identical jan
itor who had brought In the letter had,
that very morning, brought him, for
the third time, a bill for back rent
Kelde threw the drawings aside and
placed himself in the armchair. His
throat seemed to grow dry suddenly,
and his temples to throb with dull
ache. All inclination to work was
gone. He plunged into fit Of mental
dissipation.
What was the use of living If he
could not sustain life by the art he
loved so we'll? Bad enough 1t had been
for years, living from hand to mouth,
but now-he cast rueful glance at
the returned drawings this scant
privilege was to be denied him.
: Almost Involuntary he counted the
little money he had-seventeen cents.
The prospect doomed blankly before
him. For the next ten minutes he at
tackled the question of whether life
was worth living, and then it had not
an affirmative leg to stand on. de
reached out to his tobacco jar ana
found it empty. The immediate in
Sestment of ten cents In tobacco, al
though it showed that he had money
10 burn, also showed that his educa-
ton in domestic economy had been
sadly neglected. As he was silently
smoking, giving full latitude to his de-
pressing recolleCfiOns, there was a
knock at his door.
Nellie OWNING, the model, walked
I'm. She smiled till he faced her with
his look of gloom. Then she inquired
the cause with her eyes.
More internal disappointment, Mel
Ee," he said.
There was u IdInllldIlly Ucl"SCh
them that comprised the use OF Chris
tan names, and permitted him to tres
what has happenedT she asked.
"Oh, merely that the editors are in
forming me that / am human su-
perfiuity."
"a human superfuity? Explain
yourself, my dear fellow"
Haven't you understoodr he In
uuired almost piteously.
How could II
@WeU. what have said is the logi-
raj deduction Of my life, the last Incl
dent Of which is recorded in cold ink
at your feet" -
and the editor'sAlote.
"Bahr' she exclaimed with q nne
scorn. Cant you see that he's quite
right about your WORK.
az can: that's where the tragedy lies,
,anI,ed 'If / thought he draw
inus good 1 should treat rejection as
.neraIy A difference Of taste or symp-