The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1896-08-01

want the real reason"
81 told you the real reason."
mo, you did not. You said 1t was be-
cause there was too much of yourself in it.
Now, that is childish
Harry" said Dasil Hnllward, looking
lin straight in the face, ..every portrait
hat is painted with feeling is IL portrait of
he artist, not OF the sitter. The sitter is
merely the accident, the occasion. 1t is not
nc who is revealed by tho painter; it is
rather the painter who. OH the colored can
vas, reveals himself. Tho reason l will not
exhibit this picture is that | an afraid that
have shown with it the secret of my own
soul" +
Lord Harry laughed. And what is thatl"
he asked.
~ will tell you,' said Hallward; and an
expression of p~erplexity came over his face.
III am all expectation, Basil,n murmured
dis companion looking at him.
o there is really very little to tell,
Harry" answered the young'painter; land
am afraid you will hardly understand it.
Perhaps you will hardly believe it."
Lord Henry smiled, and. leaning down,
plucked a pink-petaled daisy from the grass,
and examined it. II am quite sure l shall
understand it" he replied, gazing intently
at the golden white-feathered disk, land l
can believe anything, provided that it is in
credible"
Thc wind shook some blossoms from tho
trees, and the heavy lilac-blooms, with
their clustering stars, moved to and fro in
the languid air. A grasshopper began to
chirrup in the grass, and a long thin dragon
fly loatcd by on its brown gauze wings.
Lord Henry felt as if he could lear Basil
Hallward's heart beating, and he wondered
what was coming.
well, this is Incredible" repeated Hall
way, rather bitterly-"incredible to me at
times. don't know what it means. The
story is simply this. Two months ago l
went to a crush at Lady Brandon's. You
know we poor painters have TO show our
selves in society from time to time, Just to
remind the public that VIC are not savages.
With an evening coat and a white tie, as
you told me once, anybody, even a stock
broker, can gain n reputation for being
civilized. Well, after l had been in the
room about ten minutes, talking to huge
overdressed dowagers and tedious Acade-
micians, l suddenly became conscious that
some one was looking at me. l turned half
way round, and saw Dorian Gray for the
hrst Time When cur eyes mct, j felt that I
was growing pale. A curious instinct of
terror came over me. l knew that l had
come face to face with some one whose mere
personality was so fascinating that, if al
lowed to do so, it would absorb my whole
nature, my whole soul, my very art itself.
| did not want any external influence in my
life. You know yourself, Harry, how indie
DpnIaut nm nv pntnpa NV fofh,o do,
tined me for the army. insisted on going
to Oxford. Then he made me enter my
rame at the Middle Temple. Before l had
eaten half a dozen dinners l gave up the
Bar, and announced my intention of be-
coming a painter. have always tccn my
own master; had at least always been so,
till l met Dorian Gray. Then But 1 don't
know how to explain it to you. Something
seemed to tell me that l was on the verge
of a terrible crisis i'll my life. l had q
strange feeling that Fate had in store for
me exquisite joys and exquisite SORROWS.
knew that if l spoke to Dorian l would be-
come absolutely devoted TO him, and that
ought not to speak to him. l grew afraid,
and turned to quit the room. 1t was not
conscience that made me do so: it was
cowardice. ! took no credit to myself for
trying to escape"
Conscience and cowardice are really the
same things, Basil. Conscience is the trade
name of the firm. That's ALL"
81 don't believe that, Harry. However.
whatever was my motivc-and it may have
been pride, for used to be very proud
certainly strug led to the door. There, of
course, | stumbled against Lady Brandon.
you are not going to run away so soon, Mr..
Hallward?' she screamed out. You know
her shrill, horrid voice."
"ics, she is a peacock in everything but
beauty" said Lord Henry, pulling the daisy
to bits with his long, nervous fingers.
81 could not get rid of her. She brought
me up to royalties, and people with Stars
and Carriers, and elderly ladies with gigan-
tic tiaras and hooked noses. She spoke OF
me as her dearest friend. I had only me,
her once before, but she had took it into her
head to Ionic me-. believe some picture
of mine had made a great success at the
time, at least had been chartered about in
the penny newspapers, which is the nine.
teenth-ccntury standard Of immortality.
Suddenly l found myself face to face with
the young man whose personality had SC
strangely stirred INC. We were quite close
almost touching. Our eyes met again. II
was mad of me, but l asked Lady Brandon
to introduce me to him. Perhaps it was not
SO mad, after all. 1t was simply inevitable.
We would have spoken to zach other with
out any introduction. l am sure of that
Dorian told me so afterward. He, too, felt
that we were destined to know each other
Aud how did Lady Brandon describe
this wonderful young mani l know she
goes in for giving a rapid prccts of all hel
guests. remember her bringing me up tc
Il most tluculent and red-faced old gentle.
man covered all over with orders and rib
bons, and kissing into my ear, in a tragic
whisper which must have been perfectly
audible to everybody in the room, something
like Six Humpty Dumpty-you know
Afghan fronticr-Iiussian intrigues: very
successful man-wife killed by az elephan,
quite ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS to marry 6
beautiful American widow-everybody does
nowadays-hates Mr.. Gladstone but very
much Interested in beetles: ask him what
ne thinks of Sohouvaloh.' simply fed. ]
like to find out people for myself. Butpool
Lady Brandon treats her guests exactly as
an auctionecr treats his goods. She either
explains them entirely away, or tells one
everything about them excepting what one
wants to know. But what did she say about
Mr.. Dorian Grayl'
"Oh, she murmured, Charming boy-poo,
dear mother and 1quite inseparablc-en.
gagged to be married to the same mani
mean on the same day-how very silly OF
me! But l forgot what he does-afraid he
doesn't do anything-oh, yes, plays the
p~iano-or is it the violin, dear Mr.. Grayl'
We could neither of US help laughing, and
we became friends at once"
Laughter is not n bad beginning for 8
friendship, and tits tho best ending for one,'
said Lord Henry plucking another daisy.
Hallward buried his face in his hands
"You don't understand what friendship is,
Harry" he murmured-"or what cnmity is,
for that matter. You like every one: that
is to say, you are Indifferent to every one"
How horribly unjust Of you!' cried Lore
Horny, fitting his hat back, and looking ur
at the little clouds that were drifting across
the hollow turquois of tho summcr sky.
like raveled skeins of glossy white silk
Eyes; horribly unjust of you. 1 make G
great difference between people. 1 choose
my friends for their good looks, my NC
luaintanccs for their characters, and my
enemies for their brains. A man can't bt
| tpn irnJnfpl in tina nhp;,n ~ h;, ,,,,.-;o,