Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-09-23
AN ARTISTS MODEL.

dropped into Danvers' studio one morn.
ing. suppose 1t must have been two years
ago, and found him painting on a classical
study. He was doing neck and shoulder
work at the time, and his model was o
stranger to me. sat smoking and watch.
ing him, or, to be candid, her, for half an
hour Then her time was up, and she left
for dinner or something.
"Where did you pick her up, Danvers9"
"On the boat coming over from Calais
How do you like herr"
ooh, she's superb-simply superb, for
your work, but-er"-
Exactly. She doesn't look like model,
does she? But I don't see why there
shouldn't be lady models-refned and that
sort Of thing. Anyhow, you know me well
enough to be sure she'll come to no harm
here"
"H'm; no, of course. What's the story,
old mani"
81 don't altogether know, and, anyhow,
I don't know whether I'm justified in tell
ing you.
sob! Well, of course, if''-
"Now, for heavens sake, don't make
fuss had no sleep last night, and I'm
shaky. First I believe she is q relation
less sort Of orphan of fairly decent parents.
Then, I believe, she is engaged to an artist
somewhere this side Of the Pyrenees, who
Is also relationless. He went blind few
months back. Her whole soul Is wrapped
up in him. She could think of no other
means Of making money, SO she came over
here, where she knows no one, and deter
,,,sp 10 ho modal nn1U for oorfQin
work, you understands high class model
She has found one or two men like me, to
whom her services are valuable, and now
she's as happy as sandboy, with the
thought of bringing her blind painter god
over some time next month MS her hus-
band. He'll be the advising partner, I sup.
pose, and she'll earn the money
ooh, well, she certainly is the''-
"Hush! Here she comes"
So left then and started on my annual
trip to the south next day.
Three months afterward I walked into
Danvers' studio again and fairly gasped
when looked at his model 1t was the
same girl, and Danvers was at the same
kind of work, but-well, she left the room
for something after bit, and looked at
Danvers.
SIS she in training for a pose as dying
asceticp What in the world have you been
doing with her, Danvers? What the deuce
good can she DO in your work now? Cad,
man, the girls dyingp'
Eyes, know" said Danvers scraping
his palette savagely. ''Beastly nuisance,
isn't it9 don't know what the devil to
make Of it,"
"Well, but what's the-I mean, howl
"You remember the blind painter god
chap"
eyes"
swell, he fell into some beastly lake on
the day before they were to have been mar
ried and was drowned. She's been getting
little bit more like-that, every day since.
She doesn't sleep and she doesn't eat. She
Just does exactly what she's told. She's a
lay figure, and Of skeleton at that. Best
model ever had too. Isn't 1t. sickenings"
"H'ml And don't suppose it's exactly
cheerful for her"
swell, Of course. As matter Of fact,
I'm beastly sorry for her. rather like the
girl, she's so pathetic. But what can a
man dop'
"What she wants, old man, is simply a
new interest Of some kind She's simply
dying for want Of some interest in living.
That blind chap represented all the beauty
in her life. He's gone. She must be made
to see some other kind of beauty"
"H'ml And you think that would cure
herr"
Certain"
"Ah, well, I must get to work, old
chap"
eyes Goodby."
Now, for good time I dropped into
Danvers' studio pretty nearly every day,
and I'm not joking when say watched
the reincarnation Of that girl-physically,
anyhow. Then, just as was getting in
terested, and-well, it was weirdly beau
tiful process had to start on that wretch
ed South American expedition
That occupied almost year, as the
members of the party are not likely to for
get, and then we were landed in London,
and the hall porter refused to admit me at
my own club. However, soon raised
some money, and dropped back into the old
life, and then went out to St Johns
Wood to look up Danvers.
Miss Retours-that was her name-was
still there and found she never went in
to any other studio. She gravely excused
herself from sitting for me, and as she did
80 she looked across at Danvers-good
Lord! and he was whistling vile thing
from pantomime. But she was in per
feet health and poem of southern Eu-
ropean beauty. Only when she looked at
me she didn't sec me, only through me
dreamily to Danvers. When she looked at
him, her great, big, fine, forest eyes shone
and glistened-a mixture Of Madonna and
Bacchante And he whistled that afro
cious patter song.
How did you do it, DanversP'' asked
when she went out "How did you give
her the new intcrests''
"Whos Adilep Oh, bless you, she's
been happy as possible for ever SO long.
Forgotten all about the blind chap, fancy.
In fact, sometimes think she must be q
bit sentimentally inclined about some 9th.
er fellow"
Some other fellowl "Yes. How did
you do it,"
Let me see Well, really IL think
talked an awful lot of rot about poetry and
art, and-oh, yes! remember 1 painted g
little ideal paradise for her-somewhere II
the Mediterranean, think It was. THAI
she seemed to catch on to wonderfully. AL,
talk, you know" All talkl And I, who
might have done this thing, was fooline
about In South America.
Eyes, it's evidently given her new in
terest in life. I suppose It began about thu
time I went away year agos"
"About then, think Anyhow, she'l
a. right as possible now. A bit pensive al
times, but plastic as wax, and lights ny
beautifully at word Az woman, con
Tess she rather bores me now, but she's q
perfect model, my boy, an absolutely per
| feet model"
| Yesl And was in South America al
that year. Chicago Tribune
In Every Ones Way.