The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1896-10-03
THE
PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY,
BY oscAn WIDE.

ioNeu Il woman. l suppose l never hal tiiite
Perhaps, as Harry says, y really grand
passion is the privilege of those who have
nothing 80 40, anu tnuu is In; usc Of tho ;aiis
classes in the country. Well, from the mo-
ment l met you, your personality had the
most extraordinary influence over ms, !
quite admit that l adored yon madiy
e~xtravagantiy absurdly. ! was jealous OF
every one t.. whom you spoke, | wanted tt
have you all to myself. 1 was only happy
when | V s with you. When | waa away
from you, you were still present W my art.
1t was all wrong and foolish. 1T is all
wrong and foolish still. OF counsel never
let .ou know anything about this. 1t would
have been impossible. You would not have
understood il; | did not understand 1t my
self. One day | determined TO painta Won
dclful portrlittof you. 1t was to have been
my masterpiece. But as | worked at il,
every fake and film of color seemed to me
to reveal my secret. grew afraid that the
world would know of my idolatry. / felt,
Dorian, that | had told too much. Then it
was that 1 resolved never to allow the
picture to be exhibited. You were a little
annoyed: but then you did not realize all
tina it meant To me. Harry, to whom I
D4llhttl ttDpul y. u-Il ~ lIC. pul 4 oiNl
not mind that. When the picture was
finished, and ] sat alone with it, ! felt that
I was right. Well, after a few days the por-
TAFT left my studio, and as soon as | had get
rid of the intoierable fascination of its
presence it seemed to me that / had been
foolish in imagining that / hav seen any
thing in it, more than that you We're eX-
tremely goodlcoking and that | could paint.
Even now | can not help feeling that il is a
mistake to think that the passion one feels
in creation is ever really shown in the work
one creates. Art is more abstract than we
fancy. Form and color tell us of form and
color-that is all. 1t often seems to Inc that
art c~onceals the artist far more completely
than it ever reveals him. And so when /
got this offer from Paris / determined to
make your portrait the principal thing in
my exhibition. 1t never occurred to me that
you would refuse. sac now that You were
right. The picture must not be shown.
You must not be angry with me, Dorian, for
what l nave told you. AS said to Harry
once, you are made 10 be worshiped."
Dorian Gray drew a long breath. The
color came back to his checks, and a smile
played about his lips. The peril was over.
Il " a. Az V lS HNOuih uOI
help feeling infinite pity for the young man
who had just made this strange confession
to him. He wondered If he would ever be
SO dominated by the personality of a friend.
Lord Harry had the charm of being very
dangerous. But that was all. He was too
clever and too cynical to be really fond of.
Would there ever be some one who would
fill him with a strange idolatrys Was that
one of the things that life had in store.
'It is extraordinary to me, Dorian" said
Hallward. that you should have seen this
in the picture. Did you really see its"
"Of course | did"
"Well, you don't mind my looking at it
nova"
Dorian shook his head. s1ou must not
ask me that. Basil. 1 could not possibly
let you stand in front of that picture"
'sYou will some day, surely:n
"Never."
well, perhaps you are right. And now
goodbye, Dorian. You have Deer the one
person in my life of whom l nave been
really fond. don't suppose l shall often
see you again. You don't know what it cos,
me to tell you all that l nave told you.'
"My Basil, "cried Dorian, what have
SO4 tolu ilc! toliiplS iulL you lclb ltldU you
liked me too much. That is not even a com.
pliment.n
at was not intended as a compliment. II
was a confession"
"A very disappointing one"
why, what did you expect, Dorian? You
didn't see anything else IN the picture did
you' There was nothing else to sees"
N there was nothing else to see. Why
do you ask But you mast not talk about
not meeting me again, or anything of that
kind. You and ! are friends, Basil, and we
must always remain So"
You have got Harry" said Hallward,
sadly.
'oh, Harry cried tho I'D, with d ripple
Of daughter. Harry spent his days saying
what was Incredible, and his evenings in
doing what was improbable. Just the sort
of life l would like to lead. Blu still | don't
think | would go to Harry if l was in
trouble. ] would Sooner go to you, BASIL"
But you won't sit to me again!"
"1mpossible,n
"You spoil my life as an artist by refusing,
Dorian. No man comes across two ideal
things. Few come across one
Il can't explain it to. you. Basil, but I
a'N@e "a - Spu NtSdili. i VIII OlIl
and have tea with you. That will be just us
pleasant"
"Pleasanter for you. 1 am afraid,' muir
INJURED Hallward, rcgretfully. 'sAnd now
goodbye. | am sorry you Won't let me
look at the picture once again. But that
can't be helped. l quite understand what
you feel about it"
As he left the room, Dorian Gray smiled
to himself. Poor Basil how little he knew
of the true reasonl And how strange it
was that, instead of having been forced to
reveal his W secret, he had succeeded.
almost by chance, in wrestling a secret from
his friend! How much that strange con-
fession explained to hint Basil's absurd
fits of jealousy. his wild devotion. his ex-
travagant %panegyrics, his curious reticcnces
he understood them all now, and hi felt
sorry. There was something tragic in o
friendship so colored by romance.
He sighed, and touched the bell. The
portrait must be hidden away at all costs.
He could not run such q risk of discovery
again. 1t had been mad of him to have the
thing remain, even for an hour, in q room
to which any of his friends had access.
CHAPTER Wiz.