Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1896-06-11
THE LOST CRAVAT.

| When l arrived at Paris, / was poor
very poor. Like SO many others, l hoped to
| lind there both fortune and glory, | hopeC!
| TO become IL great painter, and | was only
| 20 years old. While was waiting for fame
| and fortune, both Of which, | am glad ts
| say, came at last, | break tasted and dined
very lightly Sometimes | did not break
fast at all, and I often, as our English
| friends say, dincd with Duke Humphrey.
A worthy shopkeepcr in the country
| town from which | camo wrote to me, out
| of the goodness of his heart, and gave me
an order to mako a copy of Teniers. AT
once, full of ardor, hastened to the great
| gallery Of the Louvre. From the first day
| did good work. That was thus going
| to earn some money made me work, but
| tho pleasure l experienced in copying 8
favorite picture made me work quickly
and well.
All, the pictures of Teniers! What sen
sations they awakened in my being, thest
| fat and bristling burghers, with theil
| plump and rubicund cheeks the laughter
| wrinkles around their pop eyes, thrustinl
| their jolly noses into their tankards. There
| WAS no sentiment of envy aroused in mt
| in gazing upon their pictured merriment
The third morning after my task ha(
begun l repaired to the Louvre. Just as
was about to enter the officious guardian
| in his green and gold uniforms made nj
! an agitatod sign, carrying his hand to hi,
| neck. ] remembered having seen the sam,
|
| Der that when Don Caesar do Bazan hear,
the news that he is going to be hanged h,
| puts his hand to his neck and feels of it a.
if he already felt the fatal cord? just Sc
gestiGulated the green and gilt guardian.
stared at him stupidity and then looked
around me. Anybody in sight? Coming
around the corner was young woman
but sho was invisible TO him. There wa
nobody else. Evidently to me this fune
real gesture was addressed. l did not un
derstand him and therefore crossed tn,
| threshold. ! had scarce assembled three
! stops of tho staircase when @ loud cry re
sounded behind me, "Stop-you have NJ
craNat.'
Initiating the gesture Of Don Caesar dt
Bazan, / carried my band to my neck
| Alas, it was true! l had lost my cravat.
Don't laugh. I didn't laugh. 1t wa
my only cravat. II was one of those cheal
black knots that arc fastened around tn,
collar button with ~ rubber band. Fiv
minutes before entering the courtyard o
the Louvre had stopped in the Rue d
Rivoli, gazed at myself in u shop windov
mirror and had adjusted my cravat
Alas, had done more than adjust III
cravat--I had lost it.
"It's against the rules" said the guard
ian severely, "to permit any one to ente
tho gallery without q oravat."
| Well, he was right. There must bo rule
| in the great galleries, and whilo they will
admit shabby people they will not adMi
| people in rags, in their shirt Sleeves o
| without cravats
At this moment the lady who had beer
rounding the corner passed near me.
felt myself growing red and pale at once
and turned in tho direction of my guard
ian in order to look away from the prett,
| visitor, who, as she passed, brushed III
with hor silken gown. She wore tho pref
| tiest little blue cravat around her neol
| that one could imagine. Yes; 1 couldn'
| help but notice it in looking out of tn
corner of my eye at her white neck.
/ stood there stunned. The guardian
| enjoyed my CONSERVATION. He was happy
| In this moment he exercised tho exalted
pleasure Of authority. A policeman VIII
orders you to "move on" experiences tn
same secret joy. 1t is that feeling doubt
less which actuated Caesar and Napoleon
remained there for some minutes, gaz
ing at this little great man. had moth
| ing in my wardrobe that resembled il
slightest degree cravat, and had not
penny about mo with which to buy one
To whom could I address myself? / wa
from the country. l knew no one il
Paris. l had no comrades from whom
could borrow knot of ribbon What
| humiliation! And yet, above in the gal
| lery, the wassailers were waiting for me
| laughing and drinking under the crap
| arbor.
left the vestibule. l entered the grea
square of tho Louvre and crossed it mo
chanically. Yet as 1 did so felt instinc
| lively that there was some one following
me. OWNED that 1t was a woman, ant
that it was tho woman whom l had met il
the door and who had turned and rede
scended the staircase at the moment of IN,
misadventure Why had she followed me
Had 1 not turned my face in order to avoit
her glance? Heaven preserve us from in
quistive people.
She overlook me. 1t was in truth tht
lady of the staircase. She stopped in from
of me, looking at me tmidly, with ,
charming embarrassment. She seemed
moved and troubled. But said l to my
self, what has become of the pretty ribbon
she just wore around her neck? Her hands
were buried in rich muff As she stopped
and looked at me, she withdrew one of hel
hands from the mutf. l saw in her fingers
the light blue silk cravat ornamented Al
its ends with white lace. "An entranc,
ticket" said she to mo in half whisper
and she hurried away.
Here the artist stopped and meditatet
long.
'You followed her, suppose9" aske,
his friend.
II never dreamed Of it for moment
The wassailers of Teniers We're waitin,
for me-"
"And you entered the Louvre in blu,
cravat with lace ends?"
"Without the least affectation, withou
false shame, and perhaps with certain
pride as I triumphantly passed the greer
and gold guardian at the door,"
"And you found her some day some
where, this pretty woman, at the seaside
in the mountains, in society? No? Blu
you are marred-did she not become you
wife?"
81 did not say" said the painter dryly
tRut vOllr STORY is mt finished ~