Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-03-20
head. pab hut moment before with


ii ,uld my col 49,"
Ann te twisted The silk into her bright
hair. covered her wOr1 velvet bodice with
the drapery, suspended from her neck the
bag with the spangles, and finally. when
all was complete, stood on n chairin order
to see herself in misty ard deprecatiug
mirror. blackwood watched her with
contempt, contrasting her with the intel
lectual delicacy of his painted figure.
Anisette startled him from his reflections
by balancing herself on one foot and land
ing on the other close to his chair, with
one hand held out in saucy little move
ment of appeal
A dark flush mounted into I3lackwood's
face His hand made a mechanical jour
ney to his pocket.
"Only little-a very little" she de.
manded
Blackwood's search brought to light ono
silver piece OF 10 sous and half dozen
coppers His sunkcu eyes blazed at the
girl, who was about to possess herself of
them
THAT is all have" he said harshly.
Anisctte hesiiatcj, signing deeply, but
her eyes were riveleu upon the silver piece.
LEND them to mo-" she said 81 will
bring them back to you tomorrow, or, bot
Jcf Sllili Wis tNtnlIlG III
With sudden, swift sweep her little
hand graeped the cuin, and then Anisettc,
laughing like child threw him "a kiss
and fled
Blackwood hurled the door to with his
foot He glanc, d around the room like
an animal, breathing Heavily His .is
moved into suppressed r.oc.tiors aRuiu't
her, against art, against t.he whole aG.
cursed city.
Anisctte ran out Of the dark impasse in
to the Boulevard ST. AiCNH. The streets
were crowded; ribbons Of culorcd paper
huttcred from the windows and had caught
In the branches of the bare tees. \
Pierrot with an artists beard caught her
and raincd a shower of confetti over her
head and shoulders She snatchcd the bag
from his hand and pelted him in return,
using her elbows towedge her way through
the crowd.
She invested her i'll gotten wealth rock
lessly in IA supply of colurcd bags of con
fetti, which she now proceeded to sell at
exorbitant prices with rattling accom-
panimcnt of sharp jcsts and questionable
compliments. A slim harlequin in black
and yellow satin Slipped his arm about her
waist, and they danced together down tho
street The harlequin aided her sales, tx
acting even more cXtravagant profits. He
became an adept in smashing bags of con
! fetti in the faces Of too ailectiunhtc pur
chasers, adding II last touch of contempt
! by tipping up Anisettc's little face and
kissing her himself.
Harlequin was a merry soul, and the
droll bag with the spangles began To weigh
with the coppcrS dropped into it. Aniscite
invested in new supplies, drifting with tho
I Ibid =
Michel, fighting her way to the great
buuevards, where her little soul famed
! with joy, where She and harlequin forgot
to make money and simply gave them.
selves to the cXuhcrncc of the moment.
What gay. brilliant, fine thing it was to
| be alive.
Aniscttc knew no exhaustion, but rs the
/ lights sprang into the night she suddenly
paused in her rdpaciulIs and inexhaustiblc
energy.
"N'la," she whispered to harlequin, Il
have enough | 90. Amuse thysclf Co
rhine. Thou art -
She slipped her arm about the meek of
hcr friend and raised her face gratefully
For whom is il, all this said harle-
| quin. rattlng tho splnglcd bag.
Aniscttc laughed and shrugged her
/ shoulders " For poor devil of an artist.
who OWES me for lcu pose, He paints mc
rs an angel. | ann rs much alive TO him
as the Holy Mother to priest
"And | viii hc Us much alive rs the
/ Holy Mother il ana NOT back in time tu
make my good man his bowl of soup. Till
tomorrow, Aui-ottc'
It'll tomorrow. Corinne'
Aniscttc Slipped away into u side street.
/ She Shuwcrcd confetti aS she ran. The
blood was flying through her veins and
singing in her dizzy little head. Tho aiI
struck her hot checks gratefully, and she
found her breath a, She dartVu in and Ont
and around corners, through the circuitou-
route She had chosen.
"What would he say?" she thought, that
strange, grave man. who starved and icll
into rage and was one moment in heaven
and the next in he'll; who gnawed his mus
tachc and bit his lips and shook like Il
drunkard over his work, but who painted,
painted, painted. He would be u great
man, without doubt, OF perhaps, re-
flectcd Anisctto saCely, he would die some
day with pistol hole in his head, like that
other poor George she had known with the
drull American name At least for one,
this door George would have dinncr-a'
much as she could carry.
The sky WAS studded with stars-twin
Killing with enjoyment, thought Anisctte-
tho air tingled with frosty radiance; the
moon had risen behind the bare light treet
of the Luxembourg gardens.
AS the clock struck the half hour after
Z Anisetto turned into the house wher,
Blackwoud had his studio on the top floor
The concierge had joined the jewellers, anC
the small flicker of gas which usually en-
phasizrd the darkness was not yet lit
Anisctte felt her way carefully, Sho hat
her arms full. There was window OF
one landing, and her shadow, laden Will
bundles, threw n long grutcsque blacknes'
on the opposite wall. She swallowed 1
little burst of laughter.
Before Blackwuod's door she paused t.
get her breath. il was intensely still
Her hands were full. so sho knocked gen
thy with her heel. There was 10 answer
and Auisctte. trembling with impatience
deposited her bundles upon the floor, ant