The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1897-07-21
II whist you'd tell me how"

/
Il whist you'd tell me how"
The artist smiled. IT'S just by try
ing-a good deal as it is with you in
making dolls" he explained.
| She bent up close, and looked at the
board with its bit of canvas tackled on
it. Then she turned puzzled face to-
ward him. ''But this hyar's fat" she
said, IAN yet it looks like it was stand
in out. couldn't do that. / couldn't
noways make doll out'n fiat piece O.
wood"
Would you like to see me do it ?" he
asked
She nodded silently.
"Then we'll begin with the foreign
err" he said. II suppose there's no
danger in letting him out now that
you're here to guard him while paint"
He lifted his hat gingerly with his
finger and thumb, and he and Georgia
both laughed as they saw the helpless
way in which the corncob doll glared
up into the sunlight. Georgia set him
| up against tree in the severely upright
position which his construction de-
manded, and then stood by the stran-
gers elbow, watching. His bunch of
brushes, the shining tubes from which
he squeezed dabs of color on to his
palette, the jointed easel which he put
together and set up so quickly, and the
camp-stool on which he seated himself.
were all fascinating accessories to the
making of dolls, either fiat or round.
and she forgot to be afraid. The artist
glanced at the corn-shuck clothing of
the foreigner. and matched it with
mixture of paint which he blended
back and forth with brush, while he
asked Georgia questions about the
people on the mountain. When he be-
gan to paint she drew closer and closer
until she was leaning at his very elbow.
Suddenly she caught her breath.
Happy kingdom!" she murmured;
"you begun it fat, an now you've made
him look ter be a-standin' out, an was
keepin' watch an yit didn't see you
when you did hit!"
He turned round to laugh at her. but
when he saw that her face was not only
surprised but frightened, he did not
laugh. "I'll paint another and paint it
slower" he said, land then perhaps
you'll see;" and, STOPPING, he picked us
the gayest of her dolls. 1t was dressed
in dark-red oak leaves slashed with
sumac, and its head was hickory-nut
on which she had traced features with
the faint red juice of berry.
"I'll try to keep'a pearter watch"
she said, gravely. as the young man
touched the oak-leaf dress upon the
canvas. In spite of his promise he was
tempted to work so fast that for sec
ond time she would miss "seeing him
do it," but he was afraid that she would
run away, and SO he began explaining
to her how the form began to stand
out when he put in the shadows. She
partly understood him. and when he
finished the doll and began painting a
background of rough brown bark and
shadow behind it, she scarcely drew her
breath.
"Oh, seed you! seed you this
time." she cried at the end; IAN be-
lieve could do hit too"
"Do you know what 1 want to do
next?" he asked, without looking up.
81 want to make a picture of you"
AN put me over where you'd look al
me an l couldn't see the picter begin
to stand out?" she objected.
You may come round once in awhile
and look" the young man promised.
This seemed to be the keenest person
he had found yet in the mountains.
where most of the people in their own
obscure way are shrewd.
She stood moment bordering. I'm
do HIT" she said, IF you-uns ii keep
talkin' to me bout them ar dolls, like
you was talkin' to the foreigner. You
know | amt never seed a real doll.
Nanny bad one when she was little,
cause she lived in the settlement; but
my aunt, what lives in Crookneck Cove,
smashed hits head on a stone a-playin'
with hit. SO amt never seed doll"
Her face was very wistful-too visit
full for the picture that the artist want
ed. did tell you about the kind that
have eyes that open and shut?'' he
asked, as he chose q brush.
Georgia looked at him eagerly. Il
wisht you'd tell hit over ter me-" she
said.
"All right" said the stranger, "Fll
tell you about every doll l ever saw
and he began to work. Georgia could
not watch the picture of her own face
as it stood swiftly out from the fresh
canvas on the easel, but her eyes grew
each moment softer and brighter and
more bewildering to paint, as
they saw another picture all
in words unfold against the
background of the forest. The shad-
ows heightened on the mountains, CIV
ing them the look of listening, too, for
they had seen no dolls but Georgia's in
all their years. Georgia was used to
marking the hours by the mountains,
as if they were great dials which had
been placed in sight so that her mother
coa16 hay for ir,rr