The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-03-30

.sGhas ais sou, sigror, she cried.
"I did hut suggest exchanging tho pic
tures. -
He tried to regain his composure as
be stopped to pick up his brushes.
"Tbe king Of Glottenberg' picture is
tie best for him to have" said he sal
lenly. "Ehis enc, madame, painted for
you yourself and for you alone"
"I pay the price and can do what 1
Will with the picture" 1etorted the
princess haughtily. "And if l desire l
Will give it to the king Of Glottenherg. ,"
Giraleo had now turned very pale,
ard, foreetful of the picture, stood gaz-
ing fzedly at the princess, for be could
nc longe, hold down in secrecy and si-
lence the passion tina. possessed him,
but it was declared in his eyes and in
ths trembling of bis limbs, so that the
princess 1ose from her chair and shrank
away from him in alarm, regret:in5
shat che lad dismissed her ladies in or
de-: to be- less restrained in talk with
the painter, and she tried to cry out,
that they might hear her where they
were in an adjoining room, but her cry
frze on her lips at the sight cf Giral-
dos passion. And he cried in hoaxso
whisper:
"He shall not have the picture, he
she'll not have i'll" And as he spoke he
moved nearer to the princess, who still
sh1ank away from him, being now in
very great alarm and thinking that
surely he had run mad. Yet she looked
at him and, locking, saw whence his
madness came, and she felt pity for
hira and held out her clasped hands
toward him, saying in very soft voice
and With eyes that grew sad and tender:
.'Ah, gnor, signor, am I always to
have lovers and never frierd?"
at this the unfortunate painter wss
overcome, and, dropping his head be-
tween his hands, he gave deep, half
stifed sob, and then be cried:
Goods curse On me for having SIAN
dered the beauty that Lowell" And
thea be sobbed again.
Esut the princess wondered greatly
what he meant by his strange cry, and
turned her eyes again on him in be-
wildered questioning, saying, as she
pointed to the picture:
''There is no slander here, signor,
unless too much praise be SANDER.
Giraldo made no answer in words,
but springing toward her caught her by
the wrist and drew her across the room
to the door behind the easel. With fe-
verish haste he unlocked it and passed
through. The princess, although now
free from his grip, followed him in o
sort of fascination. Giraldo drew the
door close behind him, and at the no.
merit the princess gave cry, half
scream, half laughter, for facing her
she saw, each ON its easel, three, four,
five, six pictures Of herself, each beauti-
ful aud painted most lovingly, end the
hast of the six was the picture thas had
been painted by order Of the king Of
Glottenbere, for che knew it by the at
tire, although the face had not been fin
ished when she had last seen it. A sud
den enlightenment pierced her mind,
and she knew that Giraldo had not sent
the pictures for which she had sat to
him, but had Kept them himself and
sent others 10 his patrons. This strange
conviction found its sure confirmation
in q seventh easel which stood apart
from the rest on the other side Of Che
door. for it supported what was in all
RESPECTS copy Of the portrait on which
Giraldo was now engaged, cave that BY
cunning touches he had impaired to the
face an alien and fearful aspect, for
here, although the features had their
shape and perfect grace, yet it was the
face Of a devil that locked out On tho
canvas, a face that man would not
have gazing at him from the wall on to
the bed where be sought sleep
Bat when Giraldo saw her eyes fixed
on this picture he cried: "Thet is for
you--the other is mine. Are they not
your features? The king Of Glostenberg
should not have even your features.
But you shall have them. and if devil
looks cut through such fair mask is
1t net so with all fair women that lead