The times., 1898-08-14
The Eyes of n Picture


Ine library was always a dismal nIaoa
and those who knew it best united in sa,.
ing that no one less eccentric than How
atu AlIles would have used it for such a
purpose. There was only one window in
The place. and that was so high in tho
wall that, had the sun been forced RI
climb up instead of down when reaching
It, there would never have been anv ligh,
IN the room at all AS things were the
heavy curtains shut out most of the liz
Tie that a single opening admits, and the
sofnoeriy colored carpet and furniture
look the cheer from that. The sabers
ana stocks that hung here and there
seemed CHASTITY in the red glow of the
hre. A man with tendency toward he
ing despondent would have gone mad had
ne remained single month within the
four walls.
But Aimes rather craved what was
gloomy, and tried to emphasize the grew
some qualities of the place He had filled
the mantei with grinning skulls, had pa
pered his ceiling with black and had made
every other effort to force his den into
disrepute. Fortunately for the wife who
did not exist, he was unmarried. and
others were not forced to suffer for what
he did. Alone in his apartment he would
sit writing night after night, working on
the plays that were slowly making him
better known TO the outside world. And
between intervals he would walk the
floor. pipe in hand. talking to himself of
strange things and of odd people with
whom he had met.
Only once in a lifetime did the worker
depart from his regular custom, and a
woman caused that lapse. She was a
sensitive little creature with nervous
hands and deep brown eyes. Aimes had
met her at the theater once or twice. and
she had seen something or other in him to
admire and love- If only for that reason
he became interested in her, began
dreaming of her and finally started TO
weave around her odd nature the plot of
a tragedy that had suggested itself since
their acquaintance. And as the piece
progressed he found it so simple matter
to provoke her into the moods he wanted
to study that he did not notice that week
after week his life was growing to be
more and more a part of her own and
probably would not have cared if he had.
When the play hogan to take definite
form and he to see in the character he
had copied something far stronger than
is usual in stage literature his enthusi-
asm reached a point where limits ceased.
Night and day he worked over the thing
and ever with the woman as his model.
AS the plot of the piece required 1t, he
would pain or please her only TO note the
effect and would then continue with his
mad writing, leaving her worried and
puzzled heartbroken and often half sick
at his oddness but always happy himself
in the chances for success he had gener-
ated. When he.stopped his labors it was
to think of their results-.:o see in the fu-
ture the triumph for which he had work.
ed so long and so hard-and to live again
and again the scenes he hoped TO find
realities in the near future During the
long wee sma' hours he would slave
away in front of his table and when he
would fall asleep for an instant at his
post it would be TO dream of what he was
doing and of what he wished TO do.
Both his neighbors and those of the girl
noticed the change in each readily.
Aimes' face was growing haggard and
drawn. his skin was waXen, and he him.
sell ndu p%CpIilt do d e-iVSb- 80 Se'fN'
of gray began to show in his hair, while
his ewes took to themselves wild, rest
less stare that frightened those who knew
him best. On her part his victim was
showing the results of her worry and
heartache She had lost all sense of
modesty or shame and spent the greater
part of her time at his rooms. FIRE.
ouently he would order her away and she
would go, not sullenly but silently. Her
glance always followed his as though she
had been hypnotized. and her very no.
tions took the characteristics he showed
AS she troubled more she grew less hand
some, until one would hardly have known
her by the great painting he had made
and hung in his room that he might study
her the better
II was not until the last act of his
tragedy was nearly finished that she
awakened to the knowledge of what he
was doing He had been prostrated all
day with fearful pain in the head and
she had nursed him until he had fallen
asleep Then, from pure love she had
begun reading the manuscript that was so
surely costing him his life. and immedi-
ately recognized in Its principal role her.
self. In an agony of fear and sorrow
she awoke him and hoping that he would
deny it, accused him of playing upon her.
But he made no attempt to creep out of
the results of his crime and after a mo-
ment of mute horror she rose and left