, 1898-09-30
THE APPLE TREE.

1lllI al liz Illl4l4.
One evening l noticed by Moussia's
photograph, which always stood covered
with a white Grape veil on n small ia
BILE, three red checked apples. These
plebeian fruits seemed out of place i'll
the aristocratic Partisan drawing room.
crowded with rare knickknucks and
works of art. Moussia's mother. observ-
ing my questioning glance, said, point
ing to a picture at the end of the room,
"These fruits were picked on the apple
tree which you see in this picture, the
last one painted by Moussia." Then the
sorrowing woman told me the story of
the apple tree so intimately connected
with that of the young artist, Marie
Bashkirtseff, who died when only .
years old.
In the spring Of 1855 Moussia was
planning to paint n peasant woman in
the open country for the salon OF the
following year. She spent days looking
in the outskirts of Paris for a suitable
landscape in which to place her model.
One morning she found near Sevros IL
field inclosed by fence palings, beyond
which a walk overprown with grass lost
itself under willows, through whose
young shoots the sun shone brightly.
Half way up tho walk, on a background
OF grayish green bushes, with an outline
almost as soft MS that Of smoke, stood q
robust apple tree, broadly spreading its
fowery branches. The whole scene was
filled with tender, fresh, stirring har-
mony, with spring itself. Aoussia was
moved. She felt that this was the look
Cd Tor spot. Opening h gate, she walk
ed toward the house, which was sepa-
rated from the orchard by a garden fill
ed with bcei'ves. The proprietor hap
pened to be II of those half bourgeois,
half peasant h~orticulturists who provide
the Partisan markets with flowers and
fruits. The request made by the enthu-
saastic looking young girl with the ex-
presslve ! II eyes fiattered him. He
loved his trees, and the admiration OF a
painter for them pleased him extremely.
Moussia was readily given permission
20 work in the inclcsure, and she began
the very next day.
Early in the morning She arrived on
- "NA A'''N'' '"
carried their lunch in a basket. Nous
STA understood her art. She was no
longer a beginner, Tor some OF her PIC.
lures had already been much talked Of
at the salon. Though belonging o n
rich family, which occupied a high po-
sition among the a~rlstocracy OF her
country. she worked not as an ANA
teur, but as IN artist anxious to win
Tame. Her work showed the melancholy
nre and poetry which belong to those
born in Little Russia. The sketch OF
ner painting absorbed her entirely. She
SFas trying to put on the canvas soine OF
h ef1ervescent spring about her. She
painted rapidly. Ms II afraid not to be
able to finish the task she had under
taken. Every morning she came back,
In spite OF the April showers and the
fawness OF the air. which often made
her cough. The owners OF the place adj
mired her pluck, ahd as they saw her
painting. b~areheaded, standing III the
dew, with q blouse over her gray dress.
they believed her to belong to their sta
ton in life and thought she was work
ing for her daily bread.
The housewife brought her warm
milk, the children played near her
while she rested, and the horticulturist,
learning that some young trees interfer-
ed with the perspective, had not hesl-
tated to cut them down. 1t was touch
ing to see this man, usually so careful
OF his possessions, willingly sacrifice
them to crafty the wish of the young
artist. BY degrees O touching intimacy