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

time II ner ccnpary, Ilstening to her
conversation and enjoying her wit and
grace, this hopeless young man had be-
come SO topelessly and desperately her
lover that he no longer cared to use his
brush in the service CT any other lady or
lord and staid at Strelsau solely that he
might again and again depict tn face
that he loved, and, save when she sat be-
fore him, ha seemed now unable to ply
his art at all, and had he not received SO
many commands for pictures of her he
would have sat all day long idle. think
ing Of her, which indeed was what hc
did in the intervals between his labor
on her portraits. Eut she, not imagin-
ing such presumption and folly on his
part, thought that he was glad merely
because she would Pay him well, so she
promised him more and more, II only
he would paint her faithfully, and he
gave her his word that he would paint
her in every respect most faithfully.
'9For / desire to know. !" said she,
what am in truth like, for my mir
ror says one thing and the king Of Glot-
ten5erg''-- But here she stopped. re-
me,nbering that such matters were not
fit for Giraldo's ears. Yet he must have
understood, for a strange, cunning, e1-
ultant smile came on his lips as he turn
ed away and set himself to mix the col
ors On his palette. thus he began this
last picture, and the princess came ev-
cry day and stazd long, 50 that Giraldo
might be able to render her likeness In
every most minute respect with perfect
fidelity.
"For.'' She thought resentfully,
"either have no eyes or they have
none in Giottenberg.
But when she had thus been visiting
Giraldo fer hard upon a month and the
pict1re was nearly finished and was at
once the most lovely and the most faith
full Of all that Giraldo had painted, it
CHARGED that letters came to the king
from nobleman O. France who was
well known to him and had known the
princess as well, the Marquis dc Nero
sai1les. And the marquis wrote to the
king in the greatest ;ndignation and
scor1l, upbraiding the king and saying:
"What is this, sire? Do you keep a mad
man at your court and call him paint
er? have been at Glottenberg, and
when spoke there, as it IS my humble
duty and my true delight to speak ev-
erywhere, of the incompatible beauty
Of your n jesty's sister, the Princess
Osra, the king, his son, and alY the
company did nothing but laugh. And I
fought three duels with gentlemen Of
the court on this account, and two Of
them I, heaven helping me, wounded,
and one, by some devils trick, wound
ed me. And after this, the matter COM
ing to the king s ear, he sent for me and
excused the laughter by showing me a
picture done by rascal called Giraldo
at your court, and the picture was
named after your majesty IS most match
less sister; but, as I am true son Of
the church, 1t was more like gutter
wench, and, on my honor and con-
science, 1t sQuinted most perceptibly. I
pray you, sire, find ous the meaning Of
this thing and receive most humble du-
ty and homage from your devoted serv-
ant and, since your graciousness SO
wills 1t, most obliged and obedient
friend, Henri, Marquis de Merosailles-
I kiss the band Of the princess. .
Wien the king had read this letter,
he grew very thoughtful. and, unknown
to Giraldo, he sent and caught the mes
senger whean Giraldo was wont to in
trust with the pictures and who had
carried the picture of which NJ. de Me-
rosaiBles wrote to G1ottsnberg, and the
king interrogated the messenger most
closely, but got nothing from him gave
that he himself never beheld the pic
lures which he carried, but received
them most carefully packed from Giral-
do and so delivered the1a without undo
ing the coverings and did wait until the
recipient had inspected the picture. So
that the fellow did not know anything
about the picture that bad gone to
Glottenberg except that itwas certainly
the same IS Giraldo had intrusted to
his hands. But the king was not salts
fed, snd, learning that his sister was at
that moment at Giraldo's house being
painted afresh by him, he called half a
dozen of gentlemen and sot cut On horse
back ior the place where Giraldo lived
in the street that runs from the cathe-
dral toward the western gate Of Strel-
sau. To this day the house stands there.
The princess sat and Giraldo painted.
Behind tho princess wes window look
ing on to the street, and behind Giraldo
was second door. which led into an
inner room. On Gira1do's easel stood
the nearly finished picture, and Giral
dos eyes were alight both with love and
with triumph as he turned from the
princess to the picture and from the pic
trre to the princess again, and she, see