Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1898-08-13
CHAPTER v.

CHAPTER v.
Mrs. Drew wrote to her daughter cheer.
lily. playfully. with an underlying serious
ness: she followed the rector's advice.
Begin ut this strict drawing school,"
she wrote. III you find you are doing no
good there, you can always make change
and study elsewhere"
Lilith felt brighter after her mothers
letter. Next morning she began her stu.
dent life ut an art school.
When she shut the hall door at Princes
Square ut starting there was Willie Mac
donald whiting for her outside. Willie
quietly informed her that he intended to
escort her TO and fro daily.
my hours at the Deed Office are ten till
four" he said; ''yours are nine til Ave at
the school; can manage II well. 1t was
quite a relief to Aunt Judith; she wns
grooming about Priscilla's wasted hours"
Those walks In the fresh morning were
delightful to Lilith; the air In the squares
seemed cold and pure. almost country.
like. Willie was buoyant: he had Q bright
brain. ind his talk was. II chiefly "com.
mOn.scnsical." clever and reasonable: II
put Iilith into suitable humor for her
drudgcry. This was extremely trying TO
the ambitious, idealistic girl: she who had
had her freedom absolutely was mentally
u prisoner.
This WINS the routine she went through
daily. The old porter who opened the
school door checked the minute Of her mr..
rival by the clock In the hall, and wit.
messed her signature Of the same In q
huge book. Then she passed through into
the elementary students cloak room. Be-
peft Of cloak and bonnet, she went up the
great stone staircases to the attics. Il
was such o drcary place--those attics
all thrown into one low.cciled room, where
she worked.
How could the Beautiful be studied
hcref While she was wondering. Miss
level, teacher, was arranging Lillth's
work ut the portion Of the long desk -.
signed to her. There was o glazed card
with some trace lines hung against the
rail above the desk. and on the desk was
Lilith's drawing hoard, with . fresh.
white sheet Of ORA wing paper pinned upon
Il. This sheet had been pinned on By kind
Miss LEVELS own fur hands, while Lii.
ith was glnncing around ut the many
quiet, ugly, uncouth figures working away
at the desks In silence.
1ilith rot herself to her straight lines.
BY luncheon time she had succeeded In
drawing q few inches. Al the end Of the
day the inches were rubbed out. Lilith
went from the school fcrccly. Willie
Macdonald. who detcrmincdly insisted
upon her telling her first experience to
him during their walk home. had hard
work to pacify her. She grew more con.
tented and less wretchcd when he gave
her humorous account Of his first days
ut the Deed Office; when he had made her
laugh, he took her home.
The next day I.ilith's hand was more
obcdient; Miss level encouraged her.
The day afser, just before the luncheon
hour, Miss LEVEL came In. Lilith had
finished her curiously infantinc task bold.
~; there were some fine bold lines upon
the paper. Lilith's heart heat faster al
Miss level came up: she expected that
these would be her first and last ''lines''
she would be promoted to 'curves."
MY dear" whispered Miss Ievell
"that will never do-Quitc incorrect. Zee
here aud herc"--pOinting to the shiny card
and to Lilith's drawing ernately-''you
have not ascestained your distance right.
"; you must take fresh sheet and begin
again"
Lilith was alone and furious. First abe
paced the empty room In rage, and then
| an Idea came to her. She took up heg
/ awing-those rejected penciled lines
and, seeing how good they were, II NOT
exactly like the copy. she resolved
II will give them some straight lines;
and then good.by-come what may, good
byw
She sat down, scrawlcd 1.-THE Palace OF
Straight Lines" ut the top Of the paper,
aud then made q bold sketch Of the school,
the exterior on one side of the paper, and
the interior on the other.
They were fine sketches with her own
firm artist touch. The one bit Of spite
was pOrtrait-all In lines-Of Miss lie.
veil, who was looking out Of window
pointing rigidly to the inscription above.
BY the time she had finished this and
had signed her name In full her head was
hot with passion; she went quietly to the
cloak room. dressed and strobe out.
Lilith had been crying passionatcly; but
she met Willie with perfect self.cOntrol
She told him everything. and he had still
enough of the schoOlbOy element In bis
composition to enjoy q mutiny, and Lii
this behavior to-day was certainly mu'
tinOus.
"Your mother must be told" he said
but he persuaded Lilth not to write her,
helf. II will tell my mother all about It, =
he said; "our mothers will understand
each other. You see 1t will be painful to
Mrs. Drew to hear that you and the school
nre ut loggerheads already"
Mrs. Macdonald wrote. Her answer
was the appearance of Lilith's mother up
on the scene. She came to the Princes
Square house us unObtrusively rs any cas-
ual morning visitor. She was introduced
to Willie before she had time to hear
I.ilith's story. Then they sat side by side
on the big sofa In Lilth's bed chamber
the rough dark head against the smooth
fair one, and Lilth told her woes.
Then Mrs. Drew put on her bonnet and
drove off to the drawing school. Miss
LEVEL was astonished to find that this
swcet-faced. gentle lady was Lilith's
mother.
1--WE think your daughter SO extremely
Wild" said Miss LEVEL. "Of course she
has Imagination and facility of execution
but of what use are these without rigid
training?"
Certainly very little," Mrs. Drew said
Then the two ladies' talked over the
matter, and Lilith was forgiven, and re.
instated for as long as she conformed to
rules.
(To be continuedl