The Press., 1898-12-01
THE APPLE TREE.

One evening / noticed by Moussia' S
photograph, which alw avs stood covered
with white GRAPE veil on a small ia
BILE, three red checked apples. These
plebeian fruits seemed out OF place in
the aTistocratic Partisan drawing room.
crowded with rare knickknacks and
works of art. Moussia g mother, observ-
ing my questioning glance, said, point
ing to picture at the end of the room,
"These fruits were picked on the apple
tree which you see i'll 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 "a
years old.
In the spring of 18S- Moussia was
planning to paint peasant woman in
the open country for the salon OF the
following year. She spent days looking
in the outskirts of Paris for suitable
landscape in which to place her model.
One morning she found near Sevres a
field Enclosed by fence palings, beyond
which walk overgrown with grass lost
itself under willows through whose
young shoots the sun shone brightly.
Half way up the walk, OH background
OF grayish green bushes, with All outline
almost as soft as that of smoke, stood a
robust apple tree, broadly spreading its
dowery branches. The whole scene was
filled with tender, fresh, stirring har
mony, with spring itself. Moussia was
moved. She felt that this was the lCCk-
ed for spot. Opening the gate, she walk
ed toward the house, which was sepa-
rated from the orchard by garden fill
ed with beehiyes. The proprietor rap
pened to be one of those half bourgeois,
half peasant horticulturists who provide
the Partisan markets with flowers aud
fruits. The request made by the enthu-
siastic looking young girl with the ex
pressive blue eyes fattcred him. He
loved his trees, and the admiration of a
painter for them pleased him extremely.
Moussia was readily given permission
to work i'll TIE inclcsure, and she began
the very next day
Early in the morning she arrived on
the tramway, with her model, who
carried their lunch in II basket Nous
longer beginner, for some Of her pic
lures had already been much talked Of
at the salCn. Though belonging to &
rich family, which Occur led high po-
sition among the aristocIacy of hel
country, she orked not as an anna
teur, but as an artist anxious to win
tame. Her W ork showed the melant holy
fire and poetry which belong to those
born in Little Russia. The sketch of
her painting absorbed her entirely. She
was trying to put CHI the canvas some of
the effervescent spring about her. She
painted rapidly, as if 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
rawness of the air, which often made
her cough. The owners of the place adj
mired her pluck, and as they saw her
painting, bareheaded, standing in the
dew, with 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 hest
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 touching intimacy
began between them. At noon Moussia
was often invited to share the cabbage
soup and bacon.
The picture was growing. The peas
ant seated at the foot of the apple tree
looked most lifelike. Only few finish
ing touches were needed Gathered
around the easel, the family agreed that
the apple tree was beautiful, for it
seemed as if by stretching out one's
hand the pretty, fresh, pink and white
blossoms could he plucked. One evening
Moussia carried her picture away to
show it to some friends, promising to
return with 1t i'll order to finish certain
details in the Landscape. They waited
Tor her i'll vain One by one the blossoms
on the tree were carried away by the
breeze. At the end of IL fortnight