The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-05-28
SCOVELL'S WOOD NYMPH.

walter OCOV0iI was eV1QenCly IN trouble IN
mind when he went and took his place among
the crowd of people waiting in the outer Of
flee of his friend Blandford. The rest of the
mroWd were all presumably sick in body, for
stamford was DOCTOR and they had come
to consult him. But Scovell and Blandford
had been close friends for ten years, and in
all that time neither of the two had ever
been IN any but the most perfect physical
health. When Blandfords Office attendant
saw ScobeI during office hours, she always
counted at least half an hour Of that day
lost to her employer-to be spent in what
she considered useless chatter, certainly not
In the earning of professional fees.
This time Scovell had e perfectly good rea-
son for his intrusion. He was in serious
trouble of mind. He was painter, the time
left him for the completion of what he ex-
pected to be his great work was desperately
short: and the GROWING glory of the picture
seemed unattainable.
If don't get that momentary, fleeting
expr ession of the face and that gesture he
said to his friend when his turn had at last
come and he had been admitted to the con-
su1tlng room, "the whole thing is a failure"
What is the matter with your model?'
Blandford asked.
Il don't know. 1 don't say anything is the
matter with her. Physically she is splendid
have expected q simple girl like that to I'M
derstand the expression of studied shyness
that would come on the face of a wood
nymph who is awakened from sleep by the
about fauns and wood nymphs?"
rs everything all right except that?' his
friend asked.
Everything nothing to get except the
facial expression-and the movement of the
hand When you come to think of it, though
those two are everything-the whole value of
the picture
I'm sorry I can't prescribe something
that will quicken your models intelligence,
old man. You ought to tell her to imagine
that she's been taking a nap and hears some
body coming behind her to win a pair of
gloves. She might understand that better
than the classical idea
BY Jingo!'' Scovell suddenly calculated
'By Jupiter, by Pan, I've got it! Hypnotism
is the thing, and you are the man to work
It, Ia have come to you long ago if I'd
thought of that
How, do you know can hypnotise your
nodel?"
You must try"
NO. said the doctor. It'll tell you a bet
ter day. The picture is all finished but the
face?"
1.-THE face and the right hand"
Then you must let Emma go and paint
in those from my hypnotic subject Bring
your traps here day after g,tomorrow,pat 4
o'clock in the afternoon. Now get out, and
let me earn my living. So long,
Scovell on the morning of the appointed
day had his canvass fresh canvas for a
study of the face and hand-concealed, with
al easel and other apparatus, in closet off
afternoon he made his appearance ready for
work.
He found quiet, ladylike girl talking with
the doctor She was dressed in street cos
tune and had only just laid aside hat and
gloves Blandford introduced her as one of
her patients.
Scovell was not sanguine as he looked at
the face he expected to pain. It was not by
any means the face of an immortal. There
was nothing classic about it. It was the
face of pretty, honest, rather timid working
girl of the nineteenth century.
The operation of hypnotizing the subject
was begun by Blandford with hardly a word
of preface. She, on her part, appeared to re-
gard it as matter of routine, and made not
the slightest objection to the presence of a
third person.
She was sitting in the same chair in which
Scovell had found her when he entered, and
from which she had not stirred. After a few
of the well known passes and movements of
the operators fingers over her head the girl
was fast asleep apparently.
Nov bring on your asel,' said Blandford.
Then he began talking to his patient.
MARY, open your eyes" She opened her
eyes slowly. Nov tell who is in the
room"
YOU" said Mary.
"You don't see anybody else?"
mo"
artist. do you want her to ba wood nymph?"
"Can she do it?"
"Just watch"
The girl was following Blandford with her
eyes, but she did not seem to see the other
man.
MARY" said the doctor, "this is beautiful
forest, isn't it? You are sitting at the foot
Of a tree. What kind of tree is it?"
Its an cak," said the girl. speaking softly
Eyes, said the doctor. Here sit down on
this beautiful soft moss on the roots"
Mary slid from the chair to the floor and
guided by the doctor, found her way to the
legs of a large and heavy table, against
which she leaned.