Evening journal., 1900-01-18
THE HEARTS MEMORY.


state, but spent his days and nights
weeping before a portrait OF the dear
one. This portrait was the work Of
his own hand. He had learned to paint
Tor the express purpose Of executing
f.
One day he few into towering
rage and threatened to kill one OF his
chamberlains who had dared to hint
that the deepest grief should not be
eternal and that it would be well for
him to think of marrying some young
girl-the niece Of an Emperor or
daughter of a peasant, as he might
choose.
Monster cried the inconsolahle
widower. do you venture 70 advise
me so basely? Would you wish me TO
he unfalthful TO the best of Queens?
Out of my sight or | win slayyou with
my own handl But before you 90
learn this and make il known to all
no woman win ever seat herself up
on my throne unless she Is, in every
particular, Ike the wife / have lost"
And well he knew that in saying
this he rlsked nothing. AS she still
lived in her frame Of gold-dead. alasl
the Queen was so perfectly beauti-
full that, search the world over. her
equal could not be found.
She was q brunette, with long. glis-
tenlng hair, flowing down like liquid
ebony, forehead little high and OF
rich ivory tint eyes deep and black as
night and lips parted in a smile which
displayed all her teeth
Many months slipped away-more
than year-without bringing any
lchange for the better IN the sad state
OF affairs
Once. however,--it was at the hour
when the dawn paints the windows
with rose and blue-he turned toward
the window, listening to the song Of
a passerby-a song, airy and flesh,
pretty and clear as the thrill of a
lark.
lie stepped forward astonished,
pressed his forehead against the glass
and looked ont. A cry Of delight al
most escaped him.
He had never In his life seen any
thing so charming as that little shep-
. hcrdess leading her flock to the mead
ow
She was a blonde, her hair so gold
On that it seemed to lend new bright
: ness 10 the sunshine rather than TO
, borrow lustre from it.
! She had a forehead a little low and
pink rs a rose. luminous eyes, bright
/ as the morning. and a smiling mouth
, so small that even when her lips part
ed as she sang they revealed only I'VE
. or six little pearls.
The next day, in admiring the pOr-
trait the King received q painful sur
prise
He thought a moment and said 20
himself: This is very strange. 1t
4 must be that the hall is damp that
= the air we breathe is not good for
{ paintings For l remember perfectly
that my Queens hair was not so dark
d as it looks now. No, surely, It was not
s black like liquid ebony. 1t shone here
ard there with the tints of the morn
i ing. not of the night"
4 He called for his brushes and pal
4 cite. and hurTiedly corrected the por
: trait. which had been 50 injured by
\ the dampness. "Therel Behold now tn,
d golden hair which loved so desperate
g ~. which l viii always lover
!. Three days later he was compelle'
9 to acknowledge that the picture had
: again suffered great deterioration.
why was that forehead. like amber
: ivory, so high? He had a good memo
ry. thanks to God He was sure tina
n the Queen had a low brow rosy anl
2 fresh as the wild rose. With a few
5. strokes of his brush he brought tn,
r. golden air lower and tinted the brown
o a clear pink And his heart was full
D. Of an inhniteetendernes as he gaze,
y upon the picture thus restored.
But the day following matters wer
still worse. 1t was evident that tn
! eyes and mouth Of the pictured fac
i had been changed by some acciden
IL or some mysterious power.
i Ills darling had never had thos
lie dark eyes. black as the night, nor tina
he mouth. which opened so as to sho,
r nearly all Of her teeth. No. on I'd
contrary. the blue of the morning SIX
could not equal the azure Of the eye
which sweetly looked upon her Low,
~ and as to her mouth, it was so sma
y that even when opened TO sing or 70
81 kiss IL disclosed only n few litd
Id pearls.
Nv For an instant he could have de-
o. troycd and cast at his feet the lyin
W image. But u second thought col
e rolled him and he grew calm agai
ie as he reflected that the injury coul
'e' be repaired.
u Instantly. he set himself earnestl
81 ~ ut his task His brush was guided
~ his faithful memories and a few houl
! later there smiled from the canvas
no young girl. with eyes as blue as IL
distant sky and a mouth 50 small tina
if il. had been a flower, Il would har'
Is have held three drops Of dew.
on The King looked upon his work
D. a painful ecstasy 1T is she, All. II
N- really sheg he breathed.
ri And, quite naturally, he had no o
cill iections to offer when one day Il
on chamberlaiu-wh had taken Observ