The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-10-03

donna I met one day on Montgomery
steps. l recognized ner at once as my
necessary Inspiration Diet was all very
WELL but what was diet without woman?
Where would Raphael have been without
the Fornarlna, Da Vinci without La
Gloconda, Rubens without his wife,
and I-well, 1 had been nowhere so far
but was to get there now, thanks to my
| little Madonna. Not that l meant her to
| he a Madonna-she was @ nymph, a
! dryad, an Egeria, anything that was
NEUROLOGICAL, ethereal, and rapturously
| ideal.
Her people could not at first under
stand why I wanted q studio In their
| limited quarters and their daughter for
model. Those sturdy fisher-folk of the
| Latin quarter are singularly Independent,
Somewhat strict in their domestic rules,
1Od backward in artistic development.
! Tut when they knew that my future de-
pended on painting Egeria, and that suit
able surroundings were essential, they
gave in graceful1y-and charged out
rageously.
There was no doubt about the suitable
| surroundings That cottage, nesting
among the rickety wooden steps Of
Nanny Goat Gulch," formed an ideal
setting. Little balcony and little garden,
with little humming birds on gossamer
wings fiuttering about the scarlet
fuchsias; harbor view, and flooding cleo
| trio light when the moon was asleep.
The very place for chronic inspiration.
! ate very steadily up to~that inspira-
/ ton, for Egeria was to, be a creature
| tissued of rainbow light a yelled trans
| parency from above. ] had read of a
man In Oakland who makes flower SAL
! ads, and flower salads seemed suitable
| repast; 7 taught Egeria to roll rose pet
| ais in sugar, and we ate them off Vio-
| let-tinted plate; l devoured nasturtiums,
drank fuchsia syrup and dahna tea ;
| nay, l even sacrificed q couple of hum
ming birds on my first inspirat ton day
| You are to be diaphanous," l said to my
| dark-eyed model, who smiled because she
could not understand; "yCu are to be
bathed in pure light, with rainbow shad-
| ows, and the humming bird wings will
work into our atmosphere"
| It was slow work, however, and
strange to say. Geraldine's letters be-
came singularly unsympathetic, which
| was diScouragiDg. BY the time l laid
down my brush I was very weary, had
! frequent sense Of emptiness and vul-
| gar craving for chops and beer; NY purse
shared the sense Of emptiness. But
had created q poem.
I took my poem to an art gallery, and
the art gallery proprietor required quite
an extraordinary amount Of persuasion
before he would consent to exhibit It.
why, man." I expostulated, '1t's per-
fectly novel scheme Of color; It will draw
crowds"
IT dare say" he answered, absently;
no doubt. Scheme Of color, did you
say7 Where's the colorT'
One evening toward dusk I was moping
in front Of my scheme of color, which
drew no crowd, when a hand touched my
shoulder. "Oh," I groaned, willis, from
Hopkins. of course" But it was Geral-
dine.
you backT cried
''Yesi did I not tell you? I wanted to
see Egeria!
well? You see?'
''Yes-h'm-it's rather dark now you
know; but light enough to show me that
you don't look WELL"
There are reasons"
Funds low?"
Going that way"
Now, don't worry everything comes
right. Percy, dear-till your eyes are
ness-you are going into papa's office at
a good salary; he's agreeable
But"
No butts at ALL" and the radiance OF
her race lighted up the dim street: "your
art viii come out by and by, never fear
You see, you don't understand tha diet
question. I do
No doubt; still fail to see how
you" HO"
Can regulate your diet? Not evan .,
l order our daily dInner?"
Geraldine. my dear, your fathar
Percy, my dear coz" said Geraldine
very softly, ut isn't leap year: please
oDllge me by rot being a foolp'
am once more eating my MenpesIan
way up to art, and Geraldine prophesies
sleal results In the coming days.