The Opelousas courier., 1901-02-02

NAE@''' s ss"i ;s, s1' :t s]sse;s'
her deliberately as she stood, hel
slender shape outlined against the
curtains. They were burlap curtains,
which she had painted a dull brick
red ("Pompelian red" she called it,
and which she had ornamented with q
Greek border in yellow floss and hung
in the doorway herself in spite of his
SOOTHING and ribald protests.
They were pretty bad, those cur.
tains, but whatever their limitations
from an esthetic point of view they
certainly made an effective back
ground for the white robed frure,
and his eye fingered approvingly on
the picture a moment before he said
severely:
"What have you been doing?"
"Why, the ideal" she exclaimed in.
d~ignantly, flashing a protesting glance
at him from under her long lashes.
II notice that you generally take it
for granted I'm going to be horrid
when you've been particularly horrid
yourself" he observed blandly.
She did not reply to this daring se.
mark, but, crossing the room to the
mantel, carefully selected an especial
ly ugly bulldog pipe from the selec-
ton it contained. This she filed
with practlced fingers from q battered
tobacco jar that stood near, and then,
crossing to the easel, offered it to the
man with the most bewitching little
air of coaxing humility.
"My dear young woman" he cried,
waving the offering away sternly, "do
I look like q man who would accept o
bride? Do my features bear the i'm
print of vulnerable virtue, that you
should thus seek to gain my favorable
judgmentfor your nefarious goings on
by such a palpable-"
he said no more, for just then the
stem OF the pipe was dexterously in
serted between his teeth, and, deity
striking a match on the broad side Of
the shoe, conveniently presented to
her by the careless attitude of it's
owner, the girl applied it to the to-
bacco in the pipe bowl.
In spite Of himself he closed his
teeth on the stem and drew a long
breath, and as the first cloud of
aromatic yapor arose to his nostrils
his features relaxed.
SWELL, who is it?" he asked, as the
girl seated herself on q hassock and
fixed her eyes on him appealinglv.
"It's-it's-Hinsdale," she replied,
dolefully.
"Hinsdale. Why, I thought we
disposed Of Hinsdale three weeks ago.
and since then-let me see-there
was Smith and Devereux and-how
many others?"
sob, never mind the Others she
cried. petulantly. "It's, Hindsdale
now. We did dispose Of him-or at
least I thought we did-and Tn sure
that letter I wrote"
Sab, did you write to him, too?"
he asked, pufinga big cloud of smoke
over his sunset and watching the e.
feet of its vivid hues shining through
the clouds of grayish vapor with an
artists delightful appreciation of
color.
"Oh, well-the letter you wrote,
then" she said. Though I'm sure
you didn't do it all. You only helped
me-"
ooh, yes," he answered indolently.
Slut Hinsdale-he's broken. out
again?"
"Yes, worse than ever" and she
sighed dismaIly, land 7 want you to
help me write him another letter-one
that will fix it SO hat he'll understand
there's no hope-no possibility
mean-of my ever being anything
more to him" Here she foun-
dered and broke down.
"Cant do ii to-day" he said, de-
cidedly. "I've got to get this picture
done to-morrow-order, you know
and it'll be o scratch il T manage to
do it. It means painting ell night as
it u.s."
"Oh, John, you must" she cried,
eagerly. ''L've just got to send ii to
him this afternoon by a messenger
boy, or he'll be sure to come up to.
night and make q scene or something
besides"
mo, it's no co." he said. cruelty,
taking up his brush. "You'll have to
got rid of him somehow and come to
morrow"
But, oh, john" she burst out,
Tears coming to her eyes, "I-I can't
come tomorrow. Aunt Maria has is
sued her commands-the fat has gone. |
forth-I'm forbidden 10 come here
any more"
1.-THE deuce you are" And be laid
down his brush and faced'quite around
in his establishment.
"Yes," she replied, furtively drying
q tear on one of the ends OF her mus
lin sash. Jean never could find her
handkerchiefs, being always without
pockets. "She says it's all well
enough for me to take painting les.
sons Of You, though everybody knows
1.conld never learn TO paint. Aunt
Maria is SO ignorant about such things,
you know"
Eyes, I know" Blowing a ring OF
smoke ceiliDgward to hide a little
smile.
sand she doesn't mind my having
Q studio II TIL FIX up one ct home, but
she doesn't think ii looks we'll for me
to have one in this building aud run
In and out OF here oil the time-and
90 I've got to move tomorrow"
This time she forgot 70 dry the tear, |
and it ran ~forlornly down her cheek
and fell with a splash On a study Of !