The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-03-01
The Menpesian.

where a bullhght I'm all its stages was ILL
ustrated hy vivid oeographs. and culinary
proceedings might he studied amid a set
ing OF Mexican pottery. The proprietor
was European OF many languages and
admirable waiting capacities; his hand
some young wife a pure Mexican, pre-
pared me matchless enchiladas, with
crimson flower set In her raven hair; the
muscular bare arms Of the black-robed
tortilla-maker were TO be seen grinding
the paste up and down her black crater.
Dark-eyed young women in bright attire,
demure elder women, draped In sable
shaws and gliding about like nuns, men
OF varied costume and complexion, came
and went with foreign greetings Here
was my right atmosphere at last. burn
ed my throat with chill con carne. gor-
ditas, posole and salsa chilli or soothed IL
with the Inevitable frijoles, and realized
that / could paint Tyrian purple on such
diet. Geraldine quite agreed with me.
Dear old fellow. you are Just splen-
did" ran her epistle: this must prove
an artistic tonic, and ! expect great
things OF you" Then I'm a T. 8: rs the
restaurant sonora so very handsome?
Paint her portrait for met
Geraldine was always fine and large i'm
her ideas, thanks perhaps 10 an extensive
purse. ! made a hasty sketch OF the SEN
ora. and did not make IL too handsome,
my coz was satisfied. ! was not. for
the color ideal eluded me. In vain l
painted Mexico" under every aspect: in
vain ] haunted our Lady OF Gaudaloupe
and studied the devotional types before
the altar; i'm vain | rushed from Carme-
las lower-region dainties 10 my canvas;
no scheme of color was evolved by my
brush; my very dreams were mono-chro-
mic: and my highest effort was but
gradation OF tint. At last I settled that
q To-. . ft.af alrx "a
NOUS. | even told Geraldine At this
stage Wills, of Hopkins, once more look
ed me up. lie whistled, and hts whistle
got on my nerves. What's the mattel
now?' ! queried.
For answer he stared hard at the can
vas then into my eyes. Anything
wrong there?" he asked, touching his
own significantly.
what the deuce. OF course not. Have
you turned oculist 'now?
"All painters are amateur oculsts-no
dimness, no spots, no strange
Hang 1t ALL what do you mean by
putting things into a fellows head? OF
course my eyes are all right. What's
up?"
Color blindness. my boy; you must
drop IL for a while"
"Eh?"
Everything in this picture Is lurid
red or salmon red or a rose
That's IT," interrupted, you have hit
H. gradation of tint Is my latest fad"
Does IL include scarlet foliage and pink
grass?" inquired Wills
Geraldine was quite nice about it."Dont
| worry; IL will all come right. You were
! too positive In your tomato -and-chin diet;
| you lost the BALANCE OF harmony. now
! rest and eat poetically, colors always art
| istically mingled on your plate; the re-
| suits will be wonderful"
1 ha vel ,tut-
I ing, and I had serious thoughts OF court
| Ing fame by the eccentricity OF my lurid
tendencies, when Montgomery street
| changed my plans
1 The racisi blends i'm Upper Montgomery
! and It's cross streets produce types that
/ are artistic joys, hut I had never Yet seen
/ q type 10 equal the girl Madonna 4 met
| one day on Montgomery steps. rocog.
/ nizcd her at once as ms necessary inspir-
! alton Diet was all very well bur what
! was dlet without woman? Where would
Raphael have been without the Forna-
| rina~Da .nci without La Gioconda, Ru-
| bcus without his wife land I--weli. had
| been nowhere so far, but 1 was To get
there now, thanks To my little Madonna
! Not that | meant her 10 be- a Madonna
she was q nymph, a drynd. an Egeria
! anything that was mythological cthe-
real. and raptuously ideal
Her people could no, AZ first understand
| why l wanted "a studio IA their limited
| quarters and their daughter FOR q model
| Those sturdy nsher-folk OF the Latin
| quarter are singulary INDEPENDENT. some
| what strict in their domestic rules and
| backward In artistic development. hut
| when they knew that my future depended
| on Painting Egeria, ann that suitable sur
| rouudiuss were essential they gave in
| gracefully and cherfed outrageouSly.
| There was not doubt aboni the sui able
| surroundings. That cottage ucstllnK among
! the nCkety wooden stcps of Nanny
| Goat GuiCh.' formed an idea setting
| Lutte balcony ana little garden. with lit
| tie hummiug birds on gossomer wings
| fluttsring about the scarlet fuchsias; har-
Dor view and flooding electric light when
| the moon was asleep. The very place for
chromatic Inspiration I ate steadily up
tu that inspiration. for Egerla was to be
"a creature ussued 90 rainbow light, n
| yeiied transparency from above. | had
| read ~ a man in Oakland Who makes
flower salads. aud flower salads seemed a
suitable repast. ! taught Egeria 20 roll
rose. petlas Ia sugar and We ate them O1
violet-tlntsd plate, I devCured nsstlr-
I tiums drank fgchsis syrup and dahlla
| ten. uaV. I even sacrificed couple ~
! hummiug hird~ on ~, nrr' Nnsuiraliirl
| dag. Nou are 60 bs 1laphanccus.