The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1901-07-19

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Would you mind looking at it? You
will excuse us few moments, cap
tain?"
Certainly my dear. | must go to
headquarters and attend to some bust
ness that demands my attention"
Brown followed the good lady into
the house, and the painting was point
ed out to him. He stood gazing upon
it in rapt admiration, his eyes glowing
with pleasure as they drank in every
detail of light and shade and bold col
oring.
"Bierdstadt?"
"How did you know?" she asked.
"IIis name does not appear on the pic
ture."
"No one acquainted with his bold
touch and happy conceptions could
ever mistake the work of that master
hand" he replied. There is an indi-
viduality clinging to his pictures
which proclaims their authorship as
plainly as II his name appeared with
glowing distinctness on the margin of
the canvas"
The painting was one of those bold
mountain conceptions for which Bierd-
stadt was famous. Agreat rocky gulch
rent the breast of the mountain chain,
the sides of the yawning chasm and the
surrounding face of the mountain brist-
ling with pines and studded with bowl
ders. The morning sun was just peep
ing over crag to the eastward, bath
ing the rugged face of nature in mel
low, golden light. On the brink of the
precipitous wall on one side of the can
yon stood a lordly elk with head erect
and nostrils distended gazing across
the great chasm to where, on the OPP
posite brink, stood mountain sheep
In the same startled attitude. The an
finals seemed to have discovered each
other at the same moment, and their
pose, the rising sun and the soft blush
of color which surrounded all confirmed
the appropriateness of the title OF the
| picture, "A Morning Surprise"
In words of eloquence the young SOL
der traced the artistic beauties Of the
rare work OF art, and Mrs. Colby list
ened In admiration Of the intelligence
| OF the man in whom she felt such great
interest, but whose voice she had never
before heard. AS he went on and on,
dilating upon this point and that, COM
pairing the work Of Bierdstadt with
that Of other famous artists, every
doubt of the truth Of the story told her
oy Alice Sanford faded from Mrs. Col
by's mind, and in her eyes the young
man became a hero. 1t must be re-
membered that Brown was ignorant of
| 90 ID thnf oh IN 90
his story, and in the midst of an elo-
quent speech his position as a private
soldier flashed upon him, and in an EN-.
barrassed manner he said:
81 beg your pardon, madam. In my
pleasure at being permitted to view
this beautiful work of art | quite for
got myself, and fear | have tired you.
With your permission l will retire"
80, no, you must not. | assure you
your criticism of the picture greatly
interests me- and your praises of it's
beauty CRAFTY me more than can tell
you. Please be seated, for | love to
hear you discuss art and artists
She motioned him to a chair, and for
an hour they sat in interested CONVEX
sation Mrs. Colby was, unknown to
him, sounding the young soldier to the
depths, and with womanly tact she
drew from him bit by bit little touches
of coloring from his early life, and by
her ease of manner and gracious de-
meanor so impressed him that he again
lost sight of his humble rank and con-
verscd with her as he would with a
lady in the parlors of society in the
east. She was a woman of finished
education, one who had seen much OF
the world, and as she led him on and
on from topic to topic, her wonder
grew at his intelligence and fine con-
Versational powers
Continued