Free press., 1901-08-31
TIE IkPREssIoNIsT.
BY MAUD SHIELDS.

1
frou-frou Of silken skirts, and across
and through it all the haunting strains
OF cello played by master hand.
The Impressionist from a quiet cor
ner toyed with his teaspoon and studied
his surroundings. The tall, beautiful
woman standing by the blue velvet cur
tain was his hostess; he was glad she
stood by the blue velvet curtain as his
eyes rested upon her, because it's rich
folds were fitting background for her
regal figure II bronze hair; he dWeIt
on the harmony of it lovingly.
The Insignificant looking man to
whom she was talking with so much
animation was Vivian Gresley, the lat
est novelist to "arriye;;" the Impression
list had read his ':book" and thought
poorly of it, as poorly almost ac Vivian
Gresley thought Of the Impressionists
| pictures; SO he let his eye pass the
novelist and seek more congeniaI sub
Ject. He found it on the girl at the
piano a stranger to him. She was very
pleasant to look at, carried her head so
well; there was beauty in the broad,
! low brow from which the dark hair was
! drawn back in loose waves, in the
perfectly moulded chin, and little curved
! mouth. He nudged his neighbor, who
had given him up to his dreams long
| ago and was flirting desperately with
girl IN an atrocious hat that set the I'm
pressionist's teeth on edge. The girl
! rising for a moment to greet a friend
he whispered softly:
'Who is the lady at the piano?"
Betty replied his neighbor, a rela-
E1on OF the house, and an impossibility
| in gray trousers, a frock coat, and a
IbulEsing black satin tie, who added
t.rther to these indiscretions by assum-
! ing an eye-glass which completely OBJ
| liberated the view from one of his china
blue eyes.
Betty" repeated the Impressionist
in repFoach. "surely-surely-E
beth?"
Possibly, I wasn't at her christen-
ing; ever since we played together in
the nursery upstairs she's been Betty"
''She is Sutcliffe'2 daughter?''
Eyes, she's been at school abroad fo~
five or six years; jolly little thing; shall
I'bring her over, think the fidd1er's
done"
| 'Oh, thank you, but perhaps
Betty" he said, as she rose from the
piano. "Come and be introduced to
Delafeld the painter. We were at Trim
ity together; if 1 hadn't seen him row
in the college eight, and show them how
to play golf at St. Andrews, I should
say he was the biggest ass living"
Betty laughed sc:tly with amusement
'Why is he to be inflicted on me?''
"Oh, every one knows Delaield-it's
usual"
81 hear his pictures talked about"
Everything abnormal gets talked
} about, that's nothing"
Hes a bit above you-eh?'
5 ooh, he's above every one. Wait til
| you see his daubs.''
This as they walked back to the I'm
pressionist
The Introduction over, Harold re
signed his cousin 10 the painter ant
went after the girl with the hat one
more.
|. '"The music has given me much pleas
: ure," the Impressionist said, as the
: seated themselves.
. 81 should not have thought you coul
> hear note with so much talking MAJ
d zini's aocompanist broke his ankle yes
= terday, and so mother thought 1 Nigh
accompany. I was never so nervous
my life"
. "You played perfectly"
Thanks. Could you get me son
= tea?''
The Impressionist rose with alacrit
and Betty watched his velvet coat di
appear between the curtains.
'What an oddity,' she thought, reco:
nizing at the same time that he hs
very nice, serious eyes and goo
square chin. He came back in a fe
minutes with her tea and some lit
chocolate cakes, and was rewarded wi
few minutes uninterrupted convers
tion until some one else claimed her.
That night he made sketch in blat
and white of Betty, as his fancy dicta
ed, in loose clinging robe with she
Of Annunciation lilies in her hand
and underneath he wrote, THE Lady
the Lilies 1t was a good face pc
trait, but conveyed no idea of Bet
otherwise, because she was not one
a his snaky, sinewy women who "drap
well, but plump, well-developed G
with firm round waist and healtl
color. So he threw the sketch from hi
4 and thought about her instead. TIL
met again one May morning in Bo
street. It was very warm and pleasa
on the sunny side of the way, and Bet
81 seemed part of the sunshine.
She wore corn-colored dress wi
A little threads Of gold running throui
y it; and a toque of the same color on b
] dark, wavy hair that seemed to have
u CLINT of copper where the sun touch
K it. She looked what she was. thu
oughly well-turned-out woman in
n Partisan gown and tho IunrroSe;aD