New-York tribune., 1901-02-17


You spare me too mpc, aa.r . w.
80 lhe SO little TO do that l NAV we'll try 30
80 'lat niue IN the way most advantageous for
l aie school Il Will approach Herr Hofmeyer an
1ig sehlect myself, tomorrow"
lherr Hofmeyer had a local reputation as n
Nrs,l,idIelit rslt artist, as well as teacher.
Ahf"uSh the interest OF am early pupil who
~ - sooct'eued in his career 10 the point of in
.InShelig hanging committees one of his pictures
hsa Deen smuggied into the Neue Pinakotbek
"a "a "uhiSh where its height above the level Of
ane pubic gaze made ii innocuous as an art
Inc Tact. however. Of being even ~skied" i'm
@ the gallery OF a big city brought him well on 10
tnt nlt aiir IN his native town. and there he Was
Has compositions which he borrowed from tho
90 iu masters Elizabeth found toerahle: il MAS
~, - & n1 ,, feailstic details and the brutal coipr
schemes that reused her antae0nism
10 learn and adopt his methods would m an
W. - eSh , 10 her eVers ara instinct. but she
WIS OF me stun Of which martyrs are made
An English lady boarder. Patricia Warren lax
name had been oblising as u escort Herr
iloi'hrHtf contingent L. has studio that morn
midday meal
She WAS raw-honed harsh-fta,ured yol.ns
person, win merry Sits of black eyes and ~
her Hefman Was always literal translation ar
hef somewhat racy native idiom. she a
source of constant delight the girls
'Acht lch lied ihn grausamt" she exclaimed
not meaning. of course. that she loved the Pre- 4
lessor sTewsome. hut that she liked him awfuliy.
"Er isl 50 hubsch,''
10 hear. in addition 10 her oddly declared love
thal fatilcla found the fat old teacher pretty
a
but among the laughing faces there foar
Disturbed ana grave ones. They belonged Il
Herr h"fmeyer's pupils
The eldest of them. a nictaira tomb1y With /
usually, quite fine taste in mischief. sigualled 4
implorinEly 10 her to hold her tongue
1t Is she who fog month back had been act
ing as recruiting sergeant for the class of oil /
paintins: but this not known 10 the au-
thOriti,s.
Patricia. however was too fuil Of her subject /
TO be stopped.
HE Is quite dscreet-oh auite.-but il n
Nfrpn' t--t"
The suggestion which her eIimace conveyed /
was outrageously uns,hoastic that Anna /
suspended business at the soup tureen 10 turn !
the conversation into a more profitable channel 4
iSut Patricia persisted. And aht the heay-
enly tenderness "f his touch" which. lingualIy (
TRANSMITTED by her. became tribute the ,
secret tenderness Of his squeeze"
This Completed the decentralization of IN #
table Whatever Herr Hnfmty"r Mas a
teacher. he MAS. "a person. a short. stout III .
man. ana had II "-'n i''SSih@ Z" imasinr ihr F.
angular English oman as Titana the "nly coa-
clusion 10 he drawn would hlN+ ie,.n that SGe
had found her Bottom.
ON rhr following moriin. El.zshrth set o-1
for the dreaded Interview Nith her rival
His studio A. the end of an alley of chest
nuts. which filled M air with a Vdgi" sc''nted
Fragrance.
The blossoms seemed u her lil1. votir.. candles
ON the altar of spring. TIL green rpof@d avenue
was a cathedral aisle footed 10y inrfa5." uT"s-
ences. The hymning birds were heavens chor-
listers.
This vivid uplifting of spirit Was not The best
preparation h-T task. ANA the shock with
which she always dsS q ld = from these Nights
onto the lower levels - existence
painful than usual when Sh- found herself ring
ing Herr Hofmeyer's bell
She sent up her card and after waiting for
time i'm the parents parlor shown Ep-
stairs the studio. or. she described il 10
herself, that laboratory of usliness
The man she found in possession Was not Herr
HCfmeyer. however. and n was evidently paint
ing something that ne saw through the win
dow and had his back toward the door. H. did
not move she entered
Pardon moment I've just got it,, he
nlurmufed.
She had the fullest sympathy with such alb
sorption. and remained quietly standing IN th-
middle Of the room.
She glanced round at the Vacuous MadOnnaS.
in their derivatile nGses and their robes Of
mutually destructive color. The grossly var
nished surfaces gave her sensation Of physi-
cal sickness.
And il was that she, also might produce such /
tEings-that she might d"secrate beauty 10y this /
Her eye. TO its immense comfort, lit on an
GnpretentiOus little canvas. stuck anonymously 4
among the others.
II seemed delicate. vague She crossed, with 4
impulSiVe delight to examine il. IL was an inn
pressionst study Of a misty morning
Living, $ she did, far from art centres, and
In a bourgeois set, she had not even heard or
the imDrcssiOnist school She thought that this
specimen of il was of Herr HofmeyerS un-
finished landscapes.
''Oh why does he eyer finish them she /
sighed Up TO this point they are right"
The artist had exactly what she saw
This was the record of that first, vague. all en-
bracing fash Of vision, which found her merely