The Topeka state journal., 1902-06-21
TIE MODEL.

l dropped into Danver's studio one morn
ins-l suppose it must have been two
years aSo-and found him painting on a
classical study He was doing neck and
shoulder work at the time, ana his model
was a stranger to me. sat smoking
and watching him. or, to be candid her
for half an hour Then her time was up,
and she left for dinner or something.
Who is she, Danvers?"
4 believe she is engaged to an artist
somewhere this side OF the Pyrenees
who is also relationless. He went blind
a few months back. Her whole soul
is wrapped up in him She could think
of no other means of making money, 50
she came over here. where she knows
no one. and determined to be a model.
only for certain work. you understand
"a high class model. She has found
one or two men like me to whom her
services are valuable and now she's
as happy as a sandboy, with the thought
of bringing her blind painter god over
sometime next month as her husband
Hell be the advising partner, I suppose,
and she'll earn the money"
"Oh. well, she certainly is the
Hush! Here she comes"
So I left then and started on my an
nual trip to the south the next day.
Three months after | walked into Dan
looked at his model. 1t was The same
girl and Dangers was at the same
something after d bit, and I looked at
rs she in training for a pose as a dying
asceuC! " hat in the wOrld have you
been doing with her. Danvers? What
| the deuce good can she be in your work
Yes. 1 know said I)anvers. scrap
ing his palette savagely- Beastly
nuisance, isn't it2 / don't know what
the devil TO make of it,
Wen, but what's the-I mean,
You remember the blind painter god
Yes"
''Wel, he fell into some beastly lake on
the day before they were to have been
married and was drowned. Shes been
getting little bit more ike-that, every
day since She doesn't sleep and she
doesn't eat. She does exactly just what
she is told. She's lay figure, ana q
skeleton at that Best model 1 ever had
too; Isn't it sickening2"
'.9'n. And | don't suppose its ex-
actly cheerful for her
We'll. of course. As a matter of fact.
I'm beastlV sorry for her I rather like the
girl; shes SO pathetic But what can
What She wants. old man is a new in
terest of some kind. She's simply dying
blind chap represented all the beauty IN
her life. He's gone She must oe made
to see some other kind Of beauty"
H M And you think that would cure
certain
All, wen must get to work old
chap
Yes. Goodbye
Now, for good time dropped into
| Danvers studio pretty nearly every da4
and am not joking when say I watched
anyhow. Then just as l was getting III
beautiful processZI had to start on that
wretched South American expedition.
That occupied almost year. When
l returned [ went out to St John S
Miss Retours-that was her name
was still there. and found she never
went into any other studio. She grave
~ excused herself from sitting for me
and as she did so she looked across at
! Danvers-great Scot and he was whis-
tling a vile thing from a pantoniIne
But she was in perfect health and
poem Of southern European beauty.
see me.Only through me dreamily to
| DanVers When she looked at him, her
great big fine. forest eyes shone and
glistened-a mixture Of Madonna and
Bacchante
How did you do it, Danvers?" asked
when she went out How did you give
her the new INTEREST,"
Who? Adile2 on. bless YOU shes
been happy as possible ever so long For
gotten ali about the blind chap. I fancy.
In fact, 1 sometimes think she must be
bit sentimentally inclined about some
Some other fellow Yes. How did
you do it2'
Let me see Wen. reallyI-I think
talked an awful lot of rot about poetry
and art, and-oh, yes remeEber l
painted a little ideal paradise for her-
think it was. That she seemed to eatc7
on to wonderfully. All talk. 70
know All talk And I who Nigh
have been doing this thing, was fool-ns.
about in South Ames lea
Yes. it's evidently given her new in
terest in life. [ suppose it began about
the time 1 went away-a year agO2
about then. I think. Anyhow, shes
as right as possible nova bit pensive
at times but plastic wax, and lights
up beautifully at word AS woman
confess she rather bores me now. but
she's a perfect model. my boy an aD
solutely perfect model
Yes, And I was in South America
all that year.
Mary had little lamb.
Sha sold It TO the trust.