The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-04-26
THE ADVERTISERS
 DAILY SHORT STORY

want no pay, she said. Tt Is for
 Come" she continued. "Is the studio Of Monsieur near? Let us start
 He was puzzled. He did not know what to make of her. But to David Dangers the words patriot and patriotism in her. he saw. something of the spirit of Missolonghi. It was better so. Better for his work. better for him. better for her.
 50 be it." he said at length. Come. D
 He led her home with him at once. and the first sitting was commenced. Silent. wrapped in her own thoughts. with the exact expression upon her face that he desired, he had no need to tell her a word of what he wanted. By intuition of his genius he worked.
 Day by day she returned at the ap- pointed hour, but never a word did she vouchsafe as to herself or her antece- composition, grew to think of her les3 and less. as his composition neared it's completion and he grew to thinking of the statue more.
 On the wall of his studio hung very handsome bronze crucifix, on velvet ps mel. He often found her watching it. It seemed to have a fascination for her, and one day when the child was dress ing, after two or three hours of hard work. when he had spoken to her again
 
 claimed. with glance at the crucifix:
 If you insist upon paying me- M. Da- vid, you may give me that"
 The cruciflx was worth considerably mere than the price of her sittlngs at two francs fifty centimes an hour. the usual price, and Dangers hesitated.
 What do you want with it?'' he asked.
 vid," she said. and pray to Christ for Greece"
 He took down the image and handed 1t to her. and she left that day, the last day of the sittings. staggering under its weight.
 The statue was finished and sent to Greece. and the thought of his model passed from his mind She was a little of mystery to him, but Paris held many such mysteries, or what seemed to he mysteries. in those days, and models. to David Dangers, were simply models.
 That was the story of of the Marcos Botzaris monument. David had been suf- fciently young to be enthusiastic and could do something which had never been done before. He had succeeded. With the aid of the spirit of Missolonghi he had succeeded.
 In after years. when he departed from France. exiled by Louis Napoleon, wan derer on the face of the earth, the ire sistible desire to behold once n1ore his masterpiece finally drew him to Greece
 Long before the vessel anchored he caught a glimpse of the tumulus erected at the foot of the bastion in honor of Botzaris It made small. dark spot on the horizon. but above it was a speck, small and white. with another dark speck beside it. He knew the white speck was his statue of the young Greek girl. but 1t was not until he landed that he knew what is now a matter of hisory-that his statue had been mutiIated almost beyond repair.
 As he reached the tomb, he wept like a child. for. lying across the marble f1g- ure was the unknown girl who had orig mated the masterpiece. and who. having journeyed to Missolonghi to behold the once more, and having found the right hand of the statue broken. the index finger of which pointed to the name, after trying to hide the cruel, vandal break with a bouquet of flowers. had died of a broken heart. and. with her still warm clay for one brief hour was talk ing the place of the marble effigy she had inspired to the memory of Marcos Botza- ris and his fall at Missolonghi.