The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-06-08

He liked the best pictures rather by in.
stinct than by knowledge. Only the great
| masters knew how to paint story, ana
| the story always appealed to him IN
| art. Otherwise, he was quite ignorant OF
technique.
He began wandering slowly along the
Gallery, soothing his vexed soul with
the harmonious lines Of pictures 'urf H. ana ana
gradually forgetting his late ocrst OF uh-
comfortable anger.
Suddenly. without warning, his eyes
fell upon a life-size portrait of Her, his
beautiful, young tiancee. who had been
dead for two interminabe years. Out of
! all the other meaningless pictures upon
the wall. the dear well-remembered face
looked down upon him: smiling signify
| as she used to do in life.
| It was a wonderful portrait because she
had been 50 difficult subject. She wa
unpaintable in sense, being SO run OF
| life and laughter and mobile expression.
| The artist had caught her at her nap
piest, most characteristic moment, alert
! brilliant with the subtle dawning of her
charming smile lingering on her lips
The suddeness of his discovery almost
| stunned Reford into unconciousness. For
| an instant through his scorching. binding
tears, the room swung about him, and
| then the mad JOY of seeing her again even
In the knocking. guise of a portrait. sent t
a strange mischance he possessed no
memorial of her. She had disiked being
| photographed and painted because the re-
| suits were SO Totally lIlduSiudlc W SA-
| press her dear. elusive personality But
| here, almost as If alive. she smiled down
| upon him from the wall. dealing him at
once joy and despair.
The throng began surging thickly about
| him. They saw merely beautiful. I'M
| known. young girl in white, cleverly
painted by an equally unknown artist and
so passed on carelessly
During a pause In the crowd when the
room was sufficiently cleared to enable
him to get closer to the portrait % Rex X
| the corner. 1t came back to him vividly.
| That was the name Of the Struggling
young art-student sine had saved from
crowding on the heels of this reme;n-
brance came the memory of certain mys-
ferrous hints she had given him of a
ming for him The surprise had been diff
| ferent and far greater than they had
| meant. How those who had known her
had low loved her! It wa, was not her beauty
world so closely to her. There were many
others as young, and lovely and good
| many others clever and rich. but there
! was only one Justine: How faithfully, the
artist had reproduced each characteristic
detail from that delicious, dawning smile,
even to the brilliant sparkle of his ring
upon her finger.
The custodian warned him that the
building was about to close for the night
before Rexford became aware that he had
spent the day standing before her por-
trait.
'Interestin' picture." said the guard in
casual comment Looks like she could
sneak don't she? like it better than
them Impressionist things in the next
room. Can't tell what them fellers are
drivn at with their queer green's and
yellows an blues. but can tell what this
one means. She's just agoin' to speak,
and say something funny. You can see
the smile a-conin'. That's what L call
art This pictures gotta history. too The
artist who painted it sent it over from
Paris in hopes of fndin someone whose
present address amt known. He owns the
picture, and the Chairman Of the Fine
Arts has his name and everything ready
to turn over this picture to him if he
ever turns up here The pictures at
owner amt turned up vet
Rexford left the building with a light
er heart than he had known since her
death. With the remembrance of her
portrait so viyidv in his memory it al.
most seemed as if she herself had come
back to him He walked along careless
of direction until he found himself again
IN the Midway close by the Streets of
Mexico. The Egvptian with his mvste-5
rious. topaz-colored eyes still lounged at
the entrance AS Rexford passed him
their eyes met, land the man smiled sllbtly,
Was I not right. Monsieur?'' he muir
INJURED. Never yet have Il made a mis-
take. I tell you the truth
In the midst of the caressing cadence
of his dangerous voice struck in the brisk
tones of the English erl. -
'Cassia- buds, who'll buy my cassia- buds q
A sure cure for love, gentlemen, Il gjve
you my word y s