The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1903-12-03
An Encorrig ible
Angel
Copyright, 1908, by Daily Story Pub. Coz
By F. II. LANCASTER

IL Elm, the artist, dropped his book
and strobe to the window, there to
stand and stare out upon the green
slope that slipped shimmering and 81
lent 10 the valley below Green-gold
where the sun shot down to it, green
black where the pine shadows fell
upon it; but always green, glad and
beautiful. A thing to hold any arts
tic eye. All, but this artist was blind
.tc it. That unlucky line of Ruskin's.
1t had walked afresh all the heartburn
ger he had hoped to soothe into ever
lasting rest with the lullaby of labor
IAN incorrigible angel" What mat
tered it that Ruskin was writing of
eighth century Irish art? At the words
had sprung before the artists mental
vision that tantalizing embodiment of
beauty and mischief. If the great critic
had coined the phrase for the express
benefit of monsieur's, mis- hosts, slip
of a daughter, it could not have come
more pat to the purpose. So while he
stared aC the slope and its wonderful
play of high light and shadow the
artist saw only dark eyes beneath
thick, curling lashes. dimples dancing
in roseleaf cheeks and tempting lips
parting over pearly teeth.
How wonderfully lovely the child
Is" he mused while a smile lifted the
tips of his mustache. Little tease. In
corrigible angel suits her to a dot"
And he smiled again, finding these for
hidden fruits very sweet indeed
For all thought Of the lovely child
was forbidden fruit to the artist. Being
young and ambitious, and acknowledge
ing frankly that matrimony was too
heavy handicap for his career, he had
planned to eschew woman and the
thought of her.
"Ill never marry for anything but
love. Ergo, ii I don't fall i'll love I
won't marry" he explained to his pipe,
and pleased with his philosophy and
its penetration ne had pursued his ap-
pointed path disconnected and happy.
or contented and unhappy, as is the
way with artists, be the A big or little
Now, VOLTA. That path had brought
him abruptly vis-a-vis with an tncor-
rigible angel. Comment done? 1t was
time for his resolution to assert itself
Or to turn tail and run. AS for the
artist, lie wished The resolution to
stand pat. On general principles men
like to believe that they are made of
stnrner stuff than rope Of sand Ger
tainment! A week ago he had burned
his sketches of rounded cheek and
l.
Enough, enough" Said it sternly all
in the dead vast and middle of tho
night" En- Dein, but he kept on star
ing down the slope until he spied O.
white specly at the bottom of it,
"Aspasi's befrilled sun-bonnet"
Fe seized his hat and slammed his
door. Resolution had turned tail Ouel
esclandre, quel esclandre!
Oui vraiment 1t is so out there on
those green hills under the pleasant
sunshlne-among the simple lives of
peaceful 'CajaH land. The heart of am
bition grows ASHAMED of it's clamor-
of its everlasting GIVE, give" There
is a bigger thing than either money or
success, and that is the serenity of soul
tidJ Sclo doluS lllOucJ anu success as
little tin toys that eternity may easily
dispense with" The artist breathed in
such thoughts with the air-after reso-
luton ran away. He fancied that II
was because of the profound peace and
silence that he felt nearer to Heaven
out here upon these green-wrapt hills:
that it was the tall pines and the stars
stopping over them that awoke those
mystic yearnings; that it was the
moonlight and the quiet that sent him
off into those long, long reveries
wherein the big things dwindled and
shrank and it seemed good just to live
on in silence at peace with all human
kind. Yea, truly, he thought it was all
a case of atmosphere, the poor artist.
Little dreaming that 1t would have
been the same in Broadway or Boston
had the incorrigible angel been there.
Like most men he shrank from anaIyz-
ing his emotions. But Aspasi, the in
corrigible angel, analysed them for
him. All, ms oui! Her eyes danced
when she beheld NJ. lie artistic smoking
with his eyes on vacancy, and her lips
qufvered with suppressed smiles when
he stammered over the request to be
allowed to chop her kindling.