St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-12-12
An Incorrigible
Angel ~
Copyright, 1908, by Daily Story Pub. Coz
By II. LANCASTER

TIT 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 to 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 artis-
tic eye. All, but this artist was blind
to 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.
"An 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 tantalizirg embodiment Of
beauty and mischief. If the great critic
had coined the phrase for the express
benefit of monsieur's. mis- hosts, slip
Of q daughter 1t could not have come
more pat to the purpose. So while he
stared &C 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 unused, while smile lifted the
tips of his mustache. Little tease. In
corrigible angel suits .ner 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 a handicap for his Sareer, he had
planned TO eschew woman and the
thought Of her.
"I'll never marry for anything but
love. Ergo, ii don't fall in love
won't marry" he explained to his pipe,
and pleased with his philosophy and
its penetration he 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 incor-
rigible angel. Comment done? It was
time for his resolution to assert itself
or to turn tail and run. AS for the
artist, he wished the resolution to
stand pat On general principles men
like to believe that they are made of
sterncr stuff than rope Of sand. Ger
tafnment! A week ago he had burned
his sketches Of rounded cheek and
beauteous brow and said to his heart:
Enough, enough" Said it sternly all
in the dead vast and middle Of the
night" Eth 0ein. but he kept on star
ing down tile slope until he spied
white speck at the bottom Of II.
"Aspasi's befrilled sun-bonnet."
He seized his nat and slammed his
door. Resolution had turned tail. Gael
esclandre. quel esclandre!
Oui vraiment It Is SO out there on
those green hills under the pleasant
sunshlne-among the simple lives of
peaceful 'Cajan land. The heart of am
bition grows ashamed Of its clamor-
Of its everlasting "Give, give" There
is bigger thing than either money or
success, and that is the serenity Of soul
that sets aside money and 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 it
was because of the profound peace and
silence that he felt nearer to Heaven