The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1904-04-20
On the
Trail of a
Maltese ~
F. b. WRIGHT
Copyright, tgos, hpr c. Mcclure

Maltese kitten whose name was Dot.
though II WIS usually called 10y any
endcaring cpithet which came handy.
1t ought not to have tired Of the paper
ball provided for II. nor gone ON
tour of exploration into the hall, nor
then into Graham's studio But the
last WAS Graham's fault, because he
had neglected 10 close the studio door
when he went out.
OF course, Miss Mabel Hastings had
10 get her pet. and. OF course. rs the
kitten would not come mt her call the
only way WAS to 70 into the studio
after it.
She found ii after Il considerable
search sitting sercnely beneath the big
chair under the long studio window
With the kitten safe in her arms she
should have gone back to her inter
:upted work. She did not, however
She listened To the voice of the tempt
er, who told her that her opportunity
was come Mt last; that having seen SO
much II was no harm to see a little
more, and that no one would know.
She had wanted for long while To
know what Grahams studio was like
and If ii suited with him, and II mum
Der of other things,
1t is the first step that counts. From
II general survey Miss Hastings de
seconded TO IL particular examination
She tiptoed across the room, glanced
Mt the books and inspected the .lapa-
ncsc worries in II cabinet on the wall
H., Al
ii were, and nothing having happened,
there seemed to be no reason why she
should not dip In her whole hand. BE
sides If Graham should come, she had
the kitten for excuse. 1t WAS to the
kitten she talked as she wandered
about
lie wouldn't care nj my looking ut
his pictures, Kitty" she confided as
she rummaged in n stack of canvaSes.
and anyway If he doesn't want them
looked nj why does he put them with
their faces 10 the walIf lie ought to
know that that would make any one
| any ole desire to see them | wonder
If they are rejected pictures aud If he
| hates To see them rs | do that pile of
| y
Is why he leaves them wrong side out
Hum! Spring Scene RATHER good, /
should say. Italian Peasant Girl
don't think much OF her Old man with
! pipe moonlight or sunrise or some
thing. It's pretty, but | can't make ii
out. Just look mt the dust behind them
too. It's all over my skirt. 1t would
he II ElVcuwHy If he should come Only
I'd say got 1t hunting for you. Did
you ever see anything like this table
Dott | wish | dared straightcn 1t up
He needs some one 10 keep things IN
order. bachelors are so untldy. which
shows that they were never Intended
by heaven TO remain bachelors, for or
der is heavens first law. II must be
nice, though. to feel above oboying It,"
She moved about the room ms she
talked. studying the sketches on the
wall, testing the s0ftncss of the divan,
feeling the texture of the tapestries,
running her finger along the mantel-
shelf and looking Mt II with mock hor-
! ror.
It's Just the kind Of studio | thought
he'd have, Dotlcts. It's Just like him
big, sunny and not too many books nor
too many curios nor cluttercd up with
furniture. don't like II tinlcky man
nor Il booky man, and he isn't either.
knew he wasn't Is that the models
throne over there. | wonder that plat
form% 1t doesn't seem to have been
used much, and yet he's been painting
this morning I'm going to see what it
is. It's covered by curtain, but II peep
wont hurt any one
The easel stood In the corner by II
table Uttered with half squeezed tubes,
brushes. palettcs and paint rags, as If
the painter had thrown them down In
a sudden heat of evaporation over the
iradeauacy of his art.
Mabel drew the curtain from the pie
turc and then sat down hastily on the
printing stool. II WIS her own picture
she WIS looking nj her own and yet
not her own Not the everyday story
writing, money worried Mabel Has
tlnEs whom her looking glass reflected
but a girl clad in some soft. exquisite
clinging eastern fabric, reclining grncc-
fully in deep chair of inlnd ebony.
There were jewels cleaning in the
mcshes Of her coiled hair, and row upon
row Of pearls claspcd the delieatcly
curved throat Her hnnds were play
ing with the roses in her lap. Her eyes
We're dreamy
Sow, how did he know, Kutiuka
TINT | cared for roscsli said Mabel
when, aftcr the first moments of sur
A. a.. a.
light chin IN hand. before the picture
And such roses dream roses Just
opening 70 tho June mir How did he
know If 1t IS me- | suppose II isn't
me really, but like to think 1t lis AMI
+ indeed It looks like me. or MS might
+ look ii had beautiful things and
dwelt In fairy palace. Only, I'm
afraid. kit that Pm not half so pretty
IA TINT girl. She hasnt any bother
about making her purse fit her ncccs
stiles nor trying to make stories end
/ nicely, / don't think she writes at all
4 that Tlrl-thcrc's no Ink on her fin
gers And yet | Just know It Is, and
I'm rather glad only, of course, It's
horribly lmHertncnt in him, yon can't
know how impairment
And IN" pearls, Did he put them
around my neck for effect or 10 show
how well he could paint them? May
be maybe he wanted Just to give
them to me. IT was very cxtravagant
Of him kit. Pm sure he can't afford
them, and, of course, | can't accept
them. I'll have to say I'm greatly
obliged, but | couldn't think of ac-
cepting chem only I'd like TO.
Then, too, there's nothing / could
give him in return at least nothing
he'd want. can't make him any
nicer than he is, and so in our stories
| put him In Just as | see him only
sometimes hes rich and sometimes
poor and sometimes II soldier and
sometimes an artist | don't know
why he will insist on getting into my
stories, but he does. That's all | can
do for him, FuzZiklns, and that isn't
81. "a I'm