The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-02-23
Our Daily Sport Story

him before the picture began to take shape, and Indeed, in his own way, think he loved the woman a little. She was more beautiful than most of her kind, and it was quite on the cards that he would again awaken to the fact that she was living. loving woman when the picture was completed.
 For the woman 1t was different mat ter. She had consented to pose for the picture because she could refuse Ram dolph nothing that he desired. She loved him in the way of her kind very devoted ly. and the assumption of indifference on his part. during the posings she endured only for the sake of the demonstrative- enss which she believed would come afterward.
 Painting with feverish persistence and supporting himself on absinthe and brandy, Randolph showed no considera- tton for the feelings of his model. Work was stopped only for brief intervals while the light lasted and during these periods he made no demonstration of his affec- tion for her, indeed showed no conscious ness of her presence within the studio be- yond few conventional remarks. But all things must have an ending, and bye and bye "The Dawn of Aanother Day" drew near to its completion. With every second Randolph painted with more feverish strokes. His face was pale and drawn in the lines of the ascetic. One who did not know him might we'll have mistaken him for some young churchman with q gift for painting saints. But the fire of absinthe was in his eye and the model who sat upon her dais knew that soon hls eye would glow with keen appreciation of the fact that she was woman loving and wanting love-and the thought made her heart beat faster in a pleasant anticipation.
 So the picture was finished and with the completion of the last stroke, the artist sank again to the mere man, with the fire of love and absfnthe in his veins. The model had never been less nor more than woman, and she flew to his waiting arms. the while their lips met for the first time since the outline of the picture had been blocked in charcoal on the walt ing canvas.
 The two. artist and model. stood before the picture. s1. ea.ste.3 --s,,
 How do you like 1t. little one2 Don't know yourself, do you?@ asked Randolph. The look of the saint was gone from his face and in It's stead had come that of a man, heated with drink and hungry with desire. His lips had lost their as- cetIc curves and were now so full and trembling that they seemed satyr-like.
 The woman dld not answer -hin, but gazed only at the picture-raptiy.
 Come, sweetheart. look at me. not at the picture" said the man who had been the artist. As
 But the woman answered never a word, rather covering as though to with draw herself from his embrace. The man looked down at her and noted a strange commingling of joy and terror on her face. something that, as the artist he had been. he would have understood at once, but that, as the man he was, he did not understand except to resent.
 DO I-did I look like that to your" she asked presently, in hushed voice resonant of awe and wonder.
 ''You did look like that to me while was the artist Now you look different since am merely Q man." answered Randolph .,indifferently and somewhat impatiently
 Resolutely the woman pushed him away from her and gaSed at the picture. Then she silently left the room. repuising Randolph, who would have followed her to detaiR her.
 So the man who had been the artist was left alone with the picture. and he spent as much as ton or fifteen minutes in musing on the idlosyncrasies Of the feminine sex. Then he went out to get more absinthe and in the charms or rather miscellaneous feminine society. he promptly forgot all about the woman who had been his model
 The woman who had been the model did not forget. She remembered always tbe picture as the means of her salvation.
 And all this points some sort or moral to those who can find It.