The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-12-30

coined with fine western enthusiasm ana
l was its prophecies. In school | had al
ways won all the drawing prizes. AFTER
ward one summer. l had taken In OILS
for three months from an art teacher VINO
was visiting our relations in the place.
The dear, little shiny tubes of paint had
always had the greatest fascination and
no terror for me. / plunged in unhesltat-
ingly and was at once covered with Prus-
sian blue and glory. / do not know when
was the more pervasive. l RUBBED the
Prussian blue off with great diillculty,
but the glory stuck. My portrait OF
Grover" the collie, was shown to every
one who came to the house My picture of
'Boonville Creek Bridge at Sunset was
hung in the window of the dry goods
store and praised in the local papers.
OF course. the fiattery went to my head.
The notice told upon me. l began TO act
the part-and dress it. By instinct assist
ed by pictures and the descriptions OF sew
eral heroines in artistic novels became
as linn and trailing and daphanous and
queer as If had lived in studios all my
life. began to be superior. | found that
Roonyille existence was "crude and un-
finished" I learned-and stated-that 1t
lacked atmosphere and color.
All this, as may be imagined, did not
tend to render me popular. But ! argued
that the artistic nature was different, and
could not naturally exist on the lowly
level of everyday life. Like all exalted
shirts. [ was destined to be lonely. After
a nienic had been arranged without me,
7 decided that l would exist solely for
my art.
went to New York. had made up
my mind to go from the hrst. l ielt
should find there all I longed to have.
At school Molly Simpkins had been my
dearest friend Her soul longed for mu-
sic as mine did for art. She had visions
of annlauding audiences in grand opera,
while Salon medals dangled before my
ewes. She had already chosen her name
AZ she was born In Denver, she was
going to call herself Colorado. | wrote
10 her at once, and we Joined forces in
the prettiest little apartment with her
Aunt Matilda for chaperon. There was
no trouble about money, for papa was
Boonville's leading citizen and always
gave me everything ! wanted
We settled and set to work. never
shall forget the first day when I found
myself in a big, dusty room with casts
looking like ghosts of departed chef d'oeu-
vres glimmerin, in all the dark corners.
There were heads and arms and leet
everywhere. One might have thought there
had been a horrible plaster of Paris &C
cident and the unfortunate victims had
been thrown all over the place. Of course;
7 had to begin with of the scattered
members. The Rlories of the Milo or the
Discobolus were t for me. / was obliged
10 nut in my time with bony hand
clasping what might have been the rod
of empire or a section of clotheslfne. NY
DAYS T divided between that and foot
with the heel raised for some unknown
reason on block that woui- put the
highest talon of French shoe to shame
,rhis however, did not last. ] made I'M
eoualed progress. 7 was, I believe. the
admiration and wonder of the place.
broke the record in getting into the "Por-
trait Class" and the-a- i came on Julian
Melrose.
The result for my young affections was
in no way unprecedented. There was not
one girl in the class who was not Inter
ested' in him. Nine-tenths of us were in
love with him. Any one who was not
would have been thought to show cul-
pable disregard of popular opinion-would
have been regarded as something Of an
outsider not evineing proper fellow
spirit had never seen anything ike