The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1907-12-19


her mothers. She had the
tall and forceful figure of her New
England forbears added to the tender
grace Of the southern woman, ana With
these she had the beauty of sweet
brown eyes, waving brown hair and
such a color and complexion that they
might he called fairy gifts; also she
had visions of a career.
She was not left unsought. An anx-
ious line of admirers fled through the
wide gates of the old plantation home
and walked up between the box hedges
to the wide veranda, where Mary gen.
orally sat with her maiden aunt, the
latter making wonderful devices in tat
ting, and Mary, with her easel before
her, perfunctorily making sketches
which she rarely finished, but which
her aunt religiously preserved.
The Boutwell, plantation had been a
large one before the war, but under
the inefficient care of the aunt had
dwindled steadily Miss Boutwell, had
unlimited power as guardian to buy,
Sell, mortgage or borrow ana Iend.
The first warning of the final calamity
came along late in the fall and was in
the shape Of threatened foreclosure
of the mortgage on the last Of the once
vast possessions-the big and almost
empty house Mary had spent money
layishly in college and gave and lent
as her generous aunt had done in ignO-
rance of the real state of things. On
the Ist of January this money must be
hnnn
let the matter drag, as she felt that
something would turn up to save their
home. Mary was trying to understand
the situation, but in vain.
And the young men came a-Wooing.
They were all made welcome by the
romantic aunt and all invited to dinner
or supper, with the old open handed lib
erality, but Mary showed no favor to
any ore. But that is not saying that
she did not think often of Bert Allen.
She could appreciate his character.
She had lust come from college. where
much stress was laid upon mental at
tainment, and she wondered how
it was that a young man only clerk
in lawyers office could have learned
so much. She knew that he had lived
all his life here. that his parents bad
died poor after the devastating war,
that he had had q bitter struggle. but
she could not understand how he had
learned SO much that the other young
men were totally ignorant of-art, for
instan art from its first inception
TO the present day, in all its branches
and qualifications.
What she did not take into account
was that Bert had known her from In
fancy and that for her sake and to be
able to properly appreciate her career
b., gave every moment he could spare
TO the study of all that books could
teach him and that when he had busi-
ness north he fairly haunted the art
galleries ana picture stores and stu
dios. His heart sank as the conviction
WIS forced upon him that 1t would be
many years before Mary could hope
for success. If ever for somehow he
came to see that. while she had unde-
uiable talent she was not genius,
and he knew that she had not the pow
or of steady and continuous work,
which sometimes almost equals real
genius. And be felt. too, that he could
! plan a career for Mary that would be
| far more satisfying to her than the
painting of mediocre pictures, but he
dared not give voice 10 his thought.
The autumn passed, while Bert tried
in every way his fertile mind could