The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1907-12-19

Clifford was waiting for his laundry.
That was how he happened to see her
ffrst The clerk was busy turning over
package after package In his search
for he one bearing Clifford's name.
He returned the little laundress'
glance with a quick fash Of admira.
sion. she was so pretty. no unusually
pretty with so pathetic an expression
IN her b.g blue eyes His glance swept
across the ironing.room Allied with
laundry girls OF every age and descrip-
ton. Many OF them were fairly pref
~. but none Of them came up 20 his
little laandress TOR real beauty. She
shone amongst them like a gem.
lis this your bundle." asked the
clerk.
Clifford looked long at the name.
written seemingly IN hieroglyphics.
Yes" said he. discovering at last
some letters that reminded him dimly
of his own name. and he still re-
manned after the clerk had counted
out his change. looking at the pretty
little laundress. patiently ironing away
at the linen OF worthless fellows like
himself. Perhaps she had ironed his
own. He took up the bundle tenderiy.
II had suddenly become precious to
him.
Her face haunted him. How pretty
she vast Entirely too pretty TO work
as abe did Heavens! Couldn't she
md some easier work than that To
think OF standing on ones feet all
day long day after day ironing. He
could hardly imagine anything more
tiresome
In hts studio. he found himself con.
stantly drawing her face on bits OF
paper with pencil. Failing In catch.
ing the likeness. he tore up these 1T
tie papers and made numerous
sketches Of her In black and white
the lifeiessness OF which Knocked al
the beauty of her features. In the
course of time the studio came to be
strewn with these Indifferent sketches
and still be had failed to catch the
features OF the laundress In their rare
perfection
May | ask who II ieY" aaid his
friend wonderiy, who In the interim
OF bis law studies made CiInord's stu.
do his loafing place
My Ideal" answered Clifford short
Iy. and indeed By this time that Is
what the little laundroAa had become
One evening as he stood on tho cor
ner opposite the laundry--it had be-.
come habit Of his lately to haunt
those corners morning and evening
wershlping her from afar--she ap.
pearcd at the door and glanced up at
the clouds With her blue eyes raised
thus. be thought she bad the look OF
= madonna
Ho followed her at dlacret dis.
lance, absorbed In the peariiness OF
her skin. and the witrhlng curis that
hung clinEingiy TO her white neck.
Was there ever anything SO exquis.
ite
Meanwhile the ianndresa walked
briskiy into a narrow street. and low.
srtng her umbrella. entered cottage,
exactly like every other cottage In the
COW, neat square and covered with
morning glories. Ispsing her thus
clifford tufncd bach and went home
TO HIS studio. where In tho WANING
hight be tried Ia vain to reproduce he,
face II elnded him like a wiil-c.the
wisp He squeezed out color after
color again and again. mixing IN
brashfuls rather than with the knif,
10 avoid muddyinE. but careful AZ b,
was the colors were not 10 be com
pared with the transparent beauty o
her skin ~ he remembered II.
He tossed his brushes aside In des
pair. and tiinginx himself Ia chat
by the window. leaned out The rail-
fell silently like tears The smsii q
the wet grass rose gracefully 20 hi
window. mingled with the odur Of
bed II mignonette ON tho plot BIZ
meath. These tranquil odors and tn
calm OF The quiet night failed To auel
his restiessnesn and disappointment
lie had made q miserable failure. n
was always making miserable fai
urea He wondered n oil artist
griesea over their mlstakeA as be die
HE begaa To wish that he had chose
some other occupation In life
Al that tnomeAt. natty bank cier
aecended the steps across the stree
fufied his umbrella. brushed the rasr
drops from his coat sleeves and eI
tered his boarding house. He ha
often seen him returning from hi
work and enviad hiu. Ills life wa
pozEibiy prosaie enough. la all prof
ability he went through q daily trcas
( min u ~ork mapped out Tor him will
cot variations but he rested we
when thai WORK Was done. There weE
90 poor drawings TO grin hldeously /
him fFcm studio walls. no ruined eal
vases worse w Tar than skeletou
turned xish their faces TO the wallis |
his stadio eloReta. no pictures
haunt hlm upta which the paint M
la5d thick an slabs baca use Of III
fAnse painted one bore the other
scose on 30 daep. Ire had the best /,
Il, that natts little bank CLERK II
had. indacd
As the door closed upon him, eli
FORD turned with = short laugh an
looked back ihto the Etadio. which ha
suddenly became Illuminated II wa
%onderiy. Who had turned on the Il
candsscent he stood calmly 10 fror
81 the easel examlning the portrait {
abe little Iaandrees- Tie had q cixa
cite befHeen his teeth. which "a
aoshiaE unusual. and his head va