The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1907-05-30
/ PAINTING UNDER A
{ DOUBLE INSPIRATION
sasasssassssasaaaEsss:,tssszsssssz,
[Original.l


the Jungfrau raising its head, yelled
with snow, in apparent close 'proximi'
~. One day girl sat before an easel
endeavoring to transfer the mountain
to canvas Whether it was that she
had little artistic talent or was be
ginner, she did not succeed in making
an imposing picture.
The girl drew back to have look al
her work. sighed and dropped her pal
cite.
''MademoiselIe seems discouraged
said voice behind her in French.
She turned and saw the pale face Ct
young man evidently in poor health.
81 only speak English she said. Il
am an American"
''Oh, an American! SO am L. And
he repeated what he had said in his
native tongue.
81 shall never learn to paint" said
the girl despondently.
perhaps you have been too long at
work Why not leave off and begin
again in the morning when you are
fresh?"
''That's a good suggestion. / began
the picture in the morning..
an that case l would certainly rec
ommend you to work on it only before
noon
sWhy?"
tfWell, the mountain is under differ
ent light in the morning. Besides usu-
ally ones best work is done in the
early part of the day"
'Are you an artist?"
81 paint, but every one of an ideal
temperament either paints a little or
dabbles in writing verses or something
of the kind
Every morning after that the girl
sat before her easel, and often the
stranger, who sojourned-for his health
at the same hotel as she, strolled by
looked at her work and spoke to her
abc1t it, now and then venturing a
frie1 dly criticism. But the only words
of encouragement he gave her were:
Don: work too long at one time.
When your work looks unsatisfactory
to you, leave it, and likely you will
be better pleased with it when you
have rested" And what the stranger
ing she was surprised that she had
been dissatisfied with her work of the
previous day. She would sit down be.
fore her canvas, and after spending a
couple of hours with her brushes ii
would seem that she had undone al
she had achieved the previous day.
Then the stranger would come along
and remind her that in the morning
when refreshed she would likely agar
see her painting under different infu-
ence. go take a walk this afternoon"
he said. paint in the morning; stroll
In the afternoon"
In this way the picture grew day by
day like the mountain. The darker
shadows grew deeper. the lighter blend,
ed more perfectly with them or the
white snow. Every morning the artist
noticed some beauty that had appeared
commonplace to her the night before.
and finally the whole assumed gran
deur which delighted and surprised her
But she was now painting every day
with the stranger beside her. Thee
was something in his dark, dreamy
eyes, his intellectual brow, his pleas
ant voice, his kindly sympathy, that
charmed her. Then came revelation
She was painting under the inspiration
of love.
The picture was finished. The girl
needed money, and the stranger adj
vised her to take it to Paris and offer
it for sale. She determined to do so.
and the stranger promised to meet her
there and, if possible, assist her in dis
posing of it. They met one morning
in an art store where the picture had
been sent before them. There it stood
on an easel, and when the dealer joined
them he said:
"As soon as l looked at the canvas
/ pronounced it a Demond Demond
had a picture hung last season i'll the
salon, Mont Blanc, which is not
equal to this. Besides, the style is
misunderstanding, tone, values, all
When came to look at the name and
saw another's was surprised
The girl whose work had been mis-
taken for that of a successful artist
was delighted A color rose to her
cheek, light to her eye: a happy
smile played about her lips
"What would the picture be worth
with Demond's name on it?' asked her
friend.
Twenty thousand francs"
'And with Demond's name as collab-
orator."
"In that case l would not give more
than 10000 francs for it,"
On shelf near by lay palette and
brushes. He who was befriending the
girl took up a brush and, stepping to
the picture, wrote under her name that
Of G. Demond
The tableau that ensued was that Of
one quiescent figure and two who We're
astonished The girls face especially
showed wonder, but at look from hel
companion she refrained from speak.
ing.
The same evening Demond stood be-
fore Miss Barker endeayOring to make