The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1907-12-12
Q . 70
A PORTRAIT
THAT GREW OLD.

tOriginai,l

losing beloved wife something has
gone out of their lives that they must
| replace at once-iu other words, they
feel impelled to take another wife.
This being impracticable, especially at
once, they gradually become accustom.
ed TO their altered position. There are
others who hug their grief. with no
wish 10 replace their loss.
William Whitman was one OF the lat
Ter class. He was an artist with an
artists temperament. He resolved 10
grow old in spiritual II not natural
comranionship with his loved Este!ie
shortly before her death he had finish.
ed portrait of her. This he placed on
an easel beside the one before which
he worked and communed With 1t Rs
If 1t were Il thing OF life More than
this. lest in growing old he should
leave his companion behind him in
youth he retouchcd tho portrait once u
year. putting into it a slightly aged ap.
pearanCe to- correspond with his own
Estelle had had bosom friend, Hen.
rietta Sayles. Estclle had told Hen.
riettn that in case of her (Esteile'yp
death she wished her tHenrietta) to
supply her place with her husband.
though she did not make q con iidant In
this respect OF him Henrietta had
made no reply. Indeed none was re-
CURED What was said was simply an
intimntion.
After EStellc's death Henrietta was
frequent visitor to Whitnan's studio
She would so there OF n morning when
he was at work and chat with him
about his wife, her friend. She seem
u Al Al.t
was glad to have her with him. In the
first place. he loved to talk about Es-
tcllc. and. In the second place, he could
use his brush to better advantage
while doing so. These visits continued
FOR years.
Once n year on the anniversary of
his marriage he would rctouch the por-
trait. making it appear slightly older
During such times he shut himself up
with IT in his studio, denying himself
to every one. Even Henrietta was not
present, but before the studio was re.
opened to visitors she was admitted
that she might pass upon the change.
If she approved. Whitman was salts.
fed: If not he would work the portrait
over until she considered 1t what Es-
tcllc would have been Mt that age II
she had lived.
And so these three grew In age to-
gcther and In constant communion.
Henrietta instead of endeavoring to
withdraw the artists contemplation
from his wife. permitted him to con.
tinuc in IT. She scrupuiously refrnined
from any expression or interest In
Whitman more than the husband Of
her dead friend. AS for whitman. he
was too absorbed In his idol ever to
m ri 1p int Tn,
Henrietta
Ten years passed whitman was
now thirty-four and had few gray
hairs In his head. Henrietta was pass
Ing out Of young lndyhood and about
to enter maturity. The portrait repre-
sentcd Il woman with unimpaircd beau
ty. One day Whitman while at work
abruptly turned TO Henrietta. who was
sitting near him, both. as usual, before
the portrait and said:
II have been thinking of something
that has never occurred to me before
Estcllc was 50 self sacrificing, so de-
voted to my happiness. SO friendly to
you, that ! wonder If she would not
wish that we should find consolation
for her bodily loss in each other as
man and wife"
she intimated as much to me be.
ioie SHe SaIu henrietta STuVely
Whitman looked Mt her long and In |
silence. "And you never told mc?' he
said at last. "Wen. Henrietta, IL you'll
will take my friendship. leaving my
love for Estelle, be it So"
Henrietta consented and on these
terms. After the marriage a sneering
remark of one who had seen husband
and wife In the studio gazing ut Es-
telle's picture was repeated to Whit
man. The portrait was removed and
never again introduced into the studio.
Another ten years passed, The TWEEN
tieth anniversary of Whitmans first
marriage came round He had long
before committed the portrait to his
second wife with instructions to put
it away Now she proposed that to-
gether they should go and visit It,
Whitman manifested Discrimination
to do SO.
'Why2" asked Henrietta
Il have come to believe that my pro-
longed communion or fancied comm
lon with Estelle through her portrait
my changing 1t to preserve her likeness
as She would have been had she grown
old In the flesh. was an abnormal con-
dition | should have married you
long before did Instead of waiting
ten years and then asking you TO
accept my friendship as a husband I
should have loved you. then married
YOU instead of MARRYING Won theD tov