The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-07-27
"A Hand Bereft Of Soul * Edward, e By u,,~,

for he calmly and unconsciousy appropriated the
suggestion as If it were his own idea.
Such tr1a1ng incidents as this, attending my
further acquaintance with the happy and absorbed
lem they presented. In my zeal for studying the
painter I almost forgot the portrait-which, by
the way. when completed was pronounced notably
successful. I had, as say watched its growth
rather carelessly; yet had oberved that subtle
changes came on it from one sitting to another.
Slight as these changes were, they were unmis-
taxable often startling, although set them down
In large part to my own fancy. Olaf's onhand
statement that when he was painting portrait he
was completely in the grip of the subject, that he
worked and studied over it necessarily, in the alb
well as in the presence of the model. act
ually left something still to be accounted for.
Nevertheless accepted it for the time, for was
blind, ignorant as was, and am, of the mysteries
OF tho painters art
had opportunity to observe more closely the
workings of this method" when, after, I
attended to the studio a relative whose portrait
Olaf. thanks to his success with my own features,
was to paint. My aunt was woman of vigorous
intellect, Of great decision under gentle demean-
or fancied at first that Olaf was misled by her
mild manner as to her character; and she in turn
frankly confessed that she found him devoid OF
ideas and rather complacently stupid. Indeed,
she pronounced the coorless little wife more in
teresting companion-but that might have been
accounted for by the fact that Esther Jansen de-
veoped under my aunt's encouragement, papa-
Die aGnllratlOn Tor the older woman. In inter-
walls of the periods actually devoted to the object of
her presence my aunt held Esther in subdued, in
tmatc talk, while engaged Olaf in conversation
studied his work And as I attended thus
closely to the growth of the portrait noted more
plainly the evidences of the painters activity in
the absence of his subject. Watching thus the
progress of the work from the first "sketching in
of the outlines, the first rough indications of the
values. to the finished canvas, saw come into
the bind face the almost imperceptible lines and
shadows that told SO we'll to one who knew he1
vNfr p,vfn
did surprise the brush stroke that gave the life
touch to the inert figure; saw these creative, vi
taliaing additions not at the end but at the be-
ginning of each sitting.
Gradually the pose had undergone subtle
changes; the background and decorative ideas
not the same; above all, the entire compos
ure had been transposed to another key in the
painters phrase The result showed no uncertainty
or lack Of harmony; everything bold as
sure and masterful as any work he had ever done
Even my aunt, with her clear-eyed vision of men
was won to concede tardy recognition of
quality Of preception-perhaps of intuition-ir
Olaf which her first judgment had denied him.
neutral little New England was a rare fine
creature-too fine and rare for the understanding
OF us coarser beings with our rough measuring
tools. I'm this point felt myself competent te
carry on an investigation, an opportunity fol-
which I should have welcomed; but it was placed
beyond my reach just then by the departure OF
Olaf and his wife for their summer holiday The
condition of Esther's health had for time
been a of anxiety, and it with q
view to its Improvement and the arresting of Ger
tain alarming symptoms that they had gone tt
some place in the far West
Although knew this, was nevertheless total,
unprepared for the brief despatch which I re-
celved from Olaf about two months later, announc
ing tho death of his wife. learned in time that
she had faded away quietly painlessly swiftly, as
is so Otter the case with the remnants of these
older New England families in which stamina ha.
been sacrificed to the overcoming of the race
She was the last of her family.
s after #; the m1mentary shock had felt
after all it was not an irreparable calamity. HI
had been fond OF her, no doubt, but man of his
age always RECEIVERS from such sorrows.
At last one day. in prowing about the studio,
discovered the only canvas he had brought back
with him from the West. 1t was half-inishet
portrait of Esther. He met my eye with some
confusion. thought, as looked at him inquir
1ngly
"she wanted me to do it," he said, when sh,
knew she couldn't get we'll. I didn't have time t.
finish It,"
you must complete it now spoke rather
sharply. '"The drawing is so far along that 20,
can surely do 1t superbly from memory Tha
''Oh, yes I'll finish it sometime" was his an
swer. Not now, though; I'm too busy: Did
tell you had commission to do the" Honorable
Martin Flaherty, Tammany boss of the Ninth?"
I said more, convinced at last that this in
difference must be feigned-that the great out
spoken boy had learned to wear mask. And
was really glad to know that instead of wasting hi
days in regrets and memories he was bent on tn
wiser course of finding forgetfulness in work
That way lay sanity and ultimate recovery.
I never saw the portrait of the Honorable Mar
tin Flaherty, though it was finished early tina
winter and exhibited. away from New Yorl
at the time AS as returned received
note from Olaf Jansen begging me to come to hi
studio. for he needed my moral support
For Gods sake GOMEZ" it ran. eve got t
see someone and you're the only one dare tall
to- Tho note was wretchedly scrawled.
found him alone, sitting at a table with a BIZ
bottle of whiskey and glass before him. In al
my association with him I had never seen hin
drink. He had the look of q beaten man. I hav
never seen such utter detection, such hopeless mis-
cry, in any face. So startled was that essaye
an namely cheerful tone
''Well, what's wrong Olaf" said when we ha
shaken hands and he had relapsed again into hi
zhx o44i4 In. afa ir at haa