The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-09-16
The Priceless Gift.


Cured in the latter half of the eight
eenth century.
Alvin Marston, cabinetmaker, had
son, John, whom the father was
bringing up in his business. But the
young man was OF very different tex
ture from that of n builder cf furnl-
ture. lie was of an ideal, dreamy ma.
ture and instead of attending 10 his
duties spent his time in making little
sketches. Was there n clean, smooth
board or an unpublished desk in the
shop there was sure to be n pencil
drawing on Il which could at once be
recognized as q likeness of some Of fhe
workmen. Alvin Marston saw some of
them and was pleased with them. lie
was more pleased when he learned
that his son had made them and, re.
linquishlng his design of teaching the
boy trade, put him In a way to take
drawing lessons. The student improv-
ed rapidly, showing sufficient talent 10
warrant becoming professional artist.
Then he fell III.
There being no one In the family to
nurse him, country girl was called
In for the purpose. That was long
before trained nurses were thought of.
Mary Keyes was not made attractive
by the uniform that now decorates tie
nurse. She had no beauty to win the
young artist. nor had she mental en-.
dowments above her station. she was
plain country girl, nothing more.
But John Marston was imaginative.
He saw her moving about the room
ministering to his comfort and of the
commonplace figure he made Venus.
while the ordinary face In his eyes be.
came a paragon of sweetness.
The invalid recovered and married
Mary Keyes. He lived with her sew
eral years and had children by her.
Had It not been for his talents doubt
less there would be no especial story in
his life 1t was only too evident that
he was born for higher life than the
one he was leading. His pictures ex-
cited the admiration Of critics, and the
young man grew ambitious. One day
he said goodby to his wife and chill.
dren TO 90 TO London to study art.
lie did not return to them for more
than thirty years.
The cabiuetmaker's son became a
';rcat artist. In portrait painting he
vas the only rival to the celebrated
Sir Joshua Reynolds. His name, his
ramc. his praise, were on every lip. lie
was invitcd into the houses of the no
Llll:y and was paid enormous sums for
painting their portraits.
Why did lie never return to his fam.
i'T? Vino knows? Possibly before he
lett l!oae the beauties he had himself
created Ead fallen away and he saw
the ordinary woman. neither endowed
WI bcauty of person nor of mind
icr'Ell.s The scales We're removed from
l!s eyes by visions OF the women of
the capital. One of these after he be-
came iamcus wove about him spell
she had Il beautiful body and a cor
rupt soul There was the same imag.
inative process IN Il different form as
hal moved him In the case of Mary
Kcyes. Mary had pure spirit, but
an ordinary face and figure, on which
he had built q thing Of beauty. On the
womah he met In London, beautiful
without and rotten within he built
superstructure that enthralled him.
She was the mistress of the greatest
sailor of nation OF sailors She was
pleased TO bewtch the famous painter.
but she laughed ut his bewltchmcnt
He stretched forth his hand TO grasp
q rose ard plucked Il thorn.
Aud nov comes something more per-
feet than any of the beautiful creations
of the artists.
An old man, he returns TO the wife
and family lie has neglected for the
greater pait of lifetime. His wife,
too. has grown old. She knows OF his
trlumphs and Of his deserton Of her In
heart as well as In person. We may
expect thai she will receive him as a
stranger, that she will reproach him
with his neglect and that she who had
the first rlgut to share in his triumphs
has been denied them. that. IL possible.
they would have been given TO others
others slgnally unworthy Of them.
When the aged invalid rode up to
her door she went out with open arms
to receive him. lie tottered into the
house supported by her. She spoke
no word OF reproach. The love he had
sighted for more than three decades
was still there for him. AS she had
nursed him In his youth she nursed
him In his old age.
Again he saw her minsterlng to him
not as youth in youth herself with
life before them. but as decreplt old
man. The dreams they then dreamed
had been FAR more than realized. but
not for her, and they could not now
he recalled that she might enjoy them
lie remembered his trlumphs and how
unworthily they had been bestowed
And yet she was caring for him as
tenderly as If he had shared them
with her.
A poet has created fancy of q
peri asking for admlttance TO heaven
and denied unless she will bring a gift
most acceptable. She goes back to
earth and brings various gifts, all OF
which, are rejected. At last she takes
n tear from the eye of a repentant SIN
ner This Is the gift, the one gift, by
which she may attain dwelling with
the blessed.
NIay not tho naoIactad vIfa boyo