Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1908-03-20

4uere was always mucn WONDER eX.
pressed by the neighbors and friends
of the Cherington family that the cid.
est daughter, Millicent, was 80 very
different from the other members,
aside from her mother. She was
dainty and spirituelle, as her mother
must have been in her younger days,
ana indeed as she was still in q modi-
fed way, along late in her thirties, as
she was at the period of this story.
It had often been remarked that Mrs.
Cherington was poem, while MILL
cent was dream. These two, in
their characteristics, stood out as dis
tinct from the other members of tho
family. The others were solid, sub
stantfal-loking people, who had the
appearance of seldom missing meal,
and certainly never lacking one. They
looked well kept and well groomed.
Students Of psychology said that it
must have been because Millicent was
born when her mothers love was
young and before the sordid ideas of
lie had sunk their talons into her
soul. And yet these same students Of
psychology never deigned to explain
why It was that the sortlid ideas came
SO suddenly after Millicent was born,
since there was only a matter of less
than three years between her age and
that of her sister next to her.
Millicent was lively and entertain
Ing ina refined and spiritual as well
as artistic way, and the other children
were equally lively and entertaining
in material way. They all lived in
much harmony.
The family one season took trip to
Europe, and while there Mrs. Cheering
ton concluded to stop for a time in
Paris, keeping her three daughters
with her, allowing the son to go back
With his father, as the demands of
business were pressing.
The ladies visited art galleries and
studios, as Millicent and her mother
we've very artistic by nature, and the
other two daughters often went along
with them, much because it was con-
sidered the correct thing to do.
AMI then something happened.
It was q day of surprise and SEN
sation when st. Gervais came into the
lives OF Millfcent and her mother. The
artist had known her mother in her
early days in New York, before she
was mayried, he having set up his
easel in New York for a time, hoping
to make a greater success In this
country OF swelled incomes than in
his native country of Frence. But
after a year or two he returned to
Paris, and latterly was making the de-
cided success there that he had longed
for.
"Mrs. Cherington? Mrs. Cheering
toni" he read from her card, as he
gazed at It when she had handed It
to him, after the first moment of sur.
prise at meeting him had passed away,
and she stood before him with much
OF her old girlish manner again ex-
pressing itself. II am delighted to re.
new my acquaintance with madame,
who. when I knew her, was Mees-
Mees-''
Miss Eleanor Trimble," she has.
tened to help his memory out.
"Certainment! and delightful lady
she was. have a sketch here. a
study for which madam was good
enough to give me some sittings two,
three times. painted salon pic
ture from 1t. and the critics were
quite enthusiastic over it. But that
was so many years ago, though
madam does not look It."
During his talk he had been over.
hauling canvases here and there un.
TIL the right one was found. when it
was brought forth with great flourish
and placed on an easel before them.
"How lovely!" exclaimed Millicent.
her eyes dancing with delight; "and
how lovely that we should nave found
monsieur! 1t depicts your very soul,
mother. darling"
"Ah. but Mees Cherington, it did not
do her justice-she was so very beau.
tiful. and was SO crude. No art
could reproduce such exquisite nature.
madam"
You are so nice, so generous, to
speak of my beautiful mother in such
. generous and appreciative way. I
shall take advantage of my stay in
Paris to look at your studio often"
My. studio is your home-that is-
pardon, mademoiselle-the what you
Americans call the latch-strikg is al
ways Out"
1(ra Cherington bowed in some.