The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1909-01-16
SHE IS MARY-GOLD

BY EDITH RIckERT

uSeu 10 crop up year aIter year On
Vanishing day at the academy, |
about Culbertson and his yellow
Girl?" No? After all, it's not worth |
repeating, but the facts behind it
well, perhaps they are.
For man of distinct ability, my |
far-away cousin Culbertson was slow |
enough to get on. He was close upon |
thirty when, after half a dozen fail |
ures, he managed to get into Burling-
ton house, with the portrait of strik- |
ing girl. To be sure, it was skied in
the small room devoted to undisccv-
cred genius; Culbertson was pleased
enough to drag me there-much
against my will. for hate being polite
at the expense of truth.
There she is, Ethel" he cried,
looking as If he were ten years young
err. Now be nice for once" =.
But l judged 1t kinder to be cold.
"Why didn't you tell her to wash her
face?" Then / tried to get decent
light on the production. rs she
freckled or what?"
Come to the studio tomorrow and
you shall see," he flung at me like a
challenge; and as always kept an eye
on my cousins love affairs, being
genuinely anxious that he should mar
ry well when he did marry, / broke
an engagement to accept his invita-
ton.
She was already there when I ar
| ~ 90
things out of Culbertson's odd pieces
of china and silver to serve for us
three. My first thought was that she
seemed very much at home. Then
Culbertson introduced us: Ethel,
this is Mary-Gold Mary, Ethel wants
to know why you didn't wash your
face?"
Then said, quite honest in my ad
miration: And he calls that yellow
splash at the academy portrait of
you!"
She answered us both together:
ITS the freckles, you see; and they
won't wash OF. And my name isn't
Gold, as you might think"
mo, COLDS her nature. and that's
why call her So" said Culbertson.
and his face, when he looked at her.
gave him away completely. When l
went away first, he shut the door
softly behind us and looked at me for
my opinion.
-'Of course" said I. little nettled
that he had kept his secret so well, II
may congratulate you?"
He shrugged. but whether he then
could not tell the truth or only would
not say. I do not know.
She'll come around" said l.
NO" said he, and could not quite
keep tragedy out of his face, she's
said 1t and she won't But I've got
to paint her, you see, II I'm to get on;
and she knows that, so she's willing to
be friends"
shook my head, but was afraid to
express my disapproval in words. Of
course. the situation was impossible
and was curious to see how 1t would
develop.
1t developed into a series Of mos
curious pictures hung year after yeal
at the Royal academy-pictures
which set us all to guessing what was
the actual state of affairs.
The year after the smudge," as
nicknamed his first accepted picture
he had an Autumn-no rain, no fallins
leaves, no pretty sentiment; but {
great swirl Of passionate color jus
frosted by the nearness of death
: The year after came Nemesis
believe that / saw scarcely favorabl,
. criticism of the Judas-Tree, although
, nearly every journal-and that was
good sign-seomed impelled to motto,
/, It. But "Decadence" doomed large II
their utterance. l grant 1t was pei
haps a mad idea to paint woman a
. a tree; but in some fashion he mad
! the thing so that one could not tel
where tree began and woman ended
She, was dressed in some dark velvet
thing, her body twisted and her arm
thrown up unevenly to simulat
!, branches. and her hair as a wealt
:, of purple blossom; and from one G
= her branches she dangled a man-her
: the critics had their best laugh-nc
actually hanging him, but stranglin
him with a knotted cord. so that b
: lay in heap on the earth.
Here's pretty work." said l to m,
= self. What has she done to him
: This grows interesting"
= Several times during the year trie
! to see my cousin, but chance or fat
! or his own will prevented.
IS 1 was not greatly surprised afts
" that to learn that my cousin had le
e. town abruptly, without saying goo
e. by to any one. and was supposed to /
travelling in the far east.
IA 1t was three years before 1 had an
IN definite news Of him; and that can
q only in the form of small picture
X. Burlington house. The next year I