Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-26


'Oh. certainly know her. It's really
most remarkable that you should have
recognized her talent. I suppose you
have come here to offer her a dollar
apiece for her sketches-I advise you not
to lay yourself open to the humiliation
Of her scornful rejection Of your ofer.
The girl is wonderful-wonderfui. Any
thing less than a thousand dollars for
what you have here would be prepos-
ferrous: / would give her more myself
and hold the drawings as an investment.
And I happen to know that This Busy
World has already offered to make a
contract with her covering a term of
years. he added, carelessly, readjusting
his glasses.
Wingfieh would not have lied to a
stranger, but he had known Richardson
all his life; and besides. Jean was a
pretty girl and Dick Wingfield's soul was
not brass. The situation was much to
his liking. Richardson was q man OF dis
tinction. poet and essayist OF high at.
tainments. and as such Wingfield would
take good care of him for the honor OF
Pittsburg. He was already wondering
whether his mother would undertake a
dinner In Richardson's honor. with two
or three girls he knew and with Jean
was not an opportunity to miss, He had
planned the dinner before Richardson
had ceased praising the drawings.
Il would appreciate it IL you would
we want her to illustrate a series of
articles We've got in type-'The Child
as Wage-earner.' These drawings
strayed into the Office just as We were
discussing illustrators and she's first
choice. The matter is urgent. I must
ind mt CHI will lxa
out of here tomorrow"
The larger prospect faded but Wing
field called Mrs. Blair by telephone and
the Lady of Difficult Occasions rose, as
he knew she would. The editor of the
Hemisphere was celebrity, Jean was
her own protege: there was every rea-
son why Mrs. Blair should bring them
together at her own board and Wingfield
was to be of the party-he did not have
TO suggest it. Whether Wayne should be
included was a question Wingfield left 10
Mrs Blair and she deemed il best that
Wavne and Jean should not meet. For
while Wayne was wrestling with MS
spirit in the hills Mrs. Blair and Jean
had seen much of each other. and Jean
had told her friend the whole story OF
her acquaintance with Wayne. and her
belief that she was still bound to Joe.
Here was complication that gave even
Fanny Blair pause,
She hurried Jean to shop to fnd a
otherwise exercised the right of guard
ianship. AS Fanny Blair's last girl fid-
der had eloped with a cornetist who al
ready had a wife or two. her faith In
budding genius needed this restoration.
But. Lord bless you. | don't know
Mrs. Blair" cried the editor when Wing
field told him that they were to meet
the artist at the Blair house
That's nothing. You are ignorant by
so much, that's ALL, and Mrs. John Nc
TDI T. oil,
postgraduate course. in fact. 1t would
be impossible for Miss Morley to nego-
tate with you without her. And 1 my
self have taken the deepest interest In
the girl from the beginning. The pref
test girl in Pennsylvania-and / am not
ignorant of the professions of beauty
you can see in Philadelphia on Satur-
days at high noon. if you have an ex-
cuse for being in Chestnut street as the
divinities seek lobster and ice cream at
Vertinis"
Mrs Blair wept-it was her way-wher
Jeans drawings were displayed in her
library; those sketches did have heart In
them, The editor of the Hemisphere
was less emotional. but his praise OF
Jeans work was ample. He explained
the character and scope of the text to be
Illustrated Jean would have to visit
the south and west to find the types
needed, and it would be necessary to be-
gin at once. After dinner the editor and
of the articles before them. They were
bound to make an impression: they were
the work of specialists. and comprised
careful, economic and social study OF
child labor. and were to be embodied In
a book following their use in the periodi-
cal; the commission was important to
the artist and all concerned. The editor
had prepared a schedule OF the drawings
he thought most desirable. with memo
randum of the times at which they must
l1o 6ali
work was generous; Wingf1eld. graceful
liar that he could be, had helped here.
and after Jean had taken counsel or MIS-
Blair in corner. a contract was signed
Jeans hand little wabbly Tor one VINO
could draw so we'll.
Mrs. BIair's instructions that no one
should be admitted that evening were
conclusive enough as against the world
in general: but her door was never shut
in her brothers face. Wayne, having
missed Walsh. had dined alone at the
club and afterward sought Wingfield
vainly by telephone. He was restless
and unhappy and set out for his sister
merely to have something to DO Ihat
he and Jean should be in the same town
and not see each other struck him as the
bitterest irony. He missed the peace Of
the mountains and the daily discipline OF
his wood-chopping.
1t was in this humor that he came
upon the animated scene at his sisters
that had Jean for it's central figure-a
new Jean. with the happiness of renewed
youth bright in her countenarce. She
had seen him before he made her out
from the doorway. and she prepared her
self for the meeting while he was MAX
ing the editors acquaintance. She had
wondered all these long days since she
had watched him from the window OF
the boarding-house parlor how 1t would
be If they ever met again; but she had
not expected anything like this. The
most her imagination had conjured had
been a chance meeting in the street.
Wayne was taken into the great secret
by Mrs. Blair and ran his eyes over the
drawings before he spoke to Jean.
ITS splendid, perfectly splendid" he
cried. but Mrs. Blair got him away for
the time being. Her fathers business af-
fairs had given her great concern and
she seized the moment to attack Wayne
in regard to them. But Wayne was not
to be disposed of SO easily; his eyes fol-
lowed Jean. and when she laughed at
some of Wingfield's banter he stopped
abruptly in his answer to one of Mrs.
Rlairs questions and the look in his eyes
told the story, and would have told it to
a less observing woman than Fanny
Blair She sighed as he rose and moved
across the room to where Jean sat. turn
p1c bor Of h., EDITORS