The Washington times., 1910-08-21
CHAPTER 1.
A Mysterious Trust.


rounds, the insistent trolley and the
rumble o. drays on a cobble-stoned
street in the rear-filteTed through the
closely drawn blinds Of Oliver Grants
studio
Truly. a city that never sIumbersi
Swathed in gray wreaths OF fog and
smoke, her steaminE walls sheeted with
rain her feet set in black, noisesome
pools as thick as Ientn sCup-her thOUs-
ands OF bleary yellow eyes keeping
guard, New York prepared to welcome
the dawn OF yet another day
The occupant of the studio was still
garbed In the clothes OF the evening
previous. lie had flung himself de-
spiTitedly into a deep chair by the fire.
and was now devodng himself 10 silent
thought
Once in while a man finds himself
face to face with his soul
The sad part OF it is that you cant
lie to your soul You cant evade il.
once it starts asking questions equiv
ocatiOns, excuses. prOmises-aH are as
nothing IN the sight OF your soul
Sitting by the waning fire in the black
dawn Of that winter morning. Oliver
Grant for the first time in seven years
was given a revelation concerning him
self
However much the world might de-
clare TO the contrary, ne knew himself
for failure. Any man who attains
success at the expense OF his ideals is
necessarily a failure
The mirror that he held I'D TO himself
gave back a shocking reflection.
There was his yOuth-hjs very young
youth-with its poor almost low livins,
but its high. untarnished hopes There
was the hard struggle and the slow
coming Of success
Just how he got side-trac cked he never
quite knew The process had been 50
gradual But side-tracked he undoubt-
edly was
How did you do It alp questioned
his soul. Sternly-
He reviewed as surely as possible the
reasons why oliver Grant, erstw1iie
humble wOrshipper Of art was now
growing sleek and rich at the business
Worst than that, one may paint por-
traits and still keep ones self-Tespect
But Oliver was not at liberty 20 choose
his models and interpret them honestly
His clientele inhabited the regions OF
upper Fifth avenue
His task was that Of skilfullv CON
verting fat, oveT-fed dowageTs, or I'M
possible skinny ones. into COY beauties
he had 10 put IN souls ana COmpieEtOnS,
sometimes drawing upon his ina gina
ton for both Often there was @ snort
ing poodle for an artistic stage setting
He was a new kind Of beauty doc
tor he took the most impossible be
foresT and made them into glorious
alters, and his diaboiical genius lay
in the fact that he knew how TO DO Z
without losing his subjects likeness al
together.
Was there any wonder that he vas
POPULAR This subtle fsttery Of print
and canvas has its sure reward re
was the fashion a reiEnlnE fad, ana
the fruits OF his unworthy toll poured
in to him in generous yello"
Because Of his ability so 10 profane
Art he was abiiEed 10 add continually
to the list Of crimes already commit
the Iast winter brought him just
one subject worthy OF the beauty ne
gave her
When Helena Lawrence announced
that she was TO have her portra II
PAINTED by Oliver Grant her friends
laughed wittily and told her that she
was running risks People who dldn {
know might suspect that she was only
one more in the list Of human scare
crows to be idealized by his brush
They might draw unkind infeTenceS
concerning her real complexion and
the shape Of her nose
But HeIena's interest was in the
painter, rather than II the poEtEs+il Z
II was an open secret tuat sire had
/ fallen deeply in love with society :
latest farorfte. and when the portrait
was finished their engagement was
announced Who did the actual pro
/
IN the summing UP OF his 1oliiesr
/ Oliver added his engagement 10 the rlcl
Miss Lawrence as the CrOwnlnS lndls-
/ CreJiou OF his career Not tnat ne dld
( Of her position he found himeslf by de-
grees sinkinf, his personality into thai
OF Helena L-awrence'S nance-
Well, ne told himself CyniCally, Il was
4 fttinng end. His youthful dream of
greatness was over. anyway Why not
this2 It was decent enough subStl-
Try as he would, however. he could
not altogether down the restless dissat-
isfactiO1 which had suddenly come upon
him
There was the souIIess crush" 70
which he had played the weary escort
! for Helena and her mother. For three
I long hours he had been pulled about
and trampled upon He had danced with
women he did not like. and been forced
to watch men whom he abominated
dance with his fair fiance-
Il had been an evening Of Culmlnat-
ing horror The hideous women Of MS
E portraits seemed everywhere in evi-
denCe-fat women exudinE diamonds
/ and DerSpiration, Scrawny women with
I brown necks thiCkly plastered with
powder, wretched little women with a
{ smash Of rouge on either cheek
He knew that one by one <le was
doomed to Daint them all.
In noticing the hOmely women ne had
missed the beauties. but Oliver = Llter-
| est had been purely professional Pretty
women did not seek his studio
He had been lost in these reflections
for an hour or more Only twice did
] no move from his ChdiT-OnCe 10 throw
another log on the Ere and once 10
reach for a cigar
Suddenly. without the shadow Of q
warning. the bell to the outer door OF
I his studio rang imperiOusly- It was a
most uncanuy sound at that hour OF
+1e morning He reused himself quick
+ IL and listened. He thought he must
{ have dozed and dreamed that ne heard
the bell. But no, even as he hesltated-
( II rang again
] through the short hall. and opened the
door cautiously TO his early morninG
visitor The apparitiOn that faced nm
was merely a messenger boy somewhat
/ under the regulation size
/ The bov- held out a small DackaGe-
.sSIr Oliver Grant, he piped- Win
professional Indifference TO the unseeIll-
/ illness of the hour
YES" said Oliver. accepting the
I package with mute wonder
/ sign here said the BOY profterInE
the strb OF a pencil and indicating the
lire for the signature
/ Oliver returned 10 his studio and
threw the package on his reading ia
( BILE Then he switched on the drop
/ light and proceeded to investigate the
G el--frr off