The Huttig news., 1910-01-29

aS pslWSsh bfad ora. lne aftSt, aud myself, had she not tilted him and taken me? And yet any woman might we'll have chosen him. He was exz tremely bright. had many talents be- sides his art. and had made a high mark in that He was uncomnonly ec- centric, every one will admit. and in many of his ways carried eccentricity great gifts none could deny
 T retained my liking for him for 20 years, during which my wife lost noth- ing of her vivacity. none of her charms-nor any of her relatives They increased, rather To the sister who was to be her home companion in ny i hours of absence was soon added an other sister. Then the venerable ta- ther and mother came 10 sit by our fireside. They were Of hardy and vigorous stock An uncle and two brothers, one by one, joined t1e fam fly circle. and he advent ol eael if the latter aecessions was signaliz q by more or less friction with the earlier comers
 For 20 years I managed to live in the midst of life's ble5sings-and my wife's kin-and only once brought down the temple about my ears Only I once, but
 Well, let me tell you how it hap pened. An agreeable project took my fancy concerning my wife's approach ing birthday. Straightway consulted Bradford. l let him into the scheme because 1 couldn't work it wi bout him. My idea amused him immensely, but he seemed to hesitate l urged, cajoled, named a good sum-and se- cured his services.
 I was to procure my wife's full length portrait-painted by Bradford himself-under the pretext that the artist declared that it needed retouch- ing, and he, with a shapely model who posed for him, was to depict my wife at full length as Juno, in the purest classic style. I've said that he was an eccentric man. and l think l have stated it moderately For in- stance, he seldom permitted his pie lures to be viewed until completed, even by his closest friends. Know ing this, l of course was not sur prsed when he eoolly told me that should not see the portrait till he him. self unveiled it in my chamber on my wifes birthday.
 The eventful night eame-the night of nights. My wife's kinsfolk, of course, were always with us. A chosen few, the pick of her friends, gathered for the occasion. But the artist didn't arrive. However. that was simply his way-he was always late But when an hour passed, two hours. and he was still absent, I was much an moved. l felt that he had forfeited the privilege for which he had stipulated, as l could not keep the invited guests waiting all night in ignorance of the delayed surprise.
 50, dropping a hint of what was 10 come, led the way into the-yes, the fatal--chamber drew the drapery from the curtained recess, mounted the lad. der that stood beside it, and prepared to uncover the picture. Not for years had l appeared more fully myself. My eyes and neck-accustomed by long practice to act independently as.-.ost with contrarety, in watching the trajectory of flying ornament or cal culating the angle of incidence of a bursting vase-had never seemed more unanimous or more obedient to my will. As l stood on the top step of that library ladder, I felt myself com plete master of the situation.
 T clipped the threads. beginning at the top and gradually revealed the beauties of Bradford's Juno.
 T can't conceive of such another glad chirping cry of surprise as went up when the picture was but half in sight But it was as nothing to the yell that arose, or the scene that fol- lowed, when the burlap cover dropped to the carpet. The artist had en- ployed his consummate skill-he had surpassed himself-in the drawing and coloring of the figure, from the dia- demed hair to the gem-encircled girdle but there the figure ended---ended in something worse than deformity-for the neither limbs were clad, not in the drapery Of a goddess. not in Grecian raiment a, all, but in ordinary, every day, masculine trousers-yes. even in pants'-and conspicuous pair, of the very pattern l most affected.
 You know, there's one thing, at least, that a married woman can never be told-a truth that's a jest every where except at homeland when a great artist tells it in bold way. the telling of it stings sharper than ser pent's tooth.
 Excuse me. I was saving that from the picture 1 looked below. What facesl What a glare of eyes. And then what a bedlam, Everything swan before me and around me. It was some distance to the fioor-per- haps that alone was sufficient to ac- count for the fracture of the skull which kept me for many days in a hospital, lowering between life aud death. Perhaps
 However, as soon as 1 could crawl once more, escaped from the nurses and drowsy watchers. and went forth into fha world and tho uioht And T,vp