The Irish standard., 1911-07-08
LOVE AMONG
THE ARTS
~ DOROTHY DOUGLAS


girl with glorious braid of Titan
hair trailing far down her back when
Everly saw her for the first time.
1t was students day at the Metro
politan Gallery. Artists and near ar
lists of all ages and prospects were
generously scattered about the great
halls.
When Everly entered he was greet
ed by CHEEKY nod from many of
those already at work. Otherwise, the
squirting of eyes and the cooking Of
heads went on with uninterrupted en-
thusiasm. The transfer of paints from
palette to canvas was an absorbing
game.
Everly stood for some time casting
furtive glances at the girl with the
Titan hair. The more he looked the
greater was his desire to devote his
fresh canvas, his time and his ability
to painting her. He Judged her to be
about eighteen, yet Everly felt that
her youth In no way offered him the
liberty of painting her without her
knowledge.
He was glad that he was starting a
new copy that morning. 1t gave him
the opportunity of making selection
which would keep him In the room
with her. Luckily, Everly found cor
ner which, with his big easel, inclosed
him from casual observers. 1t did not
matter to Everly that the light was
poor for the light of the whole room
formed a halo about the head of one
girl. Her position was central be-
cause she was copying the exquisite
Magdalen of Henner. So absorbed was
she in the miniature she was doing
that Everly had not glimpsed the
color of her eyes.
To man seeing as much of FEM
mine beauty as did Everly it was nat
ural that he should think only of the
picture the girl represented. He
sketched rapidly now, on the picture
he had chosen to copy. He worked
with feverish haste so that he would
not be tempted to convey to canvas
the one thing in the room he saw-a
hung and cast reddish shadows over
the dull grey of her painting-apron.
Once during the morning, the girl
got up and walked about the room
From his place behind the easel Ever
ly watched her lean over several of
the students and to each she gave
soft little smile as she turned away
Wherever she moved she seemed to
be encircled by a charm all her own.
Once, she stood so close to Everly
that leaning forward he could get a
glimpse of her eyes. They were
slumberous, half closed, like the eyes
of leopard. After casual glance at
his canvas she went back to her work
When she picked up her parapher-
MALTA and went home, Everly did the
same. Art had lost its interest when
the wonderful girl had gone.
Everly had his feet firmly planted
on the ladder of success. Many of his
canvases had sold after having been
well hung at various exhibitions, and
1t was with feeling that he attributed
him that he waited the next students
day at the gallery.
He was in his corner earlier than
was his wont and when she arrived
his artists heart quickened its beat.
He wondered vaguely If she would
come and stand near him during the
day-he hoped she would; something
within him seemed to rejoice when
she was near.
Everly began his work, but try as he
might the head of Doreen McWade
seemed ever ready to present itself on
his canvas. He conceived the brilliant
idea of making small sketches of the
various students within sight In this
way he could get an impression of her
without arousing suspicion.
Had 1T been any other girl in the
room Everly would have had not the
slightest hesitancy about asking per-
mission to make sketch, but his
nerves turned traitor when he even
approached this girls chair. Conse-
quently he remained at his own easel
and wondered If her hair felt as soft
and silky as 1t looked Finally he be-
gan to be irritated with her for being
so beautiful. She had no right to
faunt her beauty before artists who
were yearning for just such color,
such full yet slender lines to put on
canvas.
Doreen took her stroll about the
room earlier than before She had
worked with more absorbed interest
than on the previous day. Again, she
drew near him and for an infinitesimal
second her half closed eyes met his
then swept leisurely over the work on
his easel The very slightest color
arose in her cheeks when she saw her
own head among the others on his
easel, but she moved on as If she had
not seen 1t.
Did EVERY imagine 1t or did the girl
really turn her chair go that he could
scarcely see her face? EVERY was
not man accustomed to being foiled