Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1911-03-08
A Pastoral Love
Affair
Combmaion Of the Natural and
the Artificial.
BY ARTHUR BEAVERTON
Copyright by American Press Asso-
alton, 1911.

Bessie anu IeII IN love uAtuTdI-
Yin fact. too naturally. have Of
ten thought how pleasant 1t must be
for the animals and birds to mate
without having to look into each
others record. A tiger may not only
kill man. but eat him and mate with
most respectable tigress without any
questions being asked. Two birds
may meet on the branch of tree and
without the slightest knowledge of
each other become mates. But man
and woman must not only know all
about each other, but be of the same
grade and each have a clean record, or
there comes a lot of trouble.
| And the most singular thing about
1t all Is that either Of them will muir
der any animal. except their own kind.
| and eat the carcass.
/, being an artist, when the buds
| were beginning to open went into
the country to catch that first delicate
shade Of pale green which appears on
the trees at that season. was sitting
on my tripod in wood working in the
colors when | heard the bark of dog.
and a moment later little terrier
stood growing at me. A girl. budding
like the trees, not into leaves, but into
womanhood, hurried up, calling in q
soft voice:
"Frisk! Come away, Frisk! What
do you mean?"
I paid no attention to the dog. and
there was no need for the girl to call
him of. for he had no idea Of attack
ing me. but he gave me an excuse for
addressing the girl.
And yet l question If any excuse
was required People who meet In
crowds are constrained by convention
alities. We two, meeting In wood,
with not a sound about us-when the
dog had ceased barking-except an oc-
casional twitter of birds engaged in
nest building. felt constrained in an
other way. We were impelled to be
companionable. began by telling her
not to mind the dog. that he wouldn't
disturb me, and she sided around
where she could catch view Of my
sketch. One thing led to another until
we felt quite well acquainted. I had
chosen a delightful spot to transfer to
canvas 1t was on a declivity. An
opening In the trees below revealed a
patch Of landscape. while at my feet
gurgled a stream. at this season well
supplied with water from SHOWS re-
Gently melted at higher attitudes. The
air was balmy and laden with per
fumes.
One has but to mention this outline
picture to indicate the result. Given
an opening spring In wood. buds. wild
flowers, twittering birds. vista, a
brook, dog and lastly young man
and young woman. both in the first
freshness of youth. what follows
Why, exactly what the poet says-the
young mans land the young woman'sl
fancy turns to thoughts Of lcve.
The result Of this meeting was an
. other meeting and another and another
didn't count them; was too preoc
cupicd to do so. painted so long or
my picture that before finished 1t the
delicate shade had come to the coun
try for had grown into dark greer
and the full grown leaves had blotted
out the vista which gave the work
more than half its beauty. But while
this beauty was disappearing the bud
Of love was opening.
So much for the natural features OF
this story. Now come the artificial
viz. a girls confession to her father
that she had met her fate, but had not
met with any knowledge Of that fate's
antecedents: then command from
the father, tears from the girl and a
triangular condition between the ia.
Their. the Iirl and the artist such as
has taken place ever since the first
primeval girl planned to give her IA
Their the slip and climb tree with the
first primeval youth. the tree being toe
high for the old gentleman to follow
Bessie's father was really as reason
able as we considered him unreason-
able He merely wished to know who
I was. Since l had lived In South
America from the time was two until
twenty-five years Of age I must send
there for my credentials, involving q
delay Of a month or more. What cruel
~ u lOICt pan vi ioNciS " "oit az
that time In state Of suspense!
Sweetheart" | said to her one day,
suppose the reply should come that
am an ESCAPED defaulter. jailbird. muir
derer."
~ would not believe the story"
"But your father would" added
sententiously.
One day. after having painted alone
in the wood. on leaving it saw some
thing half covered with shriveled
branches aid dead leaves. l exam
ined It and found the dead body Of a
man. Mortified lest l might be i'm
plicated If a murder. threw back
what I had removed and was about
to hurry away when I saw two men
coming for me. Within FIVE minutes
was on my way to the nearest po-
Hoe station.
MY antecedents were now not 90