The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1911-07-21
HE PAID THE
RECKONING
BY MOLllE K. WETf1EREll
Copyright, 1910. by American Press
Association.

long while ago. when the people
Of Europe lived In an artistic atmoe.
phcre. stranger stopped one evening
st q peasants cottage In the south of
spain and asked for supper and .
nights lodging. He was made well
come and comfortable % far az these
poor peasants were able to make him.
The family consisted Of q man per-
haps thlrty-6ve years Of age; his wife.
Il young woman Of twenty-five or TWEEN
ty-three. and their child. boy about
eight months old. While the stranger
was eating bis supper his eyes were
constantly fixed upon the man. who
sat smoking his pipe BY the chimney.
turning them from him to the woman
who sat on the opposite side. nursing
her baby. In the mans face was Q
certain repose. contentmsnt with the
world and with his lot In It. The wo-
mans. though that Of q peasant, was
Hinged with certain Undesirable
spirituality. When the child sat up In
his mothers lap and looked at the
guest his eyes were opened very wide,
and there was an appearance of intel.
ligence in them beyond babyhood. be-
yond childhood-even. It seemed at
times. beyond manhood.
When the stranger had eaten his
supper he said: Il shall be gone in the
morning before you are up. Please tell
me what IL the reckoning. that ! may
pay It now. for my supper and my
bed"
There Is nothing to be paid. senor."
said the man. What we have given
You to eat. while II 10 good enough for
us. is not good enough for q gentle
man like you. AT any rate, II u not Of
any real value. As for the bed you are
to- sleep on. you will fare no better
than the mules. What presumption.
senor. 1t would be for us to take money
for these things. By, doing 20 We
would call down the displeasure Of our
patron saint"
The stranger made no reply to this,
hut, taking up a candle, mounted q
rude staircase. In the morning. how
ever, he was still In the cottage, COM
ing down from his room after the peas
ant and bis wife had breakfasted.
The woman gave him what remained
in the house for meal, after which
lie said:
you will not permit me to pay for
your hospitality, but possibly you may
accept a gift at my hands. ! am an
artist and will draw your likenesses."
To this the husband demurred, say
ing that the gentleman's time was too
valuable to be spent sketching poor
peasants, but the wife took . woman's
view Of the matter. She wished for
the portraits Of her husband. herself
and especially her child. 30 she per-
suaded the man to sit With her and
their boy for the stranger to copy.
The artist placed the woman In q
chair. holding her child In . standing
position. while the man stood looking
over her shoulder at both her and the
boy. Then from q portmanteau he
had with him he took out drawing ma
terials. and. improvising an easel out
OF chair. he set to work. He made
number of outline sketches of the
three. also 6lling In separate drawings
of them. When he had finished he
put them away and said:
Il shall take away what I have done
with me. but this" selecting one Of
them. II will return to you. II you
desire to improve your condition or
are In need OF money you may be able
to sell 1t for fair price,"
With that the artist took mp his port.
manteau and departed.
Some time after this when the peas.
ant had forgotten the incident and his
wife was lamenting because the artist
had neglected to send the sketch q
man appeared, saying that be had been
sent with It BY the artist. It was In
frame, and In one corner q name
was written. Rut the name was not
familiar to the peasants. They hung
the picture on the wall and were very
proud Of 1t. When the neighbors came
In to look at It they would be asked.
Are not the figures like usy'' and the
reply would be-: Yes. they are IKE
you. but they are holy people. Your
baby resembles our blessed Saviour"
The peasants kept the picture for
many years. Meanwhile they grew
to be old and their boy became q
young man. He loved the daughter Of
a wine grower. but she was without
dowry. and he was without any
means to set MP housekeeping. Then
his mother remembered the artists
words that they might sell the pic
ture for price. Her husband had no
faith 10 this. but the boy. who was In
love. begged his mother to try. Her
affection for her son triumphed over
her desire to keep the sketch. and
with him she went to Seville.
On reaching the city she went to .
church to pray for the success Of
their undertaking. When they came
to the altar both stood still In amaze
ment. There before them was their
sketch In painted colors inclosed In a
massive frame. It represented Mary
and Joseph and the infant Jesus.
The next day people gathered In
knots to discuss bit Of news. A