The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-06-19


Alice's nose. which made her fee
strangely cross-eyed. her hair had fall
en- about her shoulders. and her bacl
was aching. David's letter lay TN
opened in her lap. and that was queer
Tor David was Ill at an out-of-towl
sanitarium. and girl is supposed e
take some interest in her fiance:
health. But Alice believed in art fol
arts sake, and David could wait To
morrow the entries would begin io'
the Worton art exhibit and she mus
put the finishing touches to her pic
ture.
The room was bare and ugly. sine,
art for arts sake is not always profit
able, but now that the huge canvas
was there, to enter was like coming
from the filth and din Of the streets
INTO still midsummer woods. into
haunted forest. Beneath a moss-huEa
OAK. knec-dccp in tangle of brackeu
and fern, stood a little Girl. with wide
eyes and exrectant face. She was
looking for the fairies. that child, and
she would surely find them, for she
knew that fairies really lived. You
felt that they would peep out at her
the moment your back was turned
Henry Blaine, the portrait painter
tried to catch them at 1t by turning
away ever so carelessly and then
whirling suddenly back. They were
not to be tricked by a grown.up like
that: they whisked out Of sight In a
second. but Blaine declared that he
could see the grasses culver. lie
shook his finger at the little dream
child. Il caught them, didn't -" he
asked. but she would not tell on the
fairies. not she.
Every student In the building prais
ed 1t, and they were frank and unspar,
ing critics. Even BILLY Goldsby held
his glib tongue for fully five minutes
when he saw the picture BILLY had
been raised on the streets Of New
York. and he had never had child.
hood nor wanted one. hut for 1--WE
minutes he felt with vague resent.
ment, that. as he himself put II, he
had been done out of something"
Goldsby represented large advrr.
Using firm and he was always hang
ing around the studios In search OF
novelties Being entirely commonplace
himself he had wonderful faculty
FOR choosing pictures that would ap
peal to the average person, and
though he could not have explained
that in this painting Alice had en-.
shared the universal heart OF child.
hood. he did know that the Dream
Child would attract attention any.
where.
Say, Miss Wade." he announced
approvingly. the kids a regular hold.
up The blind man couldn't pass her
without looking back. I'll give you
$500 down for the picture"
Alice continued to slap on the paint
with loving strokes Sell the Dream
Child?" she repeated In horror. why,
I wouldn't sell her for anything in the
world. She's my life, my heart. my
soul"
When he was gone she climbed
down and surveyed her picture con.
tentedly. II was good work, and she
knew II, and hoped that II would take
the Danclcigh medal. That high goal
~ artistic ambitions was awarded cv.
cry five years, and Alice had set her
heart on winning it. She had been
savagely selfish for her art, she knew
had sacrificed everything TO il and nj
last II seemed about to reward her.
David Arden was one of the things
that she had sacrificed, and now she
opened his letter absently. Il was
cheerful throughout. for sickness
could not cloud Iavid's BRAY" spirit
but toward the md there was para.
graph that startled her: u am get
ting well rapidly here" he wrote. hut
don't know whether can stay This
place eats up money like a taxicab
But don't worry, little girl. for I'll soon
be on my feet"
Alice read that paragraph over and
over again. with growing anxiety.
David had been a successful illustra.
tor. and II had not occurred 10 her
that he could be In want. yet the long
illness must have cost him great
deal OF money. n he was improving,
Of course David must stay whore he
was. but when she tried 10 think
where the money was to come FROM
Alice grew panicky. Her own re-
sources had dwindled most painfully,
while she was working on tie Dream
Child. She looked about her room for
something to pawn or sell, bat Y was
practically bare. There was nothing
OF any value In It. except he lecture
Of the little girl-the Dream Child
Goldsby had said that h. world give
her 5000 for the Dream Ctid
Alice covered her face aa her
hands and tried 10 fight q" hor-
rible thought. She cuula would
not sell the Dream Child g. ID be
more than the ruin Of H.. lions
it would be like selln- her
own soul She had plaa W" pic
ture in her early girlhocd WOW
en- Of the long. long tho v1nth
embodied the sweetest IS of
her childhood. And al fs she
realized with sickening e'a that