The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1912-04-11
Copyright, by W. q. Chapman.)

6OluS 10 WlaC! |
1.-TWO thousand shares in Steel" he
said bitterly, and regretted it the
moment afterward.
NO." she said. 1T will be your
portrait, Richard"
"And who is going to paint my
features, Evelyn" he asked.
"Torelli-Marco Torelli. You've
heard of him?" she asked, with a
swift glance. Then her eyes dropped
and a slight flush overspread her
features.
Never heard the chaps name be-
FORE" said Jocelyn.
He's a young Italian" said Evelyn,
In some confusion. He's a genius,
q real genius, and he was starving in
a garnet in Washington Square until
some friends of mine found him re-
Gently. And he's the finest painter
in America, the critics say, although
he's hardly known yet You don't
mind being painted by an unknown
xenius?"
I'D let a bricklayer paint ne If it
would please you, Evie," answered
Lord Jocelyn gayly.
He wondered afterward why this
short interview had left Evelyn so
strangely confused. After some cogi-
tation he set it down to his blunder-
ing remark about Steel.
Il can't e why you want to have
Richards portrait painted by that
Vermicelli man, Evelyn" her mother
| 107n ontoa HV0,,acn o1uroNno ca u,,nn~
and SO decided when once you get a
notion into your head. He's cheap,
of course, but I should think that
you'd want to give Richard the best
there was to be had"
Her protest vas not carried to the
ultimatum point. Mrs. Squires was
not a woman Of persistent force of
character, and she always stood rath-
er in awe of her accomplished daugh-
ter, mingled with pride at the finished
product of her husbands purse. She
had " altogether ceased to feel
that the up-bringing in her native
village still hampered and confined
her actions; she was never wholly
at home in the magnificent mansion
on Fifth Avenue, or the cottage" at
Newport, and the shameful memories
of those days when she was a simple
farmers daughter, far more intimate
with Setting" hens than Persian rugs
and Vatican pictures, were an abid-
Ing humiliation. Her mood was still
%resentful, however, when, on the fol-
lowing morning, she stepped into her
automobile with Jocelyn and Evelyn
and suffered herself to be borne
southwark into the unfamiliar regions
of Washington Square. She shifted
in disdain when the chauffeur stopped
in front of the squalid tenement house
in which Torelli had his studio.
Evelyn, my dear, if you say it's
chic to come to these places 1 sup
pose you're right" she said doubt
fully. Il can't see, myself, how any
body a work in them, let alone live
in them. If Mr.. Vermicelli's such a
fine painter as you say, why don't he
begin on the outsider"
She seemed terrified by the dark
ness of the hall and of the stairway
and held tightly to Jocelyn's arm as
they assembled. The artists room,
however, was suffused with light, spa
cious and clean, though bare. Along
the base of the walls numerous pic
lures, finished and incomplete, were
laid. Jocelyn surveyed them with
agreeable surprise; even his own ANA
flourish taste told him that these were
excellent The pleasant impression
was MOI diminished when he turned
to bow to the painter-a clean-look-
ing, youngish man, with handsome
features and a crop of black hair
brushed back off a high forehead.
After the preliminary introductions,
which Mrs. Squires, on her part, dis
posed of with the stiffest bow, Lord
Jocelyn suffered himself to be posed
in a chair by the window, and soon
the artist was busy sketching his
preliminary outline.
"How much are you goin' to pay
for this, Evelyn ?" asked Mrs. Squires;
breaking the silence.
Hush, mother" said the girl,
flushing in embarrassment.
But I want to know, Evelyn. Five
hundred, did you tell me? Five hun
dred? Why, it won't take more than
four or five sittings if he goes on
at this rate, and it can be delivered
inside of a couple of weeks. Look,
he's finished Richards head. And I
declare, it looks just like hint"
Torelli lost his self-control for a
moment.
Madame forgets that the cost of
paints and varnishes has been in
creased under the new tariff" he said
in a low voice; then bit his lip in
humiliation.
The remark was lost upon his audi
tor.
well, If Miss Squires is willing, it
amt up to me-" she answered.
But she became aware of the in
creasing coldness and sense of embar-
rassment in the studio. Presently
Torelli threw down his brush. mo
more today" he announced. Mrs.
Squires rose stiffy and asked Lord
Jocelyn to assist her down the stairs
to the automobile.
Really, Richard, the smells in
these places are almost unbearabie,"
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