The Lamar register., 1912-01-24
BARBARA.
And the Beast
By Dorothy BIackJAore

Barbara Graham was az artist. and
like most of her kind she was strug
Cling to keep the wolf from stepping
over the threshold of her studio.
Practical beyond the usual run OF
young woman possessed of the artis'
tic temperament, she lad even gone
SO far as to make capital out of that
same hungry wolf by painting his i'm
aginary image SO realistically that II
sold for goodly sun.
Animals were 3aroara's specially.
She had been a lovs< of the dumb
beasts ever since She was old enough
to love anything. ard when she took
up her palette and brush her fancy
seemed to run always to animals.
For this reason, she had obtained for
the summer months an outdoor studio
converted from the small back garden
of an English basement house. She
found 1t more ccGvenient for her ami
NAL models and. y lieu of going to the
country herself. vde found the outdoor
work beneficial. An old stone wall en-
closed the garden and ivy and Virginia
creepers struggled over 1t here and
there. The snAAll grass plot In the
center was Cdged with bright. old
fashioned flow ,rs. and Barbara had
added a rustic urn or two to the cor
ners.
This morning she was putting the
finishing touches to a canvas over
which she had worked unusually hard.
In the picture a big. tri-colored mother
cat lay in an overturned basket with
her small family about her.
Barbara had discovered the feline
family in her big rustic chair one
morning when she came down to work
and she had taken It as a gift from the
gods. for she was In need OF a model
for new canvas. She had waited
only long enough for the wee kittens
to get their eyes open and assume fat
and chubby proportions before begin
ming to transfer their likenesses to her
canvas. Meantime. she had made the
mother cat comfortable in a basket
and fed her half bottle Of her own
precious milk each morning.
This picture. with two others, was
to be hung in . small exhibit during
the approaching winter
Barbara now had two Of her pictures
ready. and. for the third. she was wor-
ried. It was a easy enough matter to
go to the animal home and secure n
model from witch to paint. but Bar.
bara's heart W. set on painting a
certain little thoroughbred dog she had
seen pass her windows every morning
for three wsskA. The question was
how to get himi The dog followed his
master closely - Barbara could not
well accost . se1aager and beg to be
allowed to pain his pet dog.
As she stood D1tting little touches
here and there - tAs cluster OF kittens
on her easel - realized that the
work before her vas finished. she be
came more and Dsrs obsessed with the
desire to paint tAAt white dog for her
third picture. NE placed great hope
in the criticism q the work to be hung
this winter and ssmsthing told her she
could do her bsst work II inspired by
that strange utf1o animal.
She became restless and, n aking the
kittens comfortable in the righted bas-
ket. she donnsd her hat and went
forth to walk q her uneasiness.
Barbara had bssn Of the idea. ever
since she had come to the big city to
follow her profession. that II she did
exactly what was right at all times,
thought evil Of no one and harmed no
one by deed OF word, she would be
given all that was her due She had
been brought mp with this idea and
the teachings Of her mother chung TO
her now that she was alone in the
world.
Therefore. - she walked she
thought, and gradually a peaceful feel
ing took the place Of the spirit of un,
rest that had possessed her for days
After a turn through q nearby park
she retraced her footsteps toward
her studio.
When she was within half a block
Of the house behind which was her
work-garden. she was surprised to see
the old tri-colorsd mother cat ap-
preaching her. II was the custom OF
the animal. aftsr she had put her ba.
bies to sleep. to mount the garden wall
and go out for air and exercise. but
Barbara was mot expecting to see her
gu the public stzsst.
We'll. Puss." Barbara was beginning.
and had stopped to pick up the animal
when. with . ut and a growl and
rapidly busting tail. the cat made
for the narrow passageway between
the houses. . white dog In full pur