The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-04-08

tie gas stove In . corner OF the studio
Il shall b back soon." hs said O
hs put on bis overcoat, and Oh
smiled and nodded. Just - though Oh
understood. He took the letter d
mail and one Of his pictures under hil
arm. This he designed for . certail
dealer who purchased his work at {
ridiculously low price: nevertheless. 4
would provide him with food for {
month, and. possibly. II hs were sharI
at . bargain. with enough over Soa
their fares 70 Hieksville, biz mothers
town.
Al no crossed the street Harmed
became aware Of . swarthy. sinis
terlooking man who. leaning against
the rail which surrounded the park
watched him win . sort Of malignant
stare that struck him cold with appre
hension. Harmed hssitated. then. rtdi
culing biz fsars. he continued On hid
way. but more quickly. At the end d
the street he paused. The man VA
still leaning against The rail Harmed
now laughed Ct bio terror. Obviously
this wss some italian laborer out Of
. job: but the nervousness which the
incident had produced revealed to him
tho abyss over which his happiness
hung suspended. He resolved to get
the girl to Hicksville - soon - poe.
sible. He was lucky enough to cell
his picture at . satisfactory price. and
departed homsward. blissfully Is
norant that tho dealer. who was 20.
cumulatins Harnsd's work against the
day Of bio fams. would gladly have
paid him three times the price 10 had
demanded.
The man was no longer leaning
against The ran. Harmed hurried Into
The house. A. 10 did % 10 became
aware that 10 was still clutcAing tAe
unopened letter N bio hand. He would
have turned baek - post n, but bic
fsaft had awaken6d assin and b
hastsned up The stairs to bio studie.
unloeksd tho door. and ran IN. The
studio was empty.
He rushed into the bedroom. The
girl vas not there. She was not any.
where. She had gone % mysterious.
y - she had come. He called hse.
ran down the corridors and shouted.
A fellow artist came out Of bic room
and looked 1t Harmed with On amused
smile.
Have you seen . girl-my model
dark, with black hair-disappearedl"
Harmed gasped.
The others eyelids fluttered upon
his cheek. mo. old man." he replied.
Say. II we're you. I wouldn't malo
such . COMPOUNDED noise about Il
anyway"
All that night Il showed. and On
that night Harmed paced tho streets
In . frenzy. looking for her in every
woman's figure that hurried by. There
were stout and lean women, old and
young. some with dark. tousled hair,
some frissled blondes-there Wa
none whom he could have mistaken
for his love - far % he could have
seen her.
Toward morning hs was back In
HE studio again. He had torn bic
letter to bic mother into fragments.
and he was painting again.
Harned's picture. The Snow
Bride" was the sensation Of the year
1t the Exposition Of American Paint
err. In . single day hs leaped into
celebrity. Bent the shrswd little deal.
Or who had some 20 Of bic pictures
stored away. now brought them forth
and held . Harmed exhibition. Which
Melted him nearly $4,000.
One day . knock came at the door,
and Harmed opened Il 70 ind Q ne,
The tan-colored gentleman It The door.
dressed In . violating froek coat
and carrying . silk hat In bic hand.
He introduced himself with . smile
and . bow % the Persian consul.
"Hr. Harmed. I am looking for an
artist to paint my wife," he said. II
Wa much struck BY your painting.
The Snow Bride In fact. I an The
purchaser Of It. II you will permit me.
The price 10. understand. 91,oooi"
He went on to speak frankly. He
had long wanted . portrait Of Nine.
Nouriddian. but unfortunately, bic
means were limited. He hoped that llr.
Harmed would not demand IN e1ces-
sive price; he was sure that some
lay the picture would become . vi
ned heirloom In bic family. Harmed
frank In the mans praise With the
thirst Of one whose long struggle he'd |
Il last been rewarded with success.
He agreed to b at the eonsul's apart
msnt the following Thursday q noon,
h order to meet Nine. Nouriddisn
and make that acquaintance which |
must preceds the sitting.
Harmed must have arrived too
noon. for the consul was not yet home |
from bic once. and Nine. Nouriddisn |
was also out He va shown into q
modest reception room: he was Coz
Dcious that young woman was seas. |
ID there. Next moment the blood rush. |
n to bio head. There before him.
smiling and tremulous, was Tie won |
N he loved.
II seemed like . dream to Harmed.
L mist swan before his eyes ana a