Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-04-22

Some one has been having little
fun with me-" growled Sedgwick.
Apparently 1t was one sided.
What's this on the easel?"
What would you take it to be-"
Lets have a closer look
Walking across the room Kent plant
ed himself in front of the drawing
board, upon which had been fixed, by
means of thumb tacks, square of
rather soft white paper, exhibiting evil
dence of having been crumpled up and
subsequently smoothed out. On the
paper was three-Quarter drawing of
woman's head, the delicate face be-
meath waves of short curly hair, turned
little from the left shoulder, which
was barely indicated. Setting his USE
full monocle in his eye, Kent examined
the work carefully.
II should take it," he pronounced at
length, Ito be sort Of q secondhand
attempt at a portrait"
You recognize It, thought"
1T bears resemblance to the face
Of the corpse at Lonesome Cove"
Pretty good likeness, for a thing
done from memory, think"
Memory Whose memory
"Well-mine, for instance"
"Oh, no. That won't do, you know.
1t isn't your style Of drawing at oh"
Setting up for an art critic, arc
wer'
aside from which you certainly
wouldn't be using this sort of paper.
when you've cardboard to your hand"
$50 you're not to be caught, see,"
said Sedgwick, with q nervous laugh.
mot in SO plain trap, at any rate.
Where did that precious work OF art
come from?"
Heaven knows! Ching Lung found
it lying on the doorstep, with cob
BILE stone holding 1t down. I'd like to
lay my hands on the artist
you'd crumple him up as you did
his little message, eh?" smiled Kent.
cat least I'd have an explanation out
Of him. It's fact though, that lost
my temper and threw that thing into
a corner, when Ching first handed 1t
to me. Then It occurred to me that It
might be we'll worth saving. Interest
ing sketch, don't you think?"
mo"
What? You don't find it interest
PROFOUNDLY. But it isn't sketch"
What would you call 1t, then"
"A copy"
"How can you tell that? You
haven't seen the original from which
it was made, have your"
NO"
Then, what's the basis?"
Quite simple. II you had used
your eyes on 1t instead Of your temper
you might have seen at once that 1t
ia tracing. Look for yourself, now.
Taking the magnifying monocle that
Kent held out, the artist scrutinized
the lines of the picture.
"By Jove! You're right" said he.
paper, and touched up afterward.
Rather roughly, too. You can see
where the copyist has borne down too
hard on the lead"
whats your opinion of the like
ness-if it Is the likeness which you
suppose?" inquired Kent.
why, as remember the woman.
this picture is a good deal idealized.
The hair and the eyes are much the
same. But, the lines of the face in the
picture are finer. The chin and mouth
are more delicate, and the whole effect
softer and of higher type
do you see anything strange about
the neck, on the LETT side?'
BADLY drawn; that's ALL
"Just below the ear there is sort
of darkness, isn't there?''
"Why, yes. It seems curiously un-
finished, Just there
IF you were touching 1t up how
would you correct that?"
with slight shading, just there,
where the neck muscle should be
thrown up bit by the turn Of the
head
"Or by introducing a large pendant
earring which the COPPER has left out?"
"Kent, you're a wonder! That
would do 1t, exactly. But why in the
name Of all that's marvellous, should
the tracer OF this drawing leave out
the earring?"
Obviously to keep the picture as
near like as possible to the body on
the beach,
''Then you don't think It is the wom-
an Of the beach?"
mo; don't"
''Who else could 1t possibly be-"
Perhaps we can best find that out
by discovering who left the drawing
here"
THAT looks like something Of a
job"
mot very formidable, think. Sup
pose we run up to the village and ask
the local stationer who has bought
any tracing paper there within s. day
or two"
AS the demand for tracing paper in
Martindale Center was small, the sta
toner upon being called on, had no
difficulty in recalling that Elder Dem
nett had been in that afternoon and
made such a purchase.
Then he must have discovered
something after left him. said Kent
to Sedgwick, "for he never could have
kept his secret If he'd had 1t then"
But what motive could he have?"
cried the artist