The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-11-05
HIS MASTERPIECE
BY W. e. PRickETT.

In OlQ foII0s IN tu0 nos
crumbling. begrimed Quarter Latin'
lived Louis Diable, artist. He was
tall and very slender. with narrow
shoulders, sunken chest. long arms
and legs. His sallow face. with its
complement Of beady eyes and sharp
features Offset by black mustacne
and gostee, marked . striking resem-
blsnce to tho being whose name No
bore.
Because Of An extremely Limited
wardrobe, Diable wore upon all occa'
sions broadcloth suit Of ancient pat
torn which, though dilapidated, III
fitting and faded. was in keeping Win
the other articles Of apparel No AZ
footed.
Louis worked only when the crav'
Ing Of the inner man demanded sus'
tenance. and during his leisure hours
he frequented the cafes Of the quar-
ter or the studios Of his bohemian
acquaintances.
TIE productions Of his brush were
weird and fantastic. Some said ne
copied Dore; others claimed that sucn
productions could only be conceived
by the devil himself.
1.-THE face, the name-mon dieu; No
10 the devil himself"
The appellation had chung to MIN
through life and had ranked MS
brain till he dreamed devils and was
haunted, during wakeful moments IN
the silent hours of the night. by grim
specters that rose out Of dark corners
in his room.
Perhaps absinthe. to which he was
rapidly enslaving himself. could &C.
count for the mad fantasies Of his I'M
agination; howbeit, this torture OF
mind and soul increased with the
quantity Of NORWOOD he consumed.
The chaff Of his associates became In
tolerable, so he began to seek unfre-
ouented cafes and deserted streets
that he might encounter no one who
knew him or his peculiar cognomen.
At length Diable resolved to por'
tray upon canvas being 80 gro
tesoue, horrible and inhuman that 1t
would indeed be the devil Of all dev.
lis. It should be his masterpiece!
Paris would ring with his name! His
acquaintances would taunt him no
more; indeed, with fame and fortune
in his grasp he would forsake the
Quarter and its distasteful associa-
lions, and remove to a more preten.
tious domicile, there to live In ease,
happiness and luxury. He would blot
the past forever from his memory
Inspired by these ambitions he set to
work.
Never had he toiled so assiduously
He scarcely took the requisite time
for eating and sleeping. He admitted
no one to his studio; was deserted by
the few friends who remained loyal
to him, and was therefore isolated
from the world about him with the
picture which slowly crept from his
brain to the canvas.
The color seemed to exc from hi
soul through fingers and brush, every
touch Of which was an atom Of life t.
the painting that was converting thu
| coarse, white surface into . colossa
monster, rising from the depths o
an inferno of fire and torture. Sew
eral weeks of unceasing application
brought his work near completion
and the afternoon of June q, 188-
found Louis Diable putting the finish
ing touches ON his great master
piece"
The figure that lowered above hin
was an uncanny, composite blendin
Of man and the supernatural, thougl
the long. hairy limbs suggested
gorilla and the body q monstrou
toad. The leering eyes possessed
snake-like fascination. The moldin
and treatment Of the figure were pei
feet, and the flesh fairly seemed
CULVER in the flames that were lickin
it, surface.
He WAS now working on the Gre,
lures face. He had painted out An
repainted It dozen times, for eac
time II strangely resembled his owl
though In which particular feature b
was unable to determine. It bothere
him.
He paused . moment and, steppin
back . few PAGES, studied the face q
tentively through half-closed eye
fitting his head first to one side IN
then to the other Was his imagin
ton tricking him? No: the reser
blance was undisputably there. B,
where. His countenance lighted wi,
a revelation. It was the mouth Lii
q spider bouncing upon an enmesh,
victim. he seized . brush and pet
lantly dashed q wide daub Of crimss
across the offending feature. He ",
amused At the alteration and, with
grunt Of satisfaction. drained a re
erous draught Of absinthe-the sc
enth he had imbibed that day.
Physical and mental excuses h,
reduced Diable to q wreck Of his Il
mer self, and this slight relaxati,
forced him to q realization Of b
condition; so he drew up an ca
chair before the picture and dropp
languidly into its cushioned dept