The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-01-05
EVIDENCE IN
A PICTURE
By F. A. Mitchell.

Rochelle. ke.ehing By the way.
came TO picturesque spot where
stood cottage. A boy often came and
looked on while ! worked / was
tempted to cease my landscape draw
/ ing and sketch the boy instead. for
never saw finer model of ctild of
that age. chatted with him and
learned that he lived IN the cottage
with his mother. O widow; that his IA
ther had been a wealthy mar. and I'M
til his fathers death few years be-
fore the family bad lived in chateau
Curious to know something more OF
Ihe story. / asked the boy If be would
present to his mother the compliment
of an American artist who was on
sketching tour and beg shelter for tGe
night under her roof he, ran away
with my message and aoon returned 70
say that his mother would lie happy
at least 70 receive visit from 1iop-
sieur | folded my stool. easel and
other equipment and. singing the
package on my shoulder accompanied
the child to his tome.
| found Nine. Clairmont, his mother
as aristocrstic looking as her saa. /
told her that my curiosity hac been
axcited by her 10y as 20 her family
story, and il it ,corld DC no Intrusion
upon her feelings ! would like to know
Caore Of it She made ne waic3mr
md gave me The facts,
She lad married late IN life man
nuch older .hap herself wao was beth
rich. high 10 d and IN every way
prominent One child, M little friend
CASTOR, had been born to them AZ a
time when 1t was supposed that shs
was too old to bear 81 child. Der bus
bands brother, who tad been looking
forward to ipheritng the estate. lad
shown from the birth of Castor chat
be was bitterly disappointed az being
supplanted But he gave 10 sign OF
any intention to dispute the succes-
sion till after the death Of ner hus-
band year agonc.
NJ. Clairmont had scarcely been in
tered when his brother, Martin Clair
mont. claimed the property on the
ground that Castor was not his son
nor the son OF his wife, but the child
Of one Annette Voudray, a laundress
who had been brought into the cha
teau to be palmed off as the child OF
Mime. Clairmont The claimant OBJ
tanned from this woman what purport-
ed to be a confession to that effect
There was trial that was dragged
through the courts for two years; then
the highest court confirmed the deci-
sions of the lower ones. deciding in
favor of Martin Clairmont. giving him
his deceased brothers estate and Gas
ton TO Annette voudray
Nine Clairlnont had possessed a lit
tie money of her own. with which she
bought off the woman so far as CASTOR
was concerned. and he remained with
his mother They had come TO live at
the cottage. Nine Clairmont having a
small allowance from her relatives.
Such was the story | got from the
lady's lips. and | could not doubt her
statement One thing surprised me-
that a court should be made to believe
that CASTOR was the son Of iaun-
dress. True. he did not especially re-
semble his mother but have observ-
ed that sons and daughters bear the
closest resemblance to their parents nc
a corresponding age. One can hardly
expect child to resemble parent OF
sixty.
Nine CIairmont kindly offered me
room for the night which | gladly ac-
cepted. Her personal effects. furri-
ture. heirlooms. pictures. etc. had
been removed from the chateau TO the
cottage. The room | accepted showed
evidence of this. over the mantel was
picture that interested me 1t was
.oses arranged in an oval shape Ia
make border for portrait The
portrait was that Of an old woman,
Stopping in strange places as | did, I
,arried with me the most powerful
electric hand lamp / could buy. In or.
Ter TO see the portrait more distinctly
brought my lamp 10 bear on II. The
trong light revealed thar the old wo-
mans picture had been pairtcd over
mother picture. The sne first painted
vas 100 indistnet for me TO see acy
more OF it tlan TO warrant my assuT1-
DC that IL was the mead and sEo9l.
ers OF n boy.
The next day called Nine. Clair.
1ont's attention TO M discovery aud
ras surprised TO drd that il was aiso
discovery g.. her Being an artist,
'as fap,iliar wi'h processes for remoT-
lg paint :aI ufferad to attempt TO
Ike off osoaGh 81 the first portrait 10
aveal me second. suggesting thar
leTc was remote possibilii! of some
lmiiy evidence behind ii that would
ear on her fortunes. She assenteG.
nd at once began my work.
But | was obliged to work in a dark
,om and with my electric light, Tor
lie boy portrait was only visible m
or my electric lamp.
BY very careful work I succeeded in
knowing enough OF one layer without
lie others to show the boys head and
as surprised TO reveal portrait of
tie CASTOR. But his mother said 10:
was the head of Gastou's father at
aston's pIesen; age.
That picture brought about q return
the Clairmont estate t. its rightful
yners, As TO the picture, there WIS
II one explanation The originaI
ust have been painted in coloTs re-