Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1915-09-03


view of a critic. Will you intrust your
picture with me until tomorrow"
Stammering out his gratitude, Rem
ME withdrew. His last memory was
Of the old mans kindly smile and the
warm shake of the hand. All that
afternoon he trod upon air.
He hardly slept that night, and the
next morning waited feverishly for
the postman. st. Clair had promised
to write him a note as soon as he had
examined the picture. OF course the
letter could not by any possibility ar
rive till afternoon, but Rennie was In
that state of citation when the impos-
sible seems certainty.
He paced the streets after the post
man had gone, waiting for the next
delivery. At the news stand he picked
up his morning paper. On the front
page he read the news of st. Glars
death. The old man had had a stroke
of apoplexy the evening before.
Rennie let the paper fall from his
hands and tears of modification
streamed down his face. His last
hope gone! st. Clair dead, on whom
all had depended!
It was three days before he ecov-
| cred sufficiently to go for his picture.
But, to his a~mazement, he was refused
admission. The butler referred him
to st. Clair's lawyer, who listened to
his story with a quiet smile.
you must realize, Mr.. Rennie, that
unless you can bring some proof that
the picture is yours . have you
any proof? You did not sign it, you
say"
"But it was not finished" cried Rem
ME.
The lawyer shrugged his shoulders.
"All Mr.. st. Glars paintings are to be
sold," he said. you will have to take
legal action in the matter. And,
frankly, young man, no jury will be-
lieve you unless you have some evil
dence to bring forward. More than
cution for perjury"
Rennie went out in a daze. He saw
the truth of the lawyers words. There
was nothing that he could do.
A week later the auction came. Crit
les were enthusiastic over the large
number of paintings that was to be
put on the market. But of them all
none excited greater enthusiasm than
the unfinished work to which the crit
les gave the name "The Wild Horses"
Rennie attended the auction. The
bidding quickly passed the average OF
five thousand dollars, at which the
other pictures had gone. A dealer
from the West offered seven thousand
Finally, after a spirited competition
between him and Rennie's dealer
the picture fell to the latter for twelve
thousand.
4 And MacDrew had paid Rennie ar
average of fifteen dollars apiece.
Rennie went out of the auction room
and wrote a letter to one of the pa
pers. The newspaper refused to prini
it. 1t had no doubt that Rennie wa!
an impostor, and, anyway, the editoI
felt that such a case should be aired
In the law courts.
Rennie waited another day. Thel
he sat down and wrote a long letter tt
Muriel. 1t was the hopeless letter o
a man who has been bowled over b.
the Bullets of fate. He told her tn
4 facts of his struggle, eliminating Il
the loss of his painting, and releases
her from their engagement.
But before he had risen from tn
table there came a knock al the door
Rennie opened 1t, to find an elderl
woman, attired in black, standing be
fore him.
] "I am Mrs. st. Clair" she said. M
Rennie, a terrible injustice has bee
n done you, and it would have slippe
from my mind had not our lawyer toll
me about your claim. He thought 20
were an impostor, but as soon as b
10 told me / remembered.
n. "Mr. Rennie, my husband was tn
v. best and ~justest man in the world. 0
the night he died-the stroke cam
very suddenly, you know-he was tr,
I'd ing to speak to me. He was paralyze
10 and he could only humble, but l mai
aged to make out what me was tryin
at to say. He said that a picture in h
of studio had been painted BY couldn
in catch the name, but 1t was yours-an
ed that, in case he died, he didn't wal
elk it to be sold as his, especially sine
you had left no address, and he he
in given you no receipt for it.
10 81 have written a letter to the new
ia papers, and meanwhile the money fl
~. the painting must go to you"
m. Rennie did not know how he reptile
ng He remembered taking her hands
his and thanking her a thousand time
he And when she left 1t was with the u
I'M derstanding that Rennie was to co
ds slider her his friend-always, she sal
Hardly had she gone before Il
2" postman brought a letter-from M
MS riel this time. Opening 1t, Rem
.rt- read that she loved him, he mu
he never think otherwise, and she wou
he wait a dozen more years If necessal