Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1916-07-01
A Study For
A Painting
BY r. A. Mitchell

One day about noon man whose
dress and sketching materials marked /
him for an artist stopped at the door
of a house In western province OF |
France and Knocked
: 81 would like a meal he said @Can
you obIige me?'
aAh, monsieur" replied the woman.
who was evidently much troubled, IT
have not crust OF bread I'm the he se."
The man looked at her sympaat. -al-
Iy and asked whether, il he paid En-. J.
vance. she would go out and get what
would be required. She consented, and
he handed her bank bill for % francs.
She told him that her husband was
an artist, but he had not been able to
make a name for himself and without
a name he could not sell his pictures
They had fallen into debt and at that
moment were expecting to be turned
out of their home by their landlord.
who held a chattel mortgage on their
Furniture which he would take to help
pay what was due him for back rent
The stranger listened to all this, but
said nothing in reply. He asked what
line of art her husband occupied him
self with, and she replied that he pre-
ferred figure painting Some of his
drawings were scattered about the
room, and the stranger cast glances
from one to the other. He said that
he was a figure painter himself and
was travelling through the country look
ing for a model for one of a group he
needed for picture
When he had finished his meal he
et0o lot Rr4v
have a room in which to take nap.
She pointed to lounge in a little room
adjoining the living room He went In
there. drew a portiere between the two
rooms. and, throwing himself on the
lounge, slept s.
He was awakened by angry voices IN
'tYou must get out at once" said one
THAT will do, and L will take my
furniture with me 1t belongs to my
wife. and she will not part with it."
IF you gave me a mortgage on it
as your property and it belongs to your
wife you are swindler."
The stranger had meanwhile arisen
from the lounge, lifted aside the pOr-
there and looked out at the scene In
the other room. The two men stood
g1arfng at each other. while the woman
was vainIy endeavoring to hold one OF
them, her husband, who stood in a
threatening attitude. The stranger had
left his sketching materials in the hall
and, hurrying there through a side
door, brought them back to the room
In which he had been sleeping and I'm
a jfffy had set up his easel, placed card
board on IL. opened his box and. talk
ing out pencil, with the rapidtty OF
lightning began to dash it here ana
there, making suggestive marks f0r
figures.
One of the men-he was the landlord
made tantalizing remark to his ten
ant, and the latter started with clinch-
ed fist to attack him The woman
caught her husband around the waist
and, with frightened look on her face,
endeavored to hold him
Again and again her husband tried
to break away from her, she holding
him as much by pleading with him as
by force. In this way the relative sit
uation was maintained for some min
utes. Then, when the woman could de-
tain her husband no longer and he
broke away from her, the stranger
threw down his pencil and, stepping
into the room where they were, placed
himself between the two.
What is this mans Indebtedness
to your he asked the landlord.
HE owes me $500 francs"
The stranger drew his purse from his
pocket, took out five 500 franc bills
and handed them to the speaker
This takes all 1 have with me-" he
said, except enough to get me back to
Paris. Take it and give this man a
receipt"
When the papers had passed and the
landlord had gone both the woman
and the man turned grateful and In
curing look upon their benefactor.
.'How am I to pay you any more
than the other?' asked the husband.
t'You owe me nothing" said the 9th
er. tsYou and the others have posed
for me. The picture I shall make OF
this quarrel will be worth ten, perhaps
twenty, times the amount / have ex
pended. But I must get more materfa
on the paper before the action has hat
time to fade from me-"
Turning abruptly from them, he be
gan to work anew with his pencil Hi
model looked over his shoulder and
struck with the action suggested b.
| the few scattered lines, exclaimed:
There is in those lines the maxim,
| OF great picture 81 q
The stranger, after working awhile
| gathered up his materials and said:
ST am OF for Paris T will send yol
| and your wife the wherewithal to fol
low me- T want you both and you