Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1916-11-16
An Artistic
Courtshiip
By ETHEL HOLMES

living, but made very poor one. AT
last he gave it up and became an in
structor in his art. He was now a
widower, an old man, and had one
child, daughter, Winifred, about
twenty years old. The rooms in which
he lived and gave lessons were in a
studio building for persons of his pro.
fession.
One spring morning winifred was
sitting by an open window in the liv-
Ing room, facing the street, making
clothes for herself, for her father had
no money with which to buy them.
She had very sweet face and as
she bent over her work formed an at
tractive picture. Beardslee, who had
just returned from Florence, Italy,
where he had been studying and was
considered genius, saw the girl at
the window, and-well, he fell in love
with her. I don't mean his love was
full fedged the moment he laid eyes on
her, but that is when 1t began.
he noted the position of the room
In which she was sitting and, crossing
the street, entered the studio building,
mounted the stairs and proceeded to-
the door leading to the room. His OBJ
ject was the acquaintance Of that girl.
How he was to make it he didn't
know, but he was full Of assurance
| and resource and trusted to these and
luck. On the door was painted, ga
briel Martel, Instructor In Painting"
Opening the door, he saw Mr.. Martel
standing over small boy whom he
was endeavoring to teach to draw the
outline of a goblet. Winifred sat in
an adjoining room.
BEG PARDON said Beardslee; II am
DESTROYS of taking some lessons in
painting"
"Are you besinner?" asked the In
structor.
ooh. no! l have had some practice
Martel stated the terms, which We're
satisfactory, and Beardslee said he
would take lesson then and there.
He sat down at an easel faced toward
| Winifred.
AS soon as Martel had disappeared
Beardsee took out some pieces of thin
ivory he had in his pocket and began
/ to paint miniature portrait of Wini-
fred. If his love for the girl was not
yet full f1edged, his love for his sub
ject was. At any rate, he made one
Of those rapid strokes of genius which
will sometimes come without the slight
lest effort, but which will elude nam
artist on more pretentious work. Mean
while other pupils had come in, and
Beardslee heard Martel talking to
them. In this way he kept knowl-
edge Of the instructors position, and
whenever he came near the screen
Beardslee would hide the miniature
and begin to daub on the Subject as
signed him. But he had asked that he
might not be disturbed, and his In
structor did not visit him till after he
had finished the miniature sketch.
A few days later Winifred was look
ing over the art columns of a Sunday
paper and saw among the pictures of
moment reproduced there a picture
called "At Work." by the newly ar
rived celebrity Clarence Beardslee. 1t
was girl sitting by window sewing.
The work was valued at 1000.
isn't that like this window, papa o.
she said. showing it to her father,
"and that work stand is an exact re.
production of mine"
"And the face is yours, too" said the
parent.
1T says the picture will>be on exhi
bition at Gambrells for few days
I'm going to see it,
, The same afternoon she visited Gam
brell's picture store and there was the
miniature, into which the artist hat
found room to give suggestion of the
window and the work stand. She ha6
no sooner looked upon the face Of the
girl than she recognized herself. The
!. likeness was perfect She stood look
ing at it in a dream Of wonder.
There is break in the story whic.
cannot be supplied When Winifret
went home to her father happines.
dubbed up in her like a spring o.
limpid water. She had seen at III,
picture store the would be pupil of tn,
day before. The break in the story 1.
how did he come to be there when sh,
was there? Nobody but himself knows
and he has never told. All Winifret
said to her father about the miniatur,
was that it was a rare work Of art
The mink had brought it home will
her.
There is more that does not appea
in this version of the story, and tina
is, What was going on between Boards
lee and Jyinifred during the mex
y month? at the end of whicb>1artel re
: ceived the surprise Of his life. Hi
former pupil Of one lesson entered hi
instruction room and presented card
on which was the name ClaIepc
Beardslee. Martel looked at IT, Mel
up at the visitor and, wondered if on
OF the Other of them had not lost hi
canSOs