The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1916-11-17

A Girl Made 1t
Without Being
Known
By ETHEL HOLMES

uC WIS oult W bt hNli AANtt SNhNVi
for not knowing his lessons His teach
ers were all the more severe with him
because they knew that II he would
study be might be one OF the best
scholars In his class,
The reason Wilbur did not study was
that he possessed gift for that which
absorbed his attention from his les
sons II his teachers had examined
his lQ,oks instead Of examining him at
the rud Of the term they would have
learned the secret of his failure. The
fiyleaves aud margins were covered
with little sketches II Wilbur fan,
cied n particular subject there were
few pictures on the book; II he dis
liked It there were many He detested
grammar. and the book from which no
studied this subject was literally COW
cred with sketches of faces and fg'
ures.
When 1t was finally proved that no
one could beat what Is commonly call
ed education into young Burnes and
his prediction for art became notice
able he was advised 10 go TO an art
school and learn to illustrate books.
This was easier said than done. for his
mother was a widow. and there was
no money In the family 10 pay his tut
ton. However. he was so captivated
with the idea OF being an artist That
he concentrated his efforts upon max
ing a sum by hard work and saving
TO put him through the school This
was the only period In Wilbur Burnes,
life In which he ever worked, for,
though he afterward spent much time
at his easel. he could not be said 20 be
at work Indeed, so absorbed was he
that he often found 1t difficult to drop
his brushes
In the same town where Wilbur went
TO school was girl, Miriam Trask.
who seemed to understand him and
had a great admiration for him When
he was spoken OF as Ounce she would
retort that the day would come when
those who decried him would be glad
to stand In his shoes. When Wilbur
was graduated from the art school she
wrote him asking n there was not
some way by which she might earn
money connected with his profession
In the city. He replied that the only
way he knew OF was by being a model
Miriam possessed a beautiful neck-in-
deed. this feature was considered
artistically perfect-and Wilbur sug.
gested that she might earn something
by permitting artists TO use II for q
model. explaining TO her that no one
person combines perfection In the DIFF
ferent parts OF the body and artists
are obliged to get hand. foot. n
bust. from different persons.
Miriam concluded to 90 TO the city.
and Wilbur soon succeeded In securing
her engagements sufficient to give her
bare living. She did not associate
with other models. nor did she enter
socially into that bohemian life for
which artists and those associated
with them are famous
One reason especially that she kept
to herself had induced Miriam to 60 to
the city She was absorbed In Wilbur
Burnes and wished to be near him.
Wilbur and she had been chums as boy
school he was so absorbed In his pro
fession that she passed out OF his
mind On her arrival In the city this
intimacy was renewed Wilbur could
not paint at night and found her com
partnership Just what he wanted he
had little taste for bohemian life and
spent many of bis evenings with her.
Beauty Is one thing. and its recogni-
tion is another. There are artists who
have produced beautiful things that
they have kept unsold for years and
then have parted with them for a song
while an ordinary picture or statue or
story or poem may secure an enormous
fictitious value. Wilbur Burnes mod
eled in clay. and his works were highly
commended by those who knew their
value; but. being forced to rely on
their intrinsic value, they remained un,
sold
Miriam recognized the merit of his
productions and wondered why others
did not recognize 1t as well as she.
The fact that he could produce such
beautiful things heightened her inter
est In him. and the fact that he could
not sell them strengthened her love for
him This sympathy. which was very
apparent to Wilbur. drew him toward
the girl who gave 1t. and. while a
mans love Is NOT so deep as wom-
ans. 1t was generally understood that
only the want of the wherewithal TO
build home prevented the couple from
marrying
Wilbur Burnes. having a studio full
of his art productions that he could
not sell. became discouraged He had
so far concentrated his attention upon
ordinary work to make money enough
to pay his way through the art school.
and he began to think that he must
drop what he considered pleasure
and take up what was real work in
order to avoid starvation, He was
really hungry, sometimes not having
the wherewithal to pay for meal,
Miriam was making modest living
not only by sitting to have her neck
and head copied. but by her needle
and would have been glad to relieve