The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-09-07
An Artistic
Courtshiip
By ETHEL HOLMES

living, but made a very poor one. A.
last he gave II up and became an in
structor In his art. He was now q
widower, an old man, and had one
child, a 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 Winlfred was
sitting by an open window in the Nv
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
fun fedged the moment he laid eyes on
her. but that is when IT 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 1t he didn't
know, but he was full of assurance
and resource and trusted to these and
luck. On the door was painted. Ca
briel Martel. Instructor In Painting"
Opening the door, he saw Mr. Martel
standing over a small boy whom he
was endeavoring to teach to draw the
outline of goblet. Wlnifred sat in
an adjoining room.
BEG pardon" said Beardsee; II am
DESTROYS of taking some lessons in
painting"
Are you beginner?' asked the In
structor.
ooh. no! l have had some practice"
Martel stated the terms. which were
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 !
Beardslee took out some pieces of thin |
ivory he had tn his pocket and began
to paint miniature portrait of Wini- |
fred. If his love for the girl was not I
yet full fedged. 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
est effort, but which will elude an
artist on more pretentious work. Mean
while other pupils had come In, and
Beardslee heard Martel talking to
them. In this way he kept a Rnowl-
edge of the instructors position, and
whenever he came near the screen
Beardsee 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 Sunday {
paper and saw among the pictures Of
reproduced there picture
called "At Work" by the newly ar q
rived celebrity Clarence Beardsiee. 1t !
was girl sitting by window sewing. I
The work was valued at $1,000.
isn't that like this window, papa?'
she said, showing it to her father,
and that work stand Is an exact re-
of mine r
"And the face is yours, too said the
1T says the picture will be on exhi- d
Dition at Gambrell's for a few. days C
IN going to see it a
The same afternoon she visited Gam j
,rells picture store and there was the Il
miniature, into which the artist had e
ound room to give suggestion of the
window and the work stand. She had a
10 sooner looked upon the face of the Y
1rl than she recognized herself The -
LIKENESS was perfect. She stood look q,
ng at 1t in dream Of wonder. 81
There is break In the story which 81
annot be supplied. When Winifred hi
vent home to her father happiness Of
ubbled up in her like a spring of &C
Impid water. She had seen at the VI
icture store the would be pupil Of the ~
ay before. The break in the story Is I, n
ow did he come to be there when she
ras there? Nobody but himself knows.
nd he has never told. All Winifred !.
aid to her father about the miniature oc
vas that Ii was a rare work of art N
be mink had brought 1t home with A
err ST
There is more that does not appear
/ this version of the story. and that
. What was going on between Boards W.
,e and Winifred during the next GO
lonth? at the end of which Martel re- ~ :,
aived the surprise of his life. His -:
primer pupil of one lesson entered his IS
lstruction room and presented a card, N
n which was the name Clarence in
eardslee. Martel looked at 1t, then r,
D at the visitor and wondered if one Or
: the other of them had not lost his Pc
,nses.
Winifred ran from the other room
1d wrapped both arms around her ia lin
Ter I'M
II came" said Beardslee, ito ask ini
lu Mr.. Martel. for your daughter" res
my daughter! You. Clarence Beard e. a
ee''' -
Yes"
Then winifred explained matters, en-,
hich il is not necessary to explain 60,