The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1917-09-01
~ M - ~ ~ |" - n "a ~ ~ no. w
= WAITING FOR ART n
"a BY DOROTHY DOUGLAS. ~
m Mn

me East side. The food WAS not
bad, neither was the service, but
there was ii sense Of barrenness about
IL all
WatrOus Went there for his midday
meal because il was inexpensive an
attraction for WatrOus. He didn't
hive much money and had scarcely Il
hope of ever having any. He was the
type, That blessed, happy gO-lucky, that
! finds happiness in the moon. the flow
ers and In the very fact that God has
! given us life
His position was I'm indefinite sort
| of clerkShip in n department store in
the neighbOrhOod. In the cycniu" lac
wandered over To one of the Bohemian
restaurants, his violin under his Ian
2nld arm. and there played while art
lists, actors, fuiurists-what not-ate
heterogeneous mixtures Of food.
In the little restaurant he usually
sketched attitudes while he abSently
swallowed whatever his waitress had
considered nourishlng and had placed
on the polished surface before him.
Had Watrous been observing he
would have known that he was. per-
haps, the best-cared-fOr patron in the
place. Molly Carey, who waited on
him, always saw to that while she
waited wlstfully for the day when he
would turn his eyes I'm her direction.
She had that motherly tender look i'm
her eyes that an artistic soul needs
In the eyes of his life partner-and
sciOus Of this attention no one knew
Ii but WatrOus. He sketched on the |
menu cards whatever came within his |
vision and tossed the quaint little |
sketches aside when finished, just az |
he came he cast aside his serviette |
when the final mouthful of coffee had
passed his lips.
lie always left dime on the table.
Molly Carey saved all those dimes.
She preserved them no less systemat-
ically than she saved every sketch
that WatrOus made on the menu
cards.
The sketches were far more clever
Than she realiZed--pOrtraits of patrons
IN various characteristic attitudes. The
very tone, or. perhaps, lack of tone, Of
he cheap little restaurant was wildly
Drawn.
The only sketch he had made which
did not leave In the restau-
ant was one Of MOOlly. Something
hnr q |
# selfconsciOusness, had dragged a
TASTY likeness Of her from his pencil.
lie had Ii In his room on his shaving
tand. Dreamy. semiconscious ap-
'reciation had prompted him to put 1t
here.
Watrous was never definite about
unching anywhere. There were days
1hen the last quarter had gone "some-
fhere in the world of spent money"
tut because he never quite knew
'hether his coat was on or not, nor
having purchased cloth
~ at odd optimistic moments, Molly
arey supposed him to be desperately
DOR and unhappy.
Molly never craved temperament.
he only wanted to be human and
lake other people comfortable, but
ne had a thrill of the ultra tempera-
ental upon the day when she took the
letcheS WatrOus had made to an art
naler. The artist on lower Fifth ave
lie offered her SO wonderful a price
n them that for the moment she float
high up in bubbling cloud of emo
Dnalism.
Acting on her own counsel, Molly
IT II with the art dealer. and brought
ok II tastefully framed to the res -.
urapt The manager was delighted. =.
s round face beamed. and he gave % -
,lly good-sized check for the pos =.
ssion of the drawings. .,
In the evening when the days work =,
IS over Molly stayed at the restau- :.
ut and helped hang the drawings. -.
artistic, quaint atmosphere took ~
Id of the room. Fascination, that y
'st mysterious of all powers, reach ~
out and claimed the mind. The
all restaurant became horny, while :.
luncheon next day animated groups -,
patrons stood gazing at themselves az
idly drawn in those characteristic ,,a
Ses. They brought friends, and A.
ends brought more friends. -.
when he had discovered 70,
infamous check fitting his plate, GO,
It swift glance at the drawings on no
walls and deep flush rushed over at,
brow. He wanted TO hide under On,
minute serviette. He rammed the mr.,
ok into his pocket and tried to look th,
,
lie went home that evening, and his or,
s proclaimed the fact that he was NO,
dreaming again. When he went to ,,,o
place where he was wont to fiddle mi,
grouped his friends about him and ito
them a tale which dragged them Tb
and all over tc the other restau- an.
I on the East side. When they en- me
I'd with a babble of laughter and M.
by with expectation and the joy of mi
ew scene, Molly and the manager rio
W apart. y
here was something defiant in the the
ression Of his eyes that prompted ger
ly to seek shelter. for he was max 'of
straightway through the line of ia ron
for her. nc
'atrous caught Molly and encircled nat
with his arms. In spite Of himself tho
trembled. Breathless silence fol- mil