The Snowflake herald., 1917-09-28

His confidence drew forth confidence
from Miss Trevor, and she, too, at
times confessed to hunger This very
nearly spoiled Markham's game, for it
was all he could do to keep from in
viting her to dine at the best hotel In
Florence. He restrained himself for
the time being, but the next day join
ed her, radiant Claiming to have
made a commission Of 100 francs ($20)
on the sale of picture to an English
man, with true bohemian weakness
he filed Miss Trevor with viands so
expensive that they used up all his
pretended commission. For this he re-
ceived a lecture from her on his short
sightedness and his generosity; but,
since that generosity was expended on
her, it only bound her closer to him.
Markham began his lovemaking by
| fit of dependency. When asked the
cause he intimated that he had met
with change of heart. He no longer
looked upon his poverty with uncon
Germ. 1t was not long before Miss
/ Trevor wrung from him the cause Of
this change He was in love, and in
love with her.
This set her to thinking She had
done very wrong to permit him to be-
come so chummy with her. Poverty
added to poverty makes misery.
marriage between them would be sui
cidal. Markham lugubriOusly admitted
the ia It. He told her that he loved
her and was only prevented from ask
ing her to be his wife by the misery
/ that such a union would bring upon
her.
Markham noticed that there was no
statement from Miss Trevor on this
matter to match his own. She did not
say, "Would that l had a fortune-how
happy we could be together!' He won
dered, if she had a fortune, whether
she would throw herself away on a
poverty stricken man with bohemian
/ instincts. He feared not He had
/ given her to suppose that he was only
/ prevented from being a spendthrift by
not having any money to spend.
/ Would her love for him should she be-
come wealthy triumph over common
sense?
While Markham appreciated common
sense, he set more store upon Miss
TrevOr's love for him. He wished that
she might suddenly get a windfall-a
few hundred thousand dollars-that he
/ might learn whether she loved him
well enough to permit him to make
ducks and brakes with it. This set
him to thinking how he could give her
the fortune without her knowing that
it came from him.
One day Markham went to Miss
Trevor very much agitated. He said
that he had discovered an original
Murillo. 1t had been taken from
part of house that had been bricked
up for several hundred years and was
now being torn down. The surface
was covered with dirt, and if there
were a name in the corner it did not
appear. When Miss Trevor asked him
how he knew the picture was a NIuril-
10 he said that he relied entirely on
his knowledge of the great artists
other works, this painting bearing the
same individual characteristics.
Markham told her that what trou-
bled him was that the work could be
bought for a song and he hadn't
enough money to buy a cigar, which
in Italy may be had for a fraction of
a cent. He begged Miss Trevor to try
to raise 80 francs, the price asked by
the finder of the picture. She hap
70 hox fhn hox Win iI1cf
been paid 80 francs for copying
painting, and offered to lend it to her
lover But Markham would not listen
to such a proposal If she took a risk
on his opinion she should reap the ben
eft in case he was right. She gave
him the money to invest for her, and
be brought the picture to her studio.
All depended on whether when the
accumulated dirt was removed from
the corner the magic name would ap
pear which, like Midas touch, would
turn the picture into gold Markham
had brought with him cleaning mate
rials and, setting the picture on an
easel, began to rub. The first letter
that appeared was an 81 then an 81,
LuSH duOIu0I anu an q. 1u0u,
working the other way, he exposed the
word "Murillo."
Miss Trevor was too much excited
to take an unbiased look at the pic
ture, and If she had done so it would
have availed nothing, for it was all, ex-
cept the name, covered with dust
Markham took it away, promising to
let her see it when it had been cleaned
but before the dirt had been taken off
he reported to her that the painting
had been snapped up by an American
pork packer for 100000 lire
So it was that the impoverished
American copyist was suddenly en-
riched by $4,000, an amount which
invested at per cent would yield $4,-
900 a year. To one who could not al
ways afford an Italian breakfast of
coffee and rolls this was wealth in
deed. Markham expected-at least
hoped-that the possessor would throw
her arms around his neck and saw