The Natchitoches enterprise., 1920-08-19
Parents of NatchitOcheS; Par
entS Everywhere; Read the
Story of the Two
Pictures

Thing in the World, and so he bega
at once to look around for his models
however, good many years glldet
4 away and still he had not found mode
for either picture that exactly satisfied
I him, But one bright summer morning
in early June as he was taking his daily
! walk in the outskirts of CITY, ne stop
! ped to look at some little boys who
Ii were wading in the pools Of
| water that the rain had left the pre-
ceeding night. All at once something
within him stirred Gt may have been
l that sixth sense that some call SeHius)
even before his trained eye or his con-
scious mind could grasp the fact, he
knew that he had found a model for his
first picture, for wading long with
the other boys, his diminutive trousers
held up as far as possible, was the
most beautiful and perfect specimen of
bOyhood that ever the artist dreamed
Of. His lovely little body was to the
artists eye like strain of celestial
music would be to the ears Of musi-
clan. Every feetirg expression of the
lovely, fair face caused exquisite thrills
/ of rapture in The artists breast. Long
he stood and watched the child playing
] with his companions but not one fault
Il
+! the clustering curls that overshadoWed
| the broad, white brow to the tiny arch
ed insteps the child was what the artist
thought t! e Creator must have intended
a child t. be Ugllness and ralforma-
ton to our artist was sin, somewhere,
somehow. After he had gaZCd his fill.
he went up to the little lad and asked
where lie lived and wcuI he lead him
there. His heart beat faster VIXEN he
saw tint like in the head of a white
rose creep into the child's face at being
noticed by stranger His voice and
look as he answered the artists ques-
tiOns were in accord with all his sweet
personality. They soon arrived at the
chlid's home and were met at the door
by his mother, a woman with handsome
features, spoiled by bitter expression.
The artist civilly removed his hat in
addressing the woman and asked her if
she could bring or send her little son to
his studio, as he wanted him to serve
for model. After little hesitation
she agreed to bring the child, but the
artist was struck with the ungracious-
ness of her manner, although he had
| offered to pay her for her time and |
trouble. The next day he began his
picture aid had no more trouble than |
he had anticipated from his model, but /
he was surprised and grieved to find |
out that any little reproof he gave the
child for sucking IN his lips, moving
around or any other little childish ways
highly imcensed his mother: she could
not bear that he be rebuked ever so
slightly and the artist saw with deep
regret that she was simply spelling the
child, tho he seemed co have naturally
o,~I f,oo III
the picture was completed it exceeded
little lad up to see it better when the
would be well to say few kind words
of advice. John" said he, for that
was the child's name, that is the pic
tu,c of good little boy whom hope
and trust will grow up to be good and
use full man, be kind and helpful and
"and get despised and robbed for your
trouble, broke in the woman Come
on, John. we are not paid to listen to
that old stuff from unknown daubers." 4
The finishing touches were put on z
the canvass and then put on exhbi- Z
ton. If our artist had been unknown
before, he soon became famous. The
pic cture was masterpiece.
Years flew away and the artist o; int
ed many other pictures, but never for
got his intention of painting 1.-The
Ugllest Thing in the World but some
how, tho he saw many hideous and re- r.
pulsivc faces and, things he could not
find model that exactly suited him.
The years still sped On and the artists
head was quite glay now and the grace
less scuffie of an old man haI replaced
thc elastic step with which he had
tread the outskirts of that little city on
that far off June morning. 81 must
hurry and find my model" he often
told himself, for Shadows of the even
ing steal across the sky" He travelled
much and in the course OF his wander
ngs came back to the same CITY in
which he had painted his first picture.
While there he visited the morgue and
stretched on the boards was the drench-
ID body Of one of the city's scarlet =
women who had in despair thrown her -
self into the river the night before.
The blush, livid lips were apart and
he sigltless glazed eyes were wide
,pen. Surely it should be here" the
artist unused sadly, but still the spirit
within him did not stir. To the artists N
Eye did some plea for pardon linger on Fl
hose livid lips? He turned away and N
slowly walked off to the city's prison,
IS was his want, and talked to the in r,
mates there. He was about to leave n
When he heard scuffle and turning he a
aw two officers bringing in a prisoner III
who is it?'' he asked man who was
tanding near, for queer feeling came
ver him at the first sight of the pris- 81
ner's face. II don know his name, " OF
eplied the man, "but he has been ar II
ested for most atrocious and cold Sa
Hooded murder. 'I'Il go and ask
i'm his name,' thought the artist
1ho seemed to be under a kind of hyp
otto spell, and walking up to the man, 81
1uch to the officers surprise, he put LII
he question. Even the hardened Off
ers covered their eyes and turned NJ
side at the horrid and obscene curses ~, Y.
hat came from the mans lips at the :,
rtist's question; his face turned purple ..
nd the stoutest heart would have !.
uailed before the deep malediction of :.
1ose red-rimmed eyes, but just for one
loment did the man in the artist turn
side, then the genius in him looked
luarely into the raging features of the
risoner and a keen observer might
ave seen that the fingers of his right n,
and seemed to grasp an imaginary :"
rush. Curiously the officers looked at 8.
le artists thin, black. chi figure and
,e gray hair and worn face, then one
linked at the other anu tapped his nu'
'rehead significantly as the artist raj
lrned away. His head was bowed ant
I'd he seemed far older man than
hen he had entered there an hour be-