, 1921-06-02
Ole
Man
oo
By MARIE BELDEN JAMES
Copyright

dulled his dark eyes nor silvered his
dark hair nor bent his broad shout
ders.
He had watched the world for sew
enty years, and he knew it so well
that he was not afraid to love it.
Karl Kraft, the art critic was one
of the many to whom Marshall
Shane's word was law and light.
He walked into Shane's study one
warm. late May afternoon.
"A strange thing, sir" he said; sit
ting down by the table and gazing out
of the window at the fading sunlight
"a very strange thing"
Marshall Shane looked at him keen
ly.
You're in trouble" he said.
"Wen, not exactly" returned Kraft.
1--WE been through Il strange expert
ence, but if it really was the way 1t
seemed 1t was worth the price l paid
for It,"
"A large price?" inquired Shane.
"Rather-as the world considers
things"
That's good. Let's hear about it,"
So Kraft let him hear.
81 went to the bank this morning to
cash my check for that series of ar
ticles l did for Kaleidoscope. The
teller gave me eight northumberland
lar bills-there were eight articles,
you know-and / put them into my
vest pocket and went put. l started
to walk home, and l had gone some
distance before | noticed that IA man
was following me.
"When l did discover it l looked
around at him, and l saw hat he was
q %haggard. weary-looking man.
81 didn't pay much attention to
him, even though I was carrying eight
hundred. for l didn't think it would be
easy to hold up a man on Counter
street in the middle of the morning.
81 turned sround and faced him
sharply. but it did not seem to abash
him in the least.
"'You are Krsft?' he said. 1t was
more like a simple statement than a
question. and / told him he was right.
~ have the impertinence,' he said.
to ask you to look at a picture
MY terms are very high and in ad-
vance l answered, briefly enough, for
l thought If he were trying to put up
some game on me that would settle
him.
az have only 1--WE dollars he said
calmly. But you're welcome to that
here and now II you'1l look at my pie
ture.'
"'Where's your studio?' 1 asked
him.
HE pointed to the Lefevre, and
that decided me.
The elevator took us up-up-
higher than'd ever been before, to the
very top floor, and when we got out
the room he conducted me to was the
smallest N poorest in the building.
There was wasn't much of anything
in it-a couch, some canvases I'M
paintboxes, and on an easel a picture
covered with a cloth.
About six feet in front of the easel
an imitation Persian rug was spread
on the floor. and to this he escorted
me. He wanted me to sit on 1t.
81 haven't a chair he said and
you get just the right light on the
picture from here. I've studied for
days the placing Of the rug, waiting
for the time when you would come to
see my picture.
Then he went softly over to the
picture and took the cloth off 1t. He
must have stepped back out of my
sight then, for | remember no more of
him"
But the picture !"
mir. Shane, that was Il picture-a
wonderful one.
The second my eyes fell on IL It
s%natched my .mind from everything
else by its wonderful brightness-grent
masses of reds-scarlets and crimson
and garnets So dazzling and binding
that 1t vas II little time before | saw
the face In the center of them. But
when l did come to that clear, white
face, everything softened and blurred.
when, hnlf-unconsciorsly. | wan
dered back to that mass of reds they
were softer and clearer and | saw
what they were-A great bed OF heavy.
nodding poppies browsing In II sleepy
breeze that rocked them. and among
them n dellcate-fnced girl with great.
dark eyes gently falling asleep. As |
watched, her eyelids seemed to d.oop
II more. her eyes to grow
more and more dreamy.
Il woke up peacefully and gazed
around me dreamIly. as have walked
and gnzed n hundred times In my ham
mock ut Heathrade on one of our long.
%rapturous July days.
But when my eyes reached the easel
~ was like a cold shock of water In
the face. The picture was gone.
THE canvas had been cut-hacked.
the ragged edges seemed to say-from
the frame. An ugly hole like a gaping
wound confronted me.
Il stood up suddenly.
81 felt cramped and uncomfortable,