Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1921-02-10
v. THE PORTRAIT AGAIN.

Mrs. Trowbridge had arranged to
take over the Southampton cottage of
a friend who was going abroad.
Priscilla, preoccupied with persona" in
t%erests, her unhappiness and the work
that seemed its only antidote, was
careless whittier they went for the
summer, or when, or how, so long as
the change were not permitted to him
der her painting, and asked only to be
let alone till she finished her two latest
canvases.
Twice she begged for postpone
ments, which were grudgingly conced-
ed, and ultimately. badgered beyond
endurance by her aunt's insistence
that she name a definite day when she
would be willing to go, fatty declared
she wouldn't bulge a foot out of
town before she had at least COM
pleted the portrait of Ada Meyer.
Mrs. T~rowbridge heard the accent Of
finality and gave in at discretion-but
with pursed lips.
FOsdick, observing Priscilla in a
tlllCSluiu tupdCllS, IOlCClISu INC NOll-
quest of his admiration as a sports
man: the girl was putting up the gam
est fight conceivable, against crushing
odds.
The physician in him saw with sat
iSfaCtiOn the seemingly successful
working out of his prescribed regime.
Even the sedative which, by his order,
Priscilla took every night On going to
bed, was doing its work without any
apparent i'll effect: to the contrary,
indeed, SINCE her dreams no longer
distressed the girl. Still, it would be
Over-sanguine to consider the case
already closed with a cure.
And the lover remained in suspense,
hoping against hope with an uneasy
heart o.. .,.. .
Andrews turned up no trace of Lee
Onora after her departure from the
Walpole in company with Mario. If
those two had married. they had man.
aged the business with the utmost
circumspection and secrecy.
He reported no progress in his
search for traces of Mother O'More'
assuming that such a person had
ever existed.
There came at length a day Of re-
taxing heat, when everything went
wrong.
Ada Meyer showed up in the morn
ing only to announce that, much as
she adored her portrait, she hadn't
the slightest intention of going on
with the sittings or, for that matter,
of stopping on in town another day
in such weather. If Priscilla wanted
to finish the portrait she would have
to bring it down to the Meyer country
home. and work ON it there. This be-
ing manifestly unreasonable-Ada
knew quite well it would be impossi-
BILE to duplicate the lighting of the
Studio-Priscilla felt constrained to
point out candidly how selfish Ada
was. And they bickered until they
parted, each 'huffed to the verge of
tears.
Priscilla consoled herself, she had
shopping to do. .
The shops were crowded, the sales
people irritable and Irritating. She
found nothing that suited her. Be
tween three and four she gave up
trying and, thoroughly out of humor,
started to walk home up the avenue.
In front of the Hardness gallery a
little knot of people had collected,
creating an eddy in the tides Of foot
traffic. Priscilla hesitated, then with
uuickening pulses added herself to the
group before the show window, work
ing her way into it's heart, where she
obtained an unobstructed view of her
work.
For it was true, what she had sur.
missed: Hardness had already put the
portrait of LeonOra on exhibition
And already it was attracting a con.
spicuous amount Of attention.
Enchanted, Priscilla stood before
her painting with eyes that shone
and cheeks aglow, an exquisite emo.
ton yelling in her bosom.
Near by a man spoke In the Ian
guage of the studios, praising the por.
trait to a companion. And Priscilla
heard and was exalted.
When she dared trust herself to dc
so, she looked around cautiously, seek
ing to identify that kindly critic whose
appreciation was so much the more
acceptable because he spoke with the
tongue of understanding.
A small chuckle was struggling in
her throat. She could not help won.
dering what the man would think
could he know how dangerously neal
he was to being publicly kissed by a
But the chuckle expired in a stran-
gled gasp. The dancing eyes stead.
led to a fixed stare. The color in her
cheeks ebbed more swiftly than 1t had
come.
She began to wonder If her heart
would ever beat again, If she would
ever find strength to move from that
spot where terror had transixed her
Her veering glance had been arrest.
ed almost as SOC as detached from
the portrait by the sardonic and in