The Monmouth inquirer., 1925-04-23

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scarcely know how rare such a face
is. We artists hunt for that sort and
it isn't often we are fortunate enough
to find it The professional models
never have it-and that is why ] have
been so bold as to stop right here now
that l have SO perfect q face, and ASK
you tt let me borrow her and try
to put It on canvas. / will give you
all sorts Of references, If you wish
them"-t the young man smiled.
He was indeed quite a famous
artist, son of a still more famous
painter. He had studied in Rome and
Florence and Paris, and some Of his
pictures hung In splendid palaces.
even though he was still young. So
he smiled when he thought that his
name would mean nothing at all to
Mrs. Gray, and that he would have
to furnish a certificate of good char
acter, like any ordinary servant. But
Mrs. Gray, was thinking fast.
"Good-by, fairy princess he called
after the little girl, who watched him
go down the street with that curious,
wistful look in her eyes. Some day
people will be wondering if there ever
was a truly little girl with fairy eyes.
Good-by."
Mrs. Tompkins returned in a few
days afterward, and the event was
celebrated by a dainty tea party in
the sunny library. at which the
duchess played hostess and the
Princess Bee and the Queen Mother
were the guests of honor. Mrs. Gray
had donned her n pretty dress-a
sprigged muslin which Trudie thought
the most wonderful creation for a
Queen Mother, and Trudie looked
quite grand and fine in a now pique
frock.
You may be sure 1t wasn't long
before Mrs. Tompkins had heard all
about the strange request of the
strange young man to borrow the
Princess Bee. Then Mrs. Gray hand
ed over the card which the mar had
given her.
~.Gerald Howe" repeated Mrs.
Tompkins. Are you quite sure you
have it, right?"
Mrs. Tompkins was vastly excited.
%Why, everybody knows the Howe
family-they are all painters, father
and mother and son, and they are
famous. Gerald HoweEdo you happen
to know he has been hung in the
Paris Salon?"
Mercy" cried Mrs. Gray and
Trudie's eyes filled with horror.
Her nice young man hung-anywhere
at all.
why, what's the matter? Oh, to
! be sure-well, If a painter gets his
picture selected to hang in ths Salon,
you may be sure he Is all right, that
he has arrived, as the boys say. So
Gerald Howe wants to paint my little
princess girl? 1 wonder whyf"
HE said my eyes were cdd," an
nounced Trudie.
"He said," Mrs. Gray took up the
tale, that they looked as if she was
hearing music inside her head, or that
fairy stories were telling themselves"
Mrs. Gray really did not know what
the artist meant when he had said
that. But Mrs. Tompkins did. She
laughed gaily and clapped her hands.
So it was arranged. and one bright
day Mrs. Tompkins ordered her auto
mobile to come and take them away
to the Howe studio. Mrs. Gray had
washed Trudie's face until it shone.
combed her bright curls and plaster
ed them fiat and neat, and dressed
her in her stif pique.s Mrs. Tompkins
had shook her head and said she was
afraid their artist would not rec
ognize the little fairy girl.
Such an afternoon! The studio
was a wonderful place 20 the Princess
Bee and her mother. and Mrs. Temp
kins spent a great deal of time
standing before great canvases, with
out frames, and talking to the young
artist. He had welcomed them
cheerily and had had a nice cup OF
tea for the ladies and q big glass of
milk for the Princess, along with the
most wonderful little cakes, all iced
beautifully. But he shook his head
over the clean dress. the neat curls
and the shining face.
Il think" he said. that I'll have
to stroll down the street where the
Princess lives some day when she's
not receiving guests, and try to catch
her with a tumbled halo Of gold round
her little flower face and with a dirty
bingham dress on and wishing for a
friend"
If it hadn't been for Mrs. Tompkins,
/ fancy the picture would never have
been painted. But, with a great deal
of arrangement and fussing and many
surprises, it was; finally accomplished,
and when Trudie was at last allowed
to look at the picture. she saw a
rather untidy little maiden with
rumpled hair. sitting on the sill Of q
little half window. She couldn't see
anything odd about the eyes-they
were big and blue, but when the
Duchess looked at 1t she actually cried
and by and by she said softly: