Evening star., 1934-08-19

N
Hu NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. was it? Her
letters here somewhere" She rum
mayed in her desk, tossing over a mass
of papers Now wonder what did
with it!'
Rosemary Carter lay back in her chair.
Heaven knew where the letter might be in the
big untidy studio. Hester was careless OF all
her belongings-except her paint box-and now
she stood helplessly in the middle of the room,
rumpling up her hair.
"She doesn't look like an artist" Rosemary
thought. "She's terribly undistinguished look
ing And yet no one would take her for Just
one more middle-aged spinster.- She looks Gre
ative It's her eyes-you can tell by them why
her miniatures aren't q bit like the usual pink
and-white valentine stuff"
..Oh, yes," Hester said suddenly. I'm that
box" She crossed the room under the pale
square of skylight "Yes, here it is. From
Paris-the Hotel Robelin.
"She has heard so much about my work and
wonders If would undertake a rather unusual
commission. She'll explain it when she sees
me-she lands the Sd, and may she come in
on the afternoon of the 4th This is the
4th, isn't tiff this is not convenient-and
SO on Most sincerely, Charlotte Folsom.
knew it was that kind Of name
She broke off, There's my bell. I wish
you'd stay but suppose that Charlotte Fol-
som wants to see me alone. You don't mind.
do you?"
"Of course not. I'll fly" Rosemary slipped
out of her chair and into her furs She was a
lovely child Ever since Hester had painted her
q year before, they had been great friends. Hes
ter watched her. wondering If she had ever
quite got that fiower-ike tilt of her head. She
must paint her again some time.
Tell me what the unusual commission Is,
Rosemary was saying. "You always run into
such dramas, darling. Good-by, and thanks
for tea"
A MOMENT later Hester opened the door
n and greeted TALL rather large woman in
a plain dark blue suit. She might be As, but
her round face looked younger. Her blue eyes
were childish and little frightened
She was evidently very shy, yet she was not
in the least nervous or fiuttery. Only her gray
gloved hands, clasped tightly on purse. be-
tayed her tension.
"Cold-roast Boston," thought Hester. "A
ncvoted, old-maid daughter. oh, dear!"
They talked about France, where Miss Fol-
som had been spending the Summer and Au-
tumn with her mother. It took her longer
than most people to be put at ease But at
last she set down her tea cup and leaned for
ward.
I'm taking too much of your time. Miss
North, and know you're busy person. I
wrote you that wanted you to do rather
unusual thing for me-"
do you-do people ever want-I mean, have
you ever painted a miniature from a photo
graph?"
"oh, yes don't do it often, but I've painted
several"
But have you ever done it without seeing
the person at alp"
"Once or twice. One of my last portraits
was of boy I'd never seen. He was dead, and
his mother and I worked it out from some
photographs. Have you picture?"
YES" said Miss Folsom. But she isn't
dead"
There was a curious flatness in her tone. She
opened her purse and took out a photograph
It was a picture of girl in an evening dress
of the period of the early nineteen hundreds
Her bare neck and shoulders rose from a mass
of pale tulle, and one narrow hand was placed
at her breast where white rose was half
hidden in folds of lace. Her dark hair, done
in pompadour, shadowed small, pointed face
with wide dark eyes, delicate nose, and
dropping mouth.
about her that struck Hester strangely. 1t was
an unhappy little face-more than unhappy,
she thought, as she studied it.
Shes very lovely" said Hester. "And what
beautiful dressl How long ago was this
taken?"
More than 20 years ago. She doesn't look
Nike that now"
what does she look like?"
"She-she's an invalid. She's changed very
much I'd like you to paint her as she was"
II see," said Hester. You don't want to con-
fuse me. But If you know her well you can
help me. and tell me whether or not I'm getting
O. likeness"
1--WE known her since we were children Her
husband, too. The miniature is for him"
"Ohl Then perhaps he'd like to see it as it
goes along He might help me-"
NO. said Miss Folsom with surprising
He doesn't know anything about it, sudden,
Oainflll flush swept over her round face "I