The Petal paper. [volume] (Petal, Miss.) 1953-19??, 1956-09-27

once upon time a great church was being
built in certain city and there was need for one
beautiful stained glass window to go in certain
conspicuous wall The committee in charge felt
that it would be wise to have artists from all over
| the world submit designs for this window, so
they insued general notice about their require
ments, and set date when all sketches would be
due Many famous painters entered drawings in
the contest, but the design which all the
committee agreed unanimously made by an
artist OF unknown name and fame. The committee
wrote to him enthusiastically that they could not
imagine any design that would better fill their
requirements for the Church of the Redeemer than
this sketch entitled, 'The Place Where The Young
Child Lay. 1t exactly what they wanted
so they commissioned him forthwith to go ahead
with the work, the details of which they entrusted
to him. warning him to have all in readiness for
the dedication of the church on Christmas Eve
The unknown artist was naturally very much
elated at the fine opportunity to win fame and
money, and also he in it a chance to work
out certain grudge which he had against all
mankind - grudge so deep and bitter that he
thought of it day and night, and kept himself Sc
cluded in his attic studio rather than try to mix
with the people he hated So he took the sketch
which the committee approved so enthusiastically,
and he made certain little changes here and there
with almost wicked delight, then he called in his
wife and baby so that they could pose for the en-
larged painting which he must make.
Now it happened that his wife had been hang
ing out the family washing and she came in wear
ing shawl over her head and carrying the baby
IN the clothes basket. After she put down the
basket, she leaned over it, then, looking up said
gently, Ssh! the baby is asleep, If pick him up
, he will awaken and cry ~
Don't pick him up" cried the artist, "stay
just you are; that pose is perfect! Imagine that
the clothes basket is manger, that you are Mary
the mother of Jesus, and you have leaned over to
see If he is sleeping, but you look up because
you near the approach of someone. Someone out
slde on camelS! The wise men way up there
at the top OF the canvas, see! shall paint the
that came and stood over the place where the
young child lay stay perfectly still, dear .
| So the artists wife kept her pose that he
thought was perfect, and with quick sure
strokes, he painted her she knelt there And il
was far lovller picture than he had planned to
make it, because in the heart of his wife there
was of the bitter grudge that was in his
heart. For when she looked down at her sleeping
child, great peace stole over her, and when she
glanced up at her husband painting so rapidly and
eagerly, great contentment stole over her that
\ and
| the fame he deserved was to come to him.
Then. too as she knelt there in that quiet room
| she began to realize who it was that she repre-
sented - Mary, the mother of Jesus = the mother
of the Saviour. All what wonderful thing ia
feel that in the life of your own sleeping child the
hopes of the world conferred! She fell to wishing
that her little sleeping baby could grow up with
the hands that would bless all mankind, with lips
at fbnco in
tours lips have always comforted the sorrowing
Even she brooded the wonder of childhood
| and determined to train her boy in every Christ
| like attitude, there came her sweet tired
face peace and beauty that quite different
from any look that had ever been before. And
the artist gasped with surprise catching the rare
charm of her expression and painaing her in hush
led delight.
Yet all the time underneath the delight the
same old bitter hatred for mankind was working
and he kept saying to himself with fiendsh glee
THE lovler l make tbs picture the better can
pay them back for all those years of hate and in
justice So with one half of his soul he loved his
wife who was so unexpectedly contributing to
his picture, while the other half of his soul was
stepped in unworthy mirth at the awful sensation
he was going to create in that distant Church on
| Christmas Eve.
Day after day the pose continued until finally
the masterpiece was done, ready for the stained
| glass window factory workers; and here his diff.
ficuly lay, for if they discovered his secret every
thing would be spoiled. But he thought of plan
a clever secret plan that could not help but work
out as he wished The week before Christmas the
various parts of the window arrived in that distant
city where the new Church of the Redeemer was
already completed. Trained workers began as
sembling the bits of glass and putting them in
place when strange oversight bewildered them
Il neither face nor arms of the Madonna and
Child could be found high or low The workmen
we're nearly frantic until the artist arrived and
,almed their fears by saying that he had brought
| he missing parts of the window with him. that
It was whim of his to put in the faces and arms
himself after all the rest of the window was ready
"Just sentiment of mine,' he assured them And
when they discovered that he had mastered the
correct process of fastening the extra pieces Of
glass in place. it was only natural that they agreed
to his request So late in the afternoon of Decem-
Der the twenty fourth the artist went for the first