Show rt t r r 1 Daily Short I Fiction Story THE EYES OF PER PERSIS SIS By IZOLA FORRESTER Copyright 1914 b tIre by bj McClure N New aws- aws paper Syndicate Do you ou mind very elY much 1 If I como iu f In n Holt Bolt sat up He lie had lead been sound asleep i on the couch ever since Ince dinner It It had K been a good dinner too fresh caught f rainbow trout from the mountain brook that rambled just below tho the cabin Tho ho robin cabin Itself was most untidy Walt had boon been gone tour four days His easel stilt still stood before th the north window with a halt finished oil all on It of or the thc crag cra backed backell up ut against one one on of or Walts Walt's I best amethystine sunsets Canvases ses stood against the wall Paint tubes and watercolor watercolor waters water- water color boxes boxe s lay lalo carelessly about And s J the dinner dishes lay lav unwashed on the 1 table It was vas no time for callers and J 1 yet et the shadow of or one lay Jay on the threshold tresI thres tres- h I hold of or this sanctum of or bachelor r hermits and the shadow J was feminine I I I do hope wore were not disturbing dIsturbIng- you a This time the tone seemed tinged with Ii regret r Oh not at all not at all called r Holt blindly Como Come right In J r He stood up hitching at his belt and I rr then ho ha smiled For the girl standing there In the patch of oC afternoon sunlight i was the same girl he had seen in the thc automobile that morning when he had gathered In his rainbow trophies from the brook He lie had caught the humming of the th motor and turned but but- not In time Ume timeto to see her face tace only onh her head and trio the thoI I back of oC it at that but It had been do- do void of at any covering and the wind was playing playing- recklessly h with a n mass of or fluffy tawny hair ball He called it tawny tawn himself Raw Haw gold It seemed tawny like some mountain lioness Now low ho bo saw that her herI eyes were brown and he approved the I contrast Weve Wc climbed all the way up from rom the hotel just to see your our pictures Mr u Meredith sho she smiled at him frankly I holding out her hand I suppose you ou j i arc bothered terribly with climbers but butI I had to come I am Owen and andI I love 10 your our wonderful pictures of ot the mountains Holt took the hand and bowed over It Walt Valt was cas on his wa way to Chicago for foran fort t an exhibition Walt all was a a. bear with women omen anyhow Never Ne would ho have have- known how to handle handl this situation The Rods gods were were vere In a smiling mood and barefacedly bare bare- Holt took advantage ad of oC It itlie He lie showed all the canvases and discoursed dis coursed on them Ho found the tho wear weary little tUo old aunt out under the big big- pine and 1 chatted with her until she ghe beamed on on- j him H Ho He dug IuS' out some tea and Persis helped make it Lastly he walked down downto I to the the hotel with them In the cool of oC the late afternoon and made several e ap ap- No o he was vas as not so busy then he ho assured them In fact tact he ho had finished nearly all nil of or his paintings for tor forthe forthe the time being Poor old Walt grand old old Walt ho be said raid to himself going back up the trail fame Its a shame to steal your our but I had to do It J If I had fe ed up and told her that I was plain Holt Holl Chambers Chambers Chambers Cham Cham- bers law attorney Chicago Ill she would have turned and pone gone back down the trail Haven't I stayed patiently up In this heaven forsaken place acting as general encourager of ot erratic genius for two solid months Isn't there any anything thIns coming to mo me Shell She'll probably only sta stay a week and by m my faith faiths sho Is the sweetest sweetest lady Jady mine ino eyes ees have looked on He leaned back his head and laughed drawing dr deep breaths of the mountain air all It was a joke on old Walt Wait taking the tho homage for his daubs daub He lie hoped the Joke would WOllI not turn around the other wa way The eyes of Persis were full of ot faith I So for two weeks he was ag the hermit artist of ot mountain Persis and her aunt came often orten sometimes Inthe in inthe inthe I the car sometimes on foot And it seemed to Holt that lie Jie was ns watching tho thoI unfolding of ot a flower llo r. r Slender vivid I full of oC rare changing moods she sho shaped herself Into the girl or of his of-his his dreams and he knew he loved her Then came a n. ray any when she brought up her father to see him old Hobart Owen and and- his paintings old paintings who had made his money out of or a a new kink In breakfast foods roods Before his shrewd twinkling eyes ees Holt felt his first qualms I 1 want to have a talk with you the theold theold theold old man sal said 1 later as ns they strolled up tho the trail together tog Im a a. blunt man and find the shortest way around Is straight through the middle You are In Inlove Inlove Inlove love with my girl arent aren't you rou Yes Fes sir Holts Bolts face was a a. bit white under the tanI tan r I know you ou haven't told her so o yet et and I like you ou for it Now the fact Is this I dont don't want hor her tied up to any an artist I know the game gane Some win out Most of ot them fall down She will have plenty of money herself but I want her married to a sensible young oun business chap that knows his way 8 around in the tho world and can look after her Im I'm mighty sorry to have hav to tell you ou this er I er-I I didn't catch your name lad My I names name's Holt Chambers said Holt Halt huskily backing ln up against a bIg bis pine Ive 1 been several kinds of an Idiot but I think I can see light Anho Anyhow Anyhow Any Any- how ho here goes oes Im I'm Walt Meredith's Merediths friend fried and closest chum Ho He asked me up here bere to share his cabin while he got out some special studies Hes He's in Chicago Chicago Chi Chi- cago o now arranging for his fall tion And hes he's about forty years old I Iam Iam Iam am twenty eight Heres Here's my card Im I'm Ima a attorney for the Illinois Southern railway rail raU- railway wa way and I 1 never handled a a. paint brush In my mv life Slowly a smile dawned on Owens Owen's face He shifted shined his cigar to the left lert corner of his mouth and p put t out his hand If you ou can clear It t up with Persis as easily as you have with me you ou can go and talk to her Ill I'll keep on em up the trail a a. wa ways J Holt turned and went back to the cab- cab In Persis was waa nowhere In sight He stepped to the door and found her sitting sitting sitting sit sit- ting before the oil study of or her hands hand clasped behind her head dream dream- II ily At sight of or his face faco she guessed In IntuItive Intuitively intuitively In- In at trouble He stood near loaning loanIng loan loan- Ing one ono elbow on tho high rock fireplace How soon you ou came camo back Where Is dad Z He lie wont won't be back for a a. few min min- utes He lie sent mo me to you Do you like lIko that stuff Almost plaintively he asked the the- question Its wonderful she sho said In almost a whisper I could sit here and look at It for hours Look at m mo me instead Jd Persis Oh I mean It It he ho plunged cd ahead now recklessly reck reck- lessly lessi I X never painted a stroke on canvas canvas can can- vas ORS In my life lIte Im I'm not Walt Meredith Can you ou stand any more She nodded her head her brown eyes filling with tears but a smile on her lips My 1 names name's I know knots It she said Its Holt Chambers The little bo boy who sells papers papera pa- pa pera pers down at tho the hotel told mo me Ion long ago Im I'm awfully glad you ou told dad th tho truth He likes the truth You see that first day I had no Idea wed we'd ever ocr see sec each other a again and when you said you wanted to look at the paint ings ins and you ou took me for Walt I did didn't t have have the heart heart to say I was just a plain plain ordinary r lawyer laWer Its It's different now Persis Per Per- sis Ho IIo came near her and she rose her hep face turned to meet him her eyes glowing with Ith pride and something deeper deep deep- er cr something he lie hard hardly hanily dared name to himself Persis he said sald again and held out his arms sweetheart Persis laughed unsteadily and wavered Did you OU care CAro more for old than for me he asked Ill Ill buy It for tor you ou from Walt for a a. wedding wedding- gift girt She turn turned d her back on the canvas can and held out her hands to him Art was vanquished |