Show v NELLIES LOVE AZ an artist araj gat stor ap sy illy wm burnella he stared into the fire and wondered why y he be had been born bom years ago be blud the ty which had repelled irked the 8 of we friends friend 8 there had lurked a dream would rs falat one oae day the world resound avith alth praise of him as a painter faint T la latr lat r when IL a picture re of his judges gained tho the favor of the academy emy fand critic filled a line by speaking kang of J cilip P feldes work as of really good od things sa to com come the dream seemed to evolve toward materialization soon however he discovered that he had overestimated the importance of I 1 these things this was four years after ile he had two to liny dingy rooms in an up town g during those thoo g buur years rs belde endeavored deavo red t to couo I 1 up his success nobody this bow koufi td buy or 0 ex babit his ditl Ii p 11 tl 1 because 1 he kicks hul d 1 I bortulic for N fl d ired live 1 lo 10 bo i old acl nm masters for a aou a ou lell N M genud 11 dc aler till the fraud and tle iu fijn I 1 disgusted di suit lan him chun N 11 ile he turl qz illi to the work of his lve l ve 1 I vilich us N altogether too ambitions to ix be eno ful it lad had taken him I 1 i till now to nize tho the futility of f ills attempts to fik f ik w with ith the four or li tive e noted artist or the da day without patiently climbing t ta ladder rung by ring n ipa HO he called himself a stupid ass and the agi ne rf a fault ting t bai ing hilf half way to tc reford ref orn 1 ide forthwith forth wit nith ll 11 gre grew saner ho he i ld d aside a large larg half anish M scene and ana applied himself to an unpretentious one gigure which because he could not sell he mersed the curses ceased when ohen he recalled to mind the model whom the dellic picture deture represented for he respected nellie Dw daining ining she was his only comforter oom forter ter she always encouraged by bv worda of pi aise when most he needed them and that with no sordid object for she had refused employment in quarters where payment was larger fand prompter in order to pose for keldo kelda HP he did T tot rot ot understand stand why I 1 lind man that he be wi he was exit ex tai in nellie as usual c ca this particular morning he had teen working moodily brooding with pu puckered ruck ered brow over his professional profess iona ron success when a heavy hollow hollos thud in the letter box was followed almost immediately by the entrance ot of arte janitor with a bulky bilky brown paper A moment later he be was smiting smiling ghastly at the rejected black whito white work which was the form of art that kept the pot warm for him I 1 your work which I 1 have been sorry sam to aee ee of late is I 1 regret to say quite below our standard this month the accompanying note explained e bained a note from the managing editor r ot 67 a popular magazine for which he be had made severa several acceptable designs so go even his bread and butter threatened th reat I 1 to cease it was especially awkward just now when the identical janitor who had brought in ID the letter had that very morning momin gr brought him for the chiri time a bill for back rent belde throw threw the drawings aside and placed himself in the armchair arm chair his hi throat seemed to grow dry suddenly and his amples to throb with a dull ache all AH inclination to work was waa gone gon he plunged into a tit fit of mental dissipation what was the use of living if he could not sustain life by the art he loved so well bad enough it had been for years yeara uri living ng from hand to mouth but now he cast a rueful glance at the returned drawings even this scant privilege was to be denied him almost involuntarily he counted the 1 1 tittle little money he had seventeen cents the prospect loomed blankly before him for the next ten minutes he be attacked the question of whether life was worth living and then it bad not an aff affirmative amative rma tive leg ie to stand on 11 ho e reached out to his tobacco jar aej an 4 found it empty the immediate investment rest ment of ten cents in tob tobacco acco although it showed that he had money to burn bum alo nl o showed that his education in domestic domes tic economy had been sadly neglected A As he be was silently smoking giviner full latitude to his depressing recollection recollections ions S there was a kuock knock at hit his door doar nellie daining Dw D ining the model walked in she smiled till he faced her with his look of gloom then she inquired the cause with willi her eyes more infernal disappointment nel uc le L e he said there was a familiarity between them that C comprised the use of garis anns him to tres van names and permitted what has happened ahe asked oh ob merely that the editors are informing me that t I 1 am a human sua human superfluity explain yourself my dear fellow flaven you under understood 7 he be inquired almost piteously how could I 1 ia T well what hat I 1 have said is the logical deduction of my life the last incident ot dy which is recorded in cold ink tit rt your feet the model picked up op the drawings apt bra t ili bah baar she he exclaimed with a fine J i B corn 6 cant you see aee that hes quite right about your work where the tragedy lies i 1 I wn can he replied if I 1 thought the draw aings enss good I 1 should treat rejection as merely a difre difference rence of taste or a symptom of the editor 8 61 sluggish liver but I 1 know my work ork Is bad and that 1 I cant esa do better 1 she exclaimed following oh you idiot idiots up the mood she s he evinced by the tapping of ner her foot you talk of 1091 logi 1 my dear girl debue w eions all the same why here bere ohl its if s save been supporting yourself for have you and now because drawing irp arg by idiotic carelessness you yon your get jetam them sent back on once ce you give way there well infuriated model wor ds ws failed silence the for a short timea there wats contemplated belde which assy darlng the scarcely designs v al and nellie hearth heartline rag on the WO rn keenly H E ladled his gloomy iam S even more sae read there only face anly intuitively ysrreal yS the ereal real despair wi within abin 1611 his too I 1 and it made her sad and beara SUU SM wem belde eyes bad time to 4 ad ct rhe 1 I lwft JW ber ekr t T a no 1 I 1 1 I 1 I 1 1 1 ar eyes to the time of her fluttering heart she broke the silence carelessly your queer behavior quite put yut out of mind until now the good news I 1 have bave for you good news a novelty anyhow what is it ive found a purchaser for that she indicated with a posture gesture a small portrait of herself which looked at them from the wall feldes eyebrows climbed toward his hair A purchaser he murmured in surprise yes she replied 1 I met an old friend yesterday he admired me once her eyes sought the floor and still does evidently for he wants a portrait of me I 1 told him I 1 knew of one for sale and he agreed to buy it if it satisfied him new by jove nellie what splendid news s appreciation at bast la you have taken a ton off m mv mind but I 1 forgot the condition if it sati tied hirn him his manner blight bellit for a moment suggested shadows a ni ain it will satisfy him you need have no fear 1 I wish I 1 could be a sanguine as you nellie but I 1 have had so many rebuffs rebuff but you know this 1 is one of the best things yon tou haive hi e done clono 1 I thought that of every picture until recently rec euth but I 1 fel slin w praised this one you know ii in ald have hae bought it but that the ile of unan unknown m n poi is so difficult 1 I remember lie caul 0 so o I 1 say pa ap nellie you ou hane hae cheered me ine fully half an hour nao aeo I 1 ina i a duill con n template tem tm d litin t ill ill clr ali of f life you are a deir dear pird girl and I 1 im m going to kiss he comak el 1 tin sentence uce by the action her e vs es glit glistened ened she he went out soon after taking the portrait with n ath her there was in belde now a faint reflection of his old time self for the moment he was again the bov bo brimming over with the hope of y buth and grazing gazing up toward his errand ideals that tinged tie world with gold since inee S he hid hal mixed with men the eullen clouds had ome me between his vision and the sun to obscure the brightness and to damp his ardor for years ho he lind been the most pitiable bable of mortals a man of noble inclinations emotions and alpirn aspirations eions with ever every hope of attaining Taming at his ambitions seemingly seemingly beyond lis hs reach every endt end avor J r to attain them utterly unappreciated precia ted now the incident just jus t relied rel pd together to with the praise of the dealer it recalled d wink sank immediately into his impressionable brain and forgetting the trials and rebuffs of months tn in the momentary joy he be felt a ridiculous inclination to dilute lis his happiness with tears when nellie came back with thirty dollars he did cry a little he liked the picture very much sh said and would have given more for it but that he has not the money at present oh thirty dollars is heaps more than I 1 ever expected to get et for it oh nellie I 1 feel that all the eulogies which the poets and novelists ever bestowed on woman are inadequate to you now I 1 am ready to face that rascally ca lly janitor he exclaimed I 1 in the days of success ss which came after philip belde always spoke of the sale of nellies nellie s portrait as his salvation after many weary years his name became famous and ho he was heralded into publicity by thirsting for art news and the voice bof of society which deemed it the thing to see bee his dis pictures belde felt happy at his past inability to sell the works bof of his youth for which lie he now got big checks from eager buyers bu ers accompanying Accompany ln the popular acclaim came invitations to make new friends iacong among whom he found his souls affinity finity ak avith ith the acquisition of a wife came ithe the loss of an old fri friend CD d nellie davi cwm u aing aag the model of his bad days das am and i good went away he knew not whither for a little time h he e wondered V 0 ud ered where she had bad gone then sh sha pisto PIs td I 1 out of his mind there was a certain day brooking crooking cro oking the knee to conventionality belde set albart lor for a reception at ills studio thither went weilt anany iii tn people by virtue of their eminence in letters and art others for other reasons another came evidently eiden tl uninvited lie he was a sn t ur urchin cilin who dodging U th through rugh the browd of gab babbling gabbling bling guests guest pulled K hk s coat tails the artist swung round and the visitors stared please ease sir ashes awful bad and wants to see you ou I 1 belde evil dered drew the boy out of the studio almost immediately afterward he buni edly excused excy himself and the diminutive me ul eSell enger or hailed a cab into which ti the hea 1 both oth got decker gle eker street near carmino Carml no drive fast ten minutes later by feldes watch which lie he scanned anxiously the hackman put them down before a poverty stricken house bue the boy led the waa wa land and presently a L woman came to th the door joe io she said you re a good boy for bein so quick please sir be as aa quiet as you cau can she s ery cry bad hns has she seen a doctor I 1 yes sir hes been here twice today I 1 this way ap sir belde was waa in the room alone now but bilt for the sick woman on the bed through au an opening in the blind the isun sun cast one beam which lay across the pillow he could not believe it I 1 was nellie at first her features formerly as regular as a chiseled statues were not so now ravenous consume consumption 1 had bad eaten them ta to an awful hollowness that had distorted her face she seemed asleep at first and he did not dot speak presently from her blue lips came some incoherent words belde heard but did not heed till his name was uttered then he strained ned to catch every gasped syllable he didn dian t know he know I 1 loved him and I 1 shall never teu tell him now never never he never loved me he was a gentleman they said they would send for him but e wont come he s a great artist now I 1 always said be would be he kissed me once and said I 1 was a good girl but now he has forgotten me years and 1 years yean ago A sigh came up from her heart erin gly she was very weak the artist passed his handkerchief before his eyes a huskiness bus kiness in his throat maeng breathing difficult gently ge antly hl he ate stepped aped to the bedside e and gazed OB I 1 f a g woman her eyes wem lo 10 low and her face looked as aa death 1 had kissed it but bat the e r rat at t her breast showed that it was not so she clutched to her bosom a 91 unframed portrait of hervela hera elf As be ac saw this he understood an and agony gripped tits his heart H he leaned over and kissed her forehead and a tear dropped to her cheek slowly the eyelids lifted sue she looked on his face and smiled her lips quivered but she spoke no word across her brow the sunbeam crept and lay like a braid of gold then out of her eyes there shone a 21 sweet amile am he ft a smile that would bowd last forever new york weekly |