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Show H m 3ffigggar.arati jji 1 1 M3 i j Artist Archer's CX v "" H 9 ZZ MARIE FRANCES m S Honesty. Y vno BJBJBJJ Vn j- -- -. H fy jj1 Nil wns Miss Kltly Carter. H '""' "' ol'1L'1' WIIM Cecilia B 6 fi Tlii'.v wore trying H -.''.. til ll.M'll til" iiso of oil col- H i-' -'' I 0M ( lo; It tiiul got so fnr In H ns Hover to say paints fur B colors), mid Kitty was seeking tn lit H CKMi tlu canvas llii' (duslvi Unlit In B till bottom III a brilSS kettle. B "Oil, dear!" murmured Kitty, "It Is BVH fit hard In find anything aliout one's BVH work that om approve of." KVH ".Matter nmv. Mademoiselle Kilty?" VH Mr. Archer liniuti'i'd, laying a line of BVH ;turrt cobalt mi the stretch of river BVH that war winding Its way upon his BVH BVH "Oh, nolliing. except that I'm llnd- lng out Ilia hnllowncss nf everything," BVH ami nun In Kitty wrinkled her pretty H forehead, arose, and walked dlsoonso- H lali'ly about I lie studio. "Which means." Mr. Archer wont BVB mi, "Hint you rnn't paint.. nnd you can't draw, nnd you wish you had the cour- BVB age tn dro.n you. Do I repeat your formula correctly?" and he paued, bis BVB bond aside, regarding nlTectloiiatel.v his own effort. "Monet himself rnuldn't do belter lima that," ho murmured. H "Mr. Archer, you're horrid!" Kltly "Who's Monet?" J "Oh, Monet I bee his pardon he's one of those French fellows. Itut don't lot me Interrupt your plaint. What Is It? Out with It. You won't get that Kettle done In time for dinner If you Kitty enst one exasperated glance KVl it her Instruelor. thou resuniod her BVl chair, nnd stroked nut desperately. KVl What her trouble was ho never know BVB from her saying, but ho knew It was BVl only that the dour child couldn't paint KVJ -she never could. Itut she was per- BVJ latently silent, her lips debt together. H Jnrlng the, rest nf the lesson. BVJ Even when Archer criticised her KVJ ivnrlc, nnd took the brush from her BBH ind fnr a moment, she only allowed BVJ I rself n scarcely perceptible tremor. B Then the room was very iiulct. BVJ Mr. Archer went to where Miss Ciroy b wns doliiR n black and while study KVJ from n Dniiateltn bust, and. as she KVJ tindn't n remote hlea of the (linVrenco BVj between a half llKht and a shadow, be BVJ tlespntrcd nf telling her. look the char KVJ coal, ami corrected the values of her BVJ libel of the KVJ 'Miss Grey was a teacher of music KVJ In nn uptown seminary. She was twen- BVj ty-olcht years old. Her eyes were BW Mnck nnd energetic, and her hair. J drawn tightly back from her forehead. BV ,waR rather gray. BVJ A slight severity nf manner .suggest- BS rd that she had known disappointment J nnd trouble, and one Involuntarily KS wondered If she hadn't ipilte a history. Thorn was also n fi rllng that Miss BV Grey would be ipilte pretty If she BVj would only allow herself. BS She found her music work nrduous. BS Bo much perfunctory ilruhhiiig of the KV piano wearied tier beyond description. KV mil she went into art as she phrased KW It more as a recreation limn for any BV other J Itut film didn't say this to Mr. Ar- BV Cher, nnd bo tried. In accordance with KV tils youthful Ideals, to convince blm- BS elf that bis pupils were working for KW the sincere love of art. and Unit uloue. BS As fnr Kitty she had been studylm: KV In the studio for nearly a year, and had worked hard. KV With ehnrcoal she had succeeded KV Inillffercntly. and In color her case was B bopeless. Hut she bail graduated from HHB college: she was the child of success- HI (ill parents; so. there being no need HHh that she should teach, she bad set HHl about the further Improving of her H At Mrst she hail conshh'red inin-h' ho played a little but finally decided HHb Upon painting as being p rhaps, a Hi fetindo morn original as a ladylike occu- HHb pntlon, nnd more adanled to her taste. HHl I''nto bad directed her stops to Mr. HHb Xrclier ns nn instructor of merit. HHl Tin bad lately returned from Paris. H r!iero lie had won a modcsl degree of 1 trod It as n painter Then, besides, he H wrns exclusive Not every dabbler K Conhl gain mlmlsvlnn tn his classes. B lie received Kiln- only after she M hnd nnsured him that her motive In B irlshlng to Btmlv nrt was tin lest and H ttnecrest: nnd that sh- was willing to B rorlc, toll, even ileprlvo herself of time H for soclnl eugagemeiitK "rder to be- B tome ut his tin nils, nl ..' n lemon, nil H B Hut Mr. Archer wns becoming ills- B cournged. t "Women cnu't paint." he said tn lilm- HBs Hit; "at least, most of Vm can't. They H Con't go at It In the rlirht spirit, ft le't nn end with them. They do draw- fl Inp Instead of tatting. I can't stand HB. this any longer I feel so beastly hvpo- H tfltlcnll" and he tousled hln'yelloy: H I balr, put his bands In his trouser.i H ockctn, nnd strode up and down the M studio. B j TIo was quite young, ipnte sueeess- Bf- fill, nnd It was Impossible to him that j Bi his lde.nl or what art mean should Mif-' V '- for at Ms handv SV llcfore the ii'( hMH' " Inid cou- HBfi I eluded to write tn MNk ,". EJ in ITn stated Hie ens- s i'"l'"ii'c! ns EX, possible, but vroic i)uu ji tvould hi KJ!, hcer Insincerity ii hU par o accept ' Ht .HBw air71 his prlco for lessons tbnt ho felt could not be of iiny material benefit to her, and hu looked to her generosity to par. don his saying ho. The result was that when Miss Kitty Carter went for her next lesson Miss Cecilia (Jrey was not there. Mr. Archer was determined, but nervous. lie. somehow, found It dlfllciilt (o deal out the truth to Kitty. Hho was bewitching In n simple Utile gown or gauzy gray, with a girdle and wide collar of violet, such as only her clear, pretty complexion could bear. Her costumes were artistic. If she was not, Mr. Archer observed to himself. She felt his half-uncniiscloiis scrutiny, scru-tiny, nnd her small ears were very pink, notwithstanding the shndow of her curls. Some wny. ho couldn't Just remember remem-ber what It wns he bad decided to say to her, until she had her palette set and wns placing her easel for n renewed re-newed elTort at n still life. Kitty herself was chatting nwny, meanwhile wondering nt Miss Grey's absence. "It Isn't nice for her in leave mo born unchaporoncd," she said, 'Though real-ly real-ly I don't mind about those petty conventionalities," con-ventionalities," nnd Kitty looked up and laughed, nsshlously palette knifing her colors to nn unrecognizable mass the while. Thou Mr. Archer's conscience smote hint afresh, nnd he Bald: "There's something I ought to speak to you nbout, Miss Kitty." Kltly turned nbout with (lie knife In midair, surprised nt his deeply serious seri-ous tone. "What Is It?" she asked, waiting. "iVo," Mr. Archer hesllnted; "tbnt Is It can wait till your lesson is over. Don't Interrup yourself now." An effort toward adjusting her canvas can-vas served to do uway with his confusion. con-fusion. After nearly nn hour of desultory dabs at the defenseless canvas Kitty gathered up her brushes, turned nbout and asked: "What Is It, Mr. Archer? Tell me, please. Is It about my work?" Mr. Archer walked up to her chair and laid a fatherly sort of hand on her' curls. "It's Just this, Miss Kitty," ho snld; "you'll never be an artist. You can paint llower bits, or do plaques or decorate dec-orate screens for your parlor, but I can't let you go on expecting to paint. I It wouldn't bo honest." lie waited a moment, then turned about and walked to the farther end of the sliullo. Kitty snt there. It seemed Incredible Incred-ible to her that It bad been for nothing noth-ing all those months she hnd worked, trying to see the mysterious "quality" that lurked In n tin pan, n dish of apples, or a group of books thrown down nt random. She sat there desperately. "You will pardon me, Miss Kitty?" Mr. Archer asked, coming back and holding out bis band to her. For a moment she wns Irresolute: then, feeling an overwhelming Impulse to cry. she arose, took her bat hastily, saying, "fiood-bye. Mr. Archer," aiid rushed from the room, her cheeks alia me. After nn hour she enme bnck, her cheeks still atlaine, but all the resolution resolu-tion of Plymouth Itoek on her pretty face. "I've come for my colors. Mr. Archer." Ar-cher." Rhe said. There was nothing unpleasant about her manner: she seined hurt, but Intense withal. She was so funny trying to be heroic, with Hint stubborn look In her eyes. Hint Mr. Archer wanted to laugh, and yet he wns conscious of a desire to comfort nnd caress her round, troubled face. While she was ricking up her colors he didn't know Just how It happenedlint hap-penedlint going up tn his Injured ills-clple ills-clple ho took her right In his arms. "Kitten." he found himself saying, "If I en n't tench you to paint, can't I tench you to love me? You might do that better much belter," and he would have kissed her, but she burled her face tight against his shoulder. lie waited a blissful little while, when suddenly Kitty pushed away from him quite out of reach, and said: "N'o. Mr. Archer you mustn't I can't. I will paint. I'm going tn Paris," she concluded precipitately, snt down, and was crying Into her handkerchief. Mr. Archer never for a moment doubled Ills ability to console her. IIo look her hands down from her face, nnd for n while reasoned some very pretty reasoning. Itut he was sururNed and nuzzled to llnd that Kllt.v refused to listen to him. It took a long time, but dually bo understood that she was determined to go on with her work. 'Til leach you all I could. Kitten," he urged. "You're wrong about this. You ousht to marry hie. Von could unlet all you chose you dear child" Hut Kitty wns so firm even to the point nf more tears-thnt he cave up trying to onvlneo h"r nf tho '" mil loving him. He even wept further than that. "I want you to believe In nn " Kltly pb ..iled. 'To have respect jur my ambltloh-for mj nrt." , i) And ho really promised that be would. In another week Kitty sailed for Paris. That same week Miss Grey remnlned away from tho studio, thinking bitterly bit-terly of whnt Mr. Archer had written her. Then sho wrote: "Dear Mr. Archer: "I npprcclnte tho candor of what you sny of my drawing, but I cannot agree with you. I know the estlmnto you put upon woman's work. You nro unfair. un-fair. I shnll provo to you Hint you am unfair. I know my capacity for work It Is great. So I shall continue to study. "Plcnse send me n lino If you have not tluio for mo hereafter. Sincerely, "CKCILIA OltKY." Mr. Archer laughed when he read this note. It amused him Immensely for n moment, hut then he said: "Poor girl, she'd better do that than nothing, I suppose," so ho laid aside his scruples scru-ples nnd wrote her a pretty little note saying Hint ho would bo glad to help her ns fnr as was possible. She painted all winter nnd Mr. Archer canio to reason with himself that If she desired happiness from the work It was Just as well for her to give her time tn It. It was only n half happiness, however, how-ever, to Miss Gray, and yet, to the disheartened, disappointed girl of twenty-eight It was an exquisite misery mis-ery Just lo be near the handsome nrtlst In Hie studio. And but for the prejudices of her century, nnd the limitations set by society, she would have told him so long before the winter was over. Meanwhile, after the novelty of It had worn olT, Kitty did not llnd nrt In Paris all she had fancied. Sho went to the studio regularly enough, with half a hundred more Knglls.li, American, Ameri-can, French who tolled and gossiped and talked studio slang, and smudged themselves with paint to satiety. Once a week the master came In, After his Invariable "Hon jur mesdo-molsollcs," mesdo-molsollcs," ho laid his overcoat down nnd his lint on top of that, then mndo his perfunctory round of the easels, tnklng n brush of a crayon, nnd putting In n crlllcnl stroke or two on tho more promising studies. The others he pased by without seeming to sec them, Kltly couldn't disguise the fnct that ho passed her easel oftener nnd oft-encr; oft-encr; nnd then sho would go to her room nnd cry herself to sleep, only to begin ngnln the next morning. She stayed In Paris ten months. One night, ns sho wns washing her brushes, sho looked pnrtlculnrly nt tho professor's fnvorlto student, one over whoso work be lingered the longest. How old sho wnsl Thirty-live or more, nnd wrinkled! She mndo Kitty think of Miss Grey. She wondered If she herself would look like, that by the time sho could pnlnt. Sho stopped, nnd laid down the dirty brushes, pushed back her hair from her forehead with the back of her hand, and snld: "I believe I'll do it." Then she thought of Miss Grey ngnln. "She's there nil this while. I suppose," sho went on to herself. "I will do It!" she snld ngnln, nnd Hint night she ho-gan ho-gan to pack her trunks. It wns spring when Kitty came home again. Ono liibrnlng she knew when Mr. Archer wns nt leisure she wnlked Into tho studio. He had not even known of her return. re-turn. She shut the door behind her, nnd still clinging to the knob, she said, with something betweeif n laugh and n sob, ns he came up tn her holding out his lunula: "Oh, I'm not a bit of n Riiccess nt painting, Mr. Archer." nnd ngaln her face was burled In his coat front. "Itut you're not to think." she commanded, com-manded, "that women can't paint some of thein they can. gloriously but I'm not one of them." In the summer time Miss Grey, too, concluded to give up art. Xew York News. |