OCR Text |
Show BOHEMIAN JOTS. Two men stood before a picture la a shabby little studio "Van," exclaimed the taller of the two, who also seemed to bo the elder ' this Is unworth) ot your brush'" He examined the picture again and said emphatically "It a a daub' Why. It looks like joud thrown Jour brush at the canvas and let the paint stay where It spattered No jou need not try to atop me, for I in going to finish I repeat It, jour picture la a mere daub Van, you re equal to far better work, and I rant ico you turn out such things, even for potboilers, without with-out prolest " 'Well, Forteecue." drawled Van, If you're through allow me to say that the picture )un revile so unmercifully Is the work of my sister who Is at tho present moment standing behind )ou Allow me lo present you Florence, Mr. Fortescue My sister, Miss Van, who haa come to stay with me, Fortescue For-tescue " Then, smiling a tittle maliciously, Van vanished, and the two, so Insus-plclously Insus-plclously Introduced, were left alone. Miss Florence, a drclded blonde, whose short, curly hair and petite figure fig-ure made her look very young, recovered recov-ered her composure first "Bo you utterly condemn my poor attempt, Mr Fortescue?" she said, gently. "I waa a brute!" he exclaimed, Impetuously Im-petuously "Pray forget my rude criticism crit-icism You know I thought It waa Van'a, and and " he ended helplessly. help-lessly. "And the faults, being mine," said Miss Florence, with a little laugh, "are not so glaring Fie, Mr Fortes-cue, Fortes-cue, haa art two standards one for men and nnother for women? No, I fear my picture la aa hopeless aa you made It out, and that I ran never hope to make my living by painting" "You ma Improve with practice, or, If you find that portraits or landscapes are beyond you, there are lota of things ou ran employ your brush upon fancy fol de rola for women a toilet tables, Christmas cards, und that sort of thing, you know " "Do you think a poor painting does harm?" she asked, curiously. "Yes, Indeed," he replied, quickly, forgetting the personal nature of the question; "It docs harm to the painter, who lowers his art, and to those who gue on It aa well" "Well, Mr Fortescue, I will never ue guilty of lowering my art again," she said. "And lest this poor picture do any one harm, 1 will send li lo the Home for the Illlnd, to be used as a fire acroen " Fortescue, almost confident (hat she waa laughing at blm, looked up sharply, sharp-ly, but her Innocent blue eybs were raised to hit so confidingly feat be thought he must be mistaken, Then, dropping the subject 'of the condemned picture, she began to talk so entertainingly ot experiences In Paris studios, with which Fortescue waa also familiar, that when Van returned re-turned ha found the pair he liad expected ex-pected to see at daggera' points chatting chat-ting like two old friends. I Fortescue .stayed to tea that sight, a little bohemlan meal, servcdjlu me studio, at which Mitt Flortnie presided pre-sided with jnuch grace. , a It was the.JlrH.ot mail)- sujh meals which he took Vtltb. them, wmctlmes giving a little least In hit own apartments, apart-ments, which were close by Forlwv-cue Forlwv-cue seemed to be as happy-go-lucky In hla manner of living as the Vans, sometimes painting feverishly for days together, only to draw the brush over the canvas and obliterate the Images be hod created, because they did not come up to his Ideal Occasionally be would boast of selling sell-ing a picture, and then would Invite his two friends over to an Impromptu fete, only to be roundly scolded oy Miss Florence for his extravagance "Hut I am not entirely dependent ipon my work," he declared, protest- ngly, after such a scolding me day, "ani tor extravagance, you are net I" one to talk. How often have I seen you empty your purse. Lady Bountiful, among the little avenue walttf "MU'exen Idewily," snkl Miss Florence, Flor-ence, coolly Pm not the only woman with short light curls In the city" "The only one In Ihe world to me ' murmured Forteecue, softly, so that only ht could hear, nnd thero anC then, Van ronenlenlly removed hltntelt to a far-off easel. In n few earnest, ear-nest, nwnly words, Forteecue asked her to b his wife "If i will only marry me, Florence, Flor-ence, dearest jou will be a constant Inspiration to ine In my work I believe be-lieve I could pslnt a great picture with nu for ray heailllhil modal " -If I thought that, I really believe " said she slowly and solemnl), "I would almost be willing to marry you ..e-aldet, ..e-aldet, at Ihe wife of the rising young artist. John Fortescue.I would not have to paint fo de rols for ladles' dresses, Christmas cards and all that, you know.' for my living" Then she bunt Into such a peal ot silvery Ituih-ter Ituih-ter ilt Van. In hit distant corner, turned to stare at her "Florence Van Mlddlrsworth, you re a frsud'" said her lover eelng her with an attempt at severity "John Fortescue llolllday, you're another!" returned Miss Florence, trying try-ing to evade his arm, which would slip around her walsL "How long have jou known?' he demsnded "Well." replied his prisoner, "the very day sfief I met you first, I had a letter from Cousin Fan warning me to be on the lookout for an Impostor named John Fortescue Hollldty, a man of arllstlc temperament, who played bohemlan three months out ot the year In some obscure quarter ot the city. A rank Impostor, she called you. Perhaps she kindly enlightened you also In rrcsrd to me?" Hollldty laughed a laugh ot Intense delight as he answered "No; my Informant waa a very charming old gentleman whom I met In Paris Just before returning here. "DO YOU THINK A TOOR PAINTINC1 DOKS 11AIIM'" He told me he had a ton and daughter, daugh-ter, who bad absurd fits of unconventionally, unconven-tionally, which Impelled them to leave a home of luxury, and go to live In stuffy apartments, tjiere to study human hu-man nature, and to paint great picture!, pic-ture!, which nobtfdy ever saw. He ad-vlted ad-vlted me. Jf I ever; encountered theta two characters, t0 avoid them, aa they were undoubtedly mad -When I first met Van I saw a resemblance to his father and when I had the happiness of meeting you I knew that I had found the mad pair" "That's Just like papa!" declared Florence, laughing until the tears came "Uut on hla account I frar I must refuse jour offer, because with three such mad people In hla family, he blnftelf anight also become mad " Hut, the old gentleman must have been willing to run the risk, fur alx months later the marriage took place. |