An Artist and a Perfect Nose

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 288, 6 December 1890, Page 3 (Supplement)

An Artist and a Perfect Nose

A man's intentions in staring at a pretty woman can bo greatly misunderstood according to a story told by a lady. In a fashionable restaurant the room was pretty much deserted save for the presence of an unaccompanied girl, who ato toast and tea at one table and a good-looking young man, who dissected a canvas-back duck afc another. Whon the young man had demolished his duck he ent back in his chair, and for the first time his gaze fell upon tha girl eating toast. An expression of evident interest sprang into his face, and ho fixed hia eyes upon the , girl's countenance and studied it with an avidity that was observable to the waiters standing about, and was not lo3t upon the young lady herself. The latter cast a swift glance at the starer, and then began to fidget under his steady gaze. The blood mounted to her lace, and she stopped eating. After a moment she summoned a waiter, and informed him that) she wished to move to another table out of range of the insolent man's vision. While in process of doing this tho cause of her discomfiture seemed to suddenly realise that he had annoyed her, and when she shot) a look of disdain upon him he was sure of it. He quickly drew a card from hia pocket and scribbled something on the back of it. Then,paying his cheque.and getting into hia overcoat, ha walked directly over to the young lady's table and placed the card before hor.

'It is your duty,' eaid he, ' to read that card. You have no right to consider yourself insulted when you havo not been in the least. .

■Without waiting for a reply the gentleman left the room. After waiting a few moments the girl caught up the card and read it. Ib boro the name of one of the bost painters of tho country, and tho writing upon ib was as follow : — ' I have been looking for a perfect noso for a year without success. My last picture needs ono badly. As I looked up suddenly from my duck your nose was sharply outlined against tho window-pane. If you have suddenly come upon the object) for which your heart has longed for many months, 3'ou will be able to imagine my sensations when I discovered your nose. 1 ecrutirised it long enough to 'makea vivid mental note of it. But lam forced to say that ib is better in its natural form than when turned up in disdain.' The girl crushed the card in between her fingers and carefully put in it) her portmonnate. Then she dashed out of the restaurant?. ' And if Julia encounters that artist again in her travels,' said the narrator ' I am inclined to think he will be master of tho situation.'—' Boston Herald.'