seemed the very embodiment of all the freshness, beauty,
and charm of the awakening spring.

Instantly all the flesh tones from rose madder and cadmium to
indigo-blue ran riot in his head. "What coloring," he kept saying to
himself--"What a skin, and the hair and shoulders, and the curl that
breaks the line of the throat--never was there such a woman!"

Even as he stood looking into her eyes, pretending to listen to her
words of welcome, he was deciding on the colors he would use and the
precise pose in which he would paint her.

"And it is such a delight to have you with us," she was saying in
joyous tones, as though his coming brought a holiday. "When I knew you
were to be here I began right away to build castles. You are to paint
my portrait first, and then you are to paint Phil's. Isn't that it,
Judge? Come Phil, dear, and shake hands with Mr. Gregg."

"Whichever you please," Adam replied simply, the little boy's hand in
his. "I only hope I shall be able to do justice to you both. It will
be my fault if I don't with all this beauty about me. I am really
dazed by these wonderful fruit-trees."

"Yes, we're going to have a good season," exclaimed the Judge--"best
we have had for years, peaches especially. We expect a----"

"Oh, I only meant the coloring," interrupted Gregg, his cheeks
flushing. "It's wonderfully lovely."

"And you don't have spring blossoms North?" asked Mrs. Colton. Her own
eyes had been drinking in the charm of his personality; no
color-schemes or palette-tones were interesting her. The straight,
lithe, figure, square shoulders, open, honest face, sunny brown eyes,
with the short, crisp hair that curled about the temples, meant
something alive and young: something that could laugh when she laughed
and be merry over little things.

"Yes, of course, but not this glorious rose-pink," the young painter
burst out enthusiastically. "If it will only last until I finish your
portrait! It's really your month to be painted in, Mrs. Colton. You
have all of Sully's harmonies in your coloring--pink, white, blue"--he
was still looking into her eyes--"The great Thomas should have seen
you first, I am only his humble disciple," and he shrugged his square
shoulders in a modest way.

"And what about Phil?" she laughed, catching the fire of his
enthusiasm as she drew the boy closer to her side.

"Well, I should try him in October. He has"--and he glanced at the
Judge--"his father's brown eyes and dark skin.