Page:Angna Enters - Among the Daughters.djvu/156

 at her and the canvases. New styles in painting were O.K. for a landscape or still life maybe, but why not paint a Beaut like her as she looked? You might even break into cover art that way.

"You know," Larson said to Henkel, "there's a lot to be said for a good colored photograph. Done right, it could look like a real painting. Better even. You could even paint over a photo. Think I'll get me a camera and try it. Not sure I go all out for this slapdash modernistic stuff like Clem here. Gotta keep an open mind a'course and at that it's pretty good for some kinds of advertising when they want to sell modernistic style goods. But I like Clem's new style of painting better, it's more actual, like a photo, know what I mean? I want to know what I'm looking at so I can put my teeth into it."

"You got something there," agreed Henkel, and leaned over Vida to speak to Lucy. "Too bad we didn't meet before. I would of painted you as you really look. Might even have put you on a calendar. Working on one right now for Gibbons Laundry. You'd've been famous. How'd you like that?"

"That would have been just dandy," Lucy said coolly. Whatever made that ox think I'd pose for him? I'll bet he brushes his teeth once a week. I'll bet he isn't an artist even if he does paint pictures.

I guess, guessed the rebuffed Henkel, she's stuck-up because she's going to New York.

What's up between Lucy and Clem? Semy wondered, tabulating Clem's anxious glances and Lucy's unusual evasion of him. Had old Clem tried? Did they? How old was she actually? Looked about seventeen tonight. Maybe he could get a rise out of her. He stood, looked from Clem to Lucy, and lifted his glass of wine.

A girl's voice interrupted—

Vida corrected, hoping to divert the man's gaze from Lucy who after all was leaving Congress, to herself who would still be here. He was nice-looking and it would impress him that she knew Keats too.

Lucy laughed approvingly. "That's right, Vida, you just show Semy you're just as smart as he is. Don't let him get away with a thing." 144