Howard Pyle, a chronicle by Charles D. Abbott, with an introduction by N. C. Wyeth and many illustrations from Howard Pyle's works.

FRDUITFUL ASSOCIA TIONS
for these two designs I can say that they are so far beyond
anything I have ever done before that I can hardly realize
their being my own work. They are not finished yet, but
so far every touch I have put on them has improved them.
"The first one represents' a Spanish caballero standing
against the side of a bridge looking after his Dulcinea whom
he has mortally offended by a lampoon written in a fit of
jealousy. She is 'soaring' past him with a scornful expression on her face and he is looking after her in a beseeching way. The scene is early morning and I think
I have gotten a real feeling of early sunlight in the picture.
I borrowed a Spanish cloak from an artist friend of mine
that almost entirely covers the modern European dress and
which with the addition of a sombrero gives him quite a
picturesque look. I hired a Spanish woman's costume in
which I posed my female model Jenny Watts, a very pretty
ladylike girl, and I tell you, she cut quite a shine!
"The story goes on to say that after having thus mortally
offended his sweetheart and being for some time unable to
regain her love the cavalier finally succeed's by sending her
a casket. In the casket was the pen with which he had
written, broken; under the pen, a sheet of paper where was
written in his blood 'Retribution,' and under the paper his
right hand. This, of course, 'dropped' the girl. A very
effective denouement, I think. The scene I took for illustration was when she is just opening the box, or rather, had
just opened it, the horror not yet fully dawned upon her
mind. This was Mr. Alden's suggestion. And I have
made an illustration that some of my artist friends say shows
not only talent but genius-I only hope it is so. Mr. Abbey
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