ONSLOW FORD
frail young girl, seems to be melting out of life, just as the creator himself melted slowly away. It was his last work. How typical are these two statues of his nature and his life! He admired frost and dreaded it. To him heat was life, and cold death.
He both gave and received friendship. His was that rare and perfect amity that anticipated desire and hastened to gratify it almost before the friend was conscious of a want. It was l'âme that spoke from the inner consciousness of a dependent nature, the only lovable nature.
He was intensely religious. He worshipped the emotions of beauty, love, charity, fidelity, loyalty. One incident in his life will reveal the tenderness and gentleness of his disposition. A celebrated athlete, named Jones, a runner who had outstripped Lightfoot, the Indian, had been converted at a Moody and Sankey meeting, and gave up the ring to be an evangelist. Finding that this did not enable him to provide for his wife and family, he became a model. Having overstrained his lungs in running, he developed consumption and wasted slowly over a period of years. During this time Ford and I employed him to sit for us, and as we permitted Jones to talk upon his religious experiences, the former pugilist conceived a great liking for both of us. Once on returning from a journey I was hurriedly visited by Ford, who begged me to go with him at once to see the dying Jones, whom he had been caring for and comforting in my absence.
When we entered his room we found the poor man, a living skeleton, lying on his back, breathing his last. Only his eyes seemed to be alive, and on seeing us they filled with a joyful light that seemed to illumine supernaturally his shrunken and pallid face. Seating ourselves one on
129
