The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1865-08-02


An Evening with ShOddy Family.
CF'ron, the CormhRI, 'mfttem Gy ". ]. Ludy9
Before the evening was over, found
myself in smaller apartment, gorge
ously furnished and rendered truly re-
markable by the abominable showiIy-
framed paintings which nearly covered
the walls. Ahuman quartette was seat
ed on the sofa, In Kenwig, and it
needed no second look to convince me
that 1 saw the four children of my hos
tess. Feminine treble and masculine
bass We're represented there III equal
ter of fHith, as nothing i'll their faces be-
trayed that they had ever uttered
sound. Soon the mother Appeared
"LOr! Mrs. d., you here? Well, had
to get out of the parlOrs for Il lninit-iCs
so SufliOcating there. This is our fami-
ly seh ing room. Ellen, stick i'll your
shoulder, miss = ('Hhis was a dramatic
aside, directed to the sofa department
81 see you're looking at the pnintin's.-
Well, we hare got lots of them,
that's certain. tell Mr.. &. We'll have
a picture-gallery before we know it
hH! hH!-but that's nOthing-for the
mans bound to have everything that
money can nuy- N41eEc Il EuulitnI,
satisfied ripple of expression ran across
the quartette upon the sofn.) l tried to
say something, but alasl the allusion to
the possible nrt-gallery had jeOpardiZed
my gravity to such an extent that
could only cough pathetically. ''This
ere big picture" pursued Mrs. G., "is n
landScdpe-a landscape by-chi1dren!
who is this landscape by?" "Mr. Ben
son." they all answered i'll Il breath,
closing their mouths instantly like four
traps. "Yes; Mr.. BensOm. He's a
Western man, Mrs. D., and don't charge
mOre'n II quarter what these New York
painters ask. He paints pretty tho.
Amt that white fence too nntural?" she
added, letting her head drop sideways
with its weight of admiration. Alas,
the fence ICIS too natural, but did not
trust myself to say so. l merely bowed
and stared Vacantly at an ideal work re-
presenting, as / suspected, Cupid and
Pysche, since the blue dnmsel depicted
therein balanced a huge butterfly upon
her shoulder, and her youthful com
pHnion had the inevitable wings and
quiver of the mischievous God of Love.
"INHt picture" broke forth Mrs. g.,
standing i'll superb disdain beside me,
"ain't my taste-NIr. G. bought it. It's
n fancy piece you See-Cupid and chill
name of this picture?" "Cupid and
Per-Sitch ;" answered the two elder
ones simultaneously. "Oh, yes, Cupid
and Per-Sitch. But, Mrs. D., you must
look ut our portraits-we've had one ar
tist for year past doing all our family.
Here's Mr.. G. and me. You may think
the yellow gloves in my picture amt
mates-any one might-buC they are
the artist was bound to, put up one
of them in the shadder,' i'll spite of
all could say. This is Daniels pic
ture, (sit up strait, Daniel, and let go
Syour sisters sash;)its like him, all but
the hair. The naughty boy" docking Sc
Verely ut Daniel), "burnt off one side of
his curls last week, and we had to cut
off the rest. Here's our youngest boy
TOmmy-the end one on the sofa there
most beautiful boy? Always just as
sassy and lively as you see him in the
picture-nin't it like him, Mrs. D-?''
Every like,' without venturing to take
n second look mt the original "Mr.
Benson said he never seen II harder
child to paint, it was so difficult to get
his expression" tAlacll should think
it would have been very difficulty Gle
took him at first with one shoe on, and
the other lynn on the carpet; but l
wasn't going to have child ofmine
I 1oOkin' like that; so I made Mr.. Ben
son alter it quick, l told him to Just
change the shoe on the carpetto n kitten
OF something of that kind, and then to
| put good BalmOralS on the poor child.
It's bad enough to have your young
| ones looking like wild about the house,
without having their likeness took ali
in a musSp'