New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-07-26
From London Society,""
HOW ALGY WON THE bet.
Chapter L.
HOW THE BET WAS MADE

dlVluualS whose youth Is full OF so mucn
precocious genius as to justify their friends
in prophesyiug all sorts of great things of
them, to come off at some future period of
their prospective career. Strange to relate,
however, this future period never arrives, or
at leastis such very long time putting in an
appearance that the said friends become
dubious and Responding, though 10th to
acknowledge the untulfllment CT their pre-
dctions.
When Algy was boy be showed so much
dawning talent with his pencil that "the
friends" were positively certain he would
"turn OUT great thing in painters; when
he grew up and assumed the togd UiriliS he
made himself so conspicuous as an amateur
actor that "the friends" declared the !aurels
of another, Garrick awaited him; and when
he brought out bis comedy-drama, in four
acts, of Nathalie, or the Modeln with a
terse. spirited dialogue, and two or three
capital situations" it was considered that
he was on the high road to fame and for
tune.
Eheu, ftgaces ami. Years rolled over
Algy's spruce, caretully-tended head; his
back hair does not take him so long in the
doing" now, there is not so much behind
as of yore, and it's 'getting very thin on
| top, sir" for poor Algy is going on for
| thirty now, and both fame and fortune are
as far off as they were ten years ago. He
| has written another comedy-drama since,
which he tondly thought would draw over
flowing houses, but it did not keep its place
in the bills after the second week; be man
aged to get burlesque produced, with a
new "skedaddle breakdown" of his own
invention, which he likewise was certain
would be great go' and fill the treasury,
but some how or other il did neither He
has had several little pictures in the Suf-
folk street exhibition, and his Dead
Warrior" was hung on the line in the
academy; but again, some how or other,
people didn't buy them there. Then they
were sent off to Manchester exhibitions
and sale-rooms, then travelled round to the
Crystal Palace at Sydenham, and SO back
again to London and the Art Unions, ulti-
mately, perhaps, finding their way in sheer
desperation to Algy's studio, where they
turned their faces meekly to the wall, and
gave themselves up to dust and the tender
mercies of the charwoman.
Once Algy managed to work the oracle
so that Mr. Bompas, the eminent dealer,
was induced to visit his studio in company
with Ticker, the art critic of the "Daily
Thunderbolt," who had promised to say a
good word for him. But Mr.. Bompas
only screwed his lips tightly to-
gether and said, "Yes, yes, very
nice, very nice; but hardly popular, my dear
sir, hardly popular, too big by a size;
wouldn go anywhere but in the hall. Con-
centrate and pOpularize yourself, my dear
sir; concentrate and popularize yourself"
So Algy set to work and tried to " con-
centrate and popularize himself;n to do
which he painted My love, Agnes" tall
and crummy young lady with large eyes,
wonderfully golden locks, and plenty of
them, in bewitehing species of bedgown
attire, which showed the shape of Agnes'
rather too transparently, aud gazing pen
sively over marble parapet into an imag-
mary future, while the last glory of the set
ting sun was skillfully adapted to fall on
her hair and upturned face.
Unfortunately for Algy, this was so DIFF
ferent from his usual style that Ticker took
it to be the work of some man he had never
heard Of, so was down upon "Agnes" di-
| rectly.
He was at great pains to show show
woolly was her hair, how long and stiff
her left arm, how out of all drawing her
chin, and how palpably theatrical were the
means by which the effect was produced"
lastly, "he was surprised that the hanging
committee had placed so absurd carl
cature of all art
Thus poor Algy was hopelessly sat upon,
and threw his brushes out of the window in
disgust.
On hot afternoon in August some few
days after the above notice appeared in the
Journal, Mr.. Ticker was good enough to
write for, our friend was sitting in his Tenn,
pie chambers smoking the pipe of consola-
lation, and bordering upon things. Essen
TALLY a hot and drowsy afternoon, the gar
dens-in front of his opened window were
drowsy; the two or three men whose sole
duty appears to consist in moving the pots
OF ehrysanthemums from one part of the
grounds to another, We're too dIowsy even
70 go through that perfol nance the river
was drowsy as it lay winking in the glare;
the young lady in book muslin who found
the broad walk so charming a prone
made, and was there of course BY the
merest accident, had given up the restless
peepings at her watch, and composed her
self to drowsy meditation; and Mr.. Bate!
himself was drowsy; the influence Of tht
hour was upon him; his soul was vexed
within him; he had much upon his mind
"mental anxiety was killing him." as ht
told his friends pathetically. In the flrsI
place there was Jenkins's bill coming dus
at the end OF the month; there was Row
| ney's account for the last two years still
unpaid, and he couldn't put them off any
longer; there was another picture returned
from Manchester unsold; and there was the
eighteen-gallon cask of Allsopp he had Jus
1 got 10 turned" by the late thunderstorm
and, worse than all there was that hoPriG
nightmare which had been keepinga hin
sleepless for weeks, and, like an indigesti
BILE piece of pork, always kept turning u
when least expected; for the truth oonld b
stihed no longer=he was getting bald Of
the top Of his head. =, ~ +.
Getting bald He didn't care rush 70
TruehtFs young men; he never used t
believe what those fippant and unfeelinl
creatures told him; but now, here was th
evidence of his own eyes, His only hop
Of redemption was in making q good thin
in the way of marriage, and he was gel
ting bald already
i 'fAny odds you like I'll pitch upon th,
winner ri should say your thoughts,
draWled languid voice behind him.
'Oh, it's you, is II ?''i said Algy, witheu
removing the pipe from his lips. 9Th
anoee SOAAOttaDAo one 10 IN ltHaS corner
indicating leather easy chair with the to
of his Turkish slipper.
The owner Of the voice, who had BEEF
testing the softness Of sofa with delicat
hand, muttered feeble ''Tha-anlss,1 an,
dropped into the chair. ~ *,
"ThDughs I'd look in, and--that sort 0
thing, you know. En-? TrichinOpoIv
No, thanks; too strong; always carry -
own weeds. Dull? Oh, shocking. Coin
L auuau lnart Arraal- Ell q. I3adar.L r. 49,