The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1874-08-06
That did not trouble Peter, however,

and told Thomas that he felt as if he
could fly to the moon. l
$50 far, so good" said he; but,
Thomas. / can't be q painter without
paper and pencils and brushes and COL
ors. Haven't you any money!!
No. said Thomas, despairingly,
land I don't know how to get any, for
I shall receive no wages for three
years.
sThen l can't be painter, after all, !"
said Peter, mournfully.
'sI'lltell you what, suggested Thomas.
''1'l get some charcoal down in the
kitchen, and you can draw pictures on
the WALL ra4
So Peter set resolutely to work, and
drew so many figures of men and wo--
men and birds and trees and beasts
and flowers, that before long the walls
were all covered with pictures.
At last, one happy day, Thomas came
into possession of small piece of silver
money. Upon my word don't know
where he got it; but he was much too
honest boy to take money that did
not belong to him, and so, presume,
he derived it from the sale Of his "per-.
quisites."
You may be sure there was joy in.
the little boarding house up among the
chimney pots, for now Peter could have
pencils and paper and 1ndia-rubber,and
few other things that artists need
Then he changed his way of life little
He went out early every morning and
wandered about Florence, and drew ev--
erything he could find to draw, wheth--
er the pictures in the churches, or the
fronts Of the old palaces, or the stat
ues in the public squares, or the out
lines of the hills beyond the Arno, just
as it happened. Then, when it became
too dark to work any longer, Peter
would 60 home to his boarding house,.
and find his dinner all nicely tucked
away under the old stIaw bed, where
landlord Thomas had put it, not so,
much to hide it as to. keep it warm.
Things went on in this way for about,
two years. None of the servants knew
that Thomas kept boarder, or if they
did know it, they good-naturedly shut
their eyes. The cook used to remark
sometimes, that Thomas ate a good deal
for a lad of his size, and it was surpris-
ing he didn't grow more.
One day, the cardinal took it into his
head to alter and repair his palace. He
went all over the house in company with
an architect, and poked into places that,
he had never in all his life thought OF
before. At last, he reached the garnet,
and, as luck would have it, stumbled
right into Thomas boarding house.
"Why, how this - cried the great
cardinal, vastly astonished at seeing the
mean little room so beautifully decora-
ted in charcoal. Have we an artist
among us Who occupies this room!
"The kitchen-boy, Thomas, your En-
nence."
Thomas came up in fear and tremb-
ling. He never had been in the mighty
cardinals presence before. He looked
at the charcoal drawings on the WALL
then into the prelate's face, and his
heart sank within him.
Thomas, you are no longer kitch--
en.boy,'' said the cardinal, kindly.
Poor Thomas thought he was dis
missed from service,-and then what
would become Of Peter !
Don't send me away" he cried, i'm
ploringly, falling on his knees. 4 have
nowhere to 20, and Peter will starve-
and he wants to be painter SO much y
"Who is Peter?' p asked the cardinal.
| "He is boy from Cortona, who
boards with me, and he drew those pic
lures on the wall, and he will die if he
cannot be painter"
"Where is he now?" demanded the
cardinal.
"He is out, wandering about the
streets to find something to draw. He
goes out every day and comes back at
night"
"When he returns tonight, Thomas,
bring him to me- said the cardinal
Such genius as that should not be al
lowed to live in garnet.
But, strange to say, that night Peter
did not come back to his boarding
house. One week, two weeks went by,
and still nothing was heard of him. At,
the end Of that time, the cardinal
caused a search for him to be institut-
ed, and at last they found him in con-
vent. 1t seems he had fallen deeply in
love with one of Raphael's pictures
winch was eXHlDlLco tucTe. Ac uAu-
asked permission of the monks to copy
it, and they, charmed with his youth
and great talent, had readily consented
and had lodged and nourished him all
the time.
Thanks to the interest the cardinal
took in him, Peter was admitted to the
best school for painting in Florence
As for Thomas, he was given q post
near the cardinals person, and had
masters to instruct him in all the learn
ing of the day.
Fifty years later, two old men lived
together in one of the most beautiful
houses in Florence. One Of them was
called Peter of Cortona, and people said
of him, '.He is the greatest painter Of
our time" The other is called Thomas,
and all they said Of him was, "Happy
is the man who has him for friend -
And he was the boy who took .
Observation-Disclosures Adams, in St.Nich-
olas for August,