Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-02-25
The Painters Mantle.

On the 18th day of January, 1926. a gen
tleman arrived at Florence and went to
lodge at the Sun Inn Having with him
| only one trunk, the innkeeper thought
he could not be very rich, and gave him
| for this reason room in the top of the
house, No 40. AT that time it was not
| necessary to give ones name at an inn.
| and those who wished to preserve their
| incognito gave to their friends the mum.
| Der of their room and the name of the
inn where they lodged. This gentleman
| did SO.
At the end of the first week the land
| lord presented his bill; but great was
his establishment when the unknown told
him that he had no money, that he ex-
| pected some every day from home, beg
ging him to rest easy, and assuring him
that as soon as the money arrived he
should be paid.
1 The innkeeper went away not verv
well satisfied, because this stranger or
| dered the most exquisite dinners, the
most recherche vlands, the most expen-
sive wines of France and Germany-and
the landlord, being very misery and
suspicious, feared for his money
| At the end of the second week he
made his guest another visit, and, pre-
senting his bill, met with the same re-
Spouse; then ne looked around the room
and saw a magnificent mantle hanging
on the wall all lined with rich fur-a
mantle which might be worth 500 silver
forms. The innkeeper, delighted with
his discovery, saluted the gentleman,
and descended the stairs. saying to him
self: "If he does not pay me at the
| end of another week | will make him
leave me this mantle in pledge for what
! he owes me-
Some days passed, when there arrived
| an express with letter for the gentle
man in No. 40.
The landlord, sure that it contained
| remittance, ran to give it himself to the
stranger, who took the letter and, seeing
the seal, exclaimed: cob! the imperial
armsp then opened the letter and, hav-
ing read it, said :" 1t is an order to 60 at
once to Bologna, where the Emperor of
Germany is staying at present, who
wishes to see me. A carriage will come
| for me in a little while, because the jour
ney will be at the Emperor's expense"
But, sir, before you go pay me my
bill, which amounts to $50 forms"
"You know very well, caro- milo, that
| since / came to your inn have received
no letter but this one; therefore have
not yet received my money, and not hav
ing received it / cannot pay you. am
an honest man / do not wish to defraud
you, and will send you the money from
| Bologna"
"Sir, if you have no money, as you say,
| to paw me it does not matter; leave me
in pledge this mantle (poiDting to the one
hanging on the wall) and as soon as you
have paid your bill l will take care to
have it sent to Bologna, or to whatever
other city your lordship may happen to
be in"
"Howl have you the heart to let me 60
away in this cold weather without my
cloak?"
.sAh! sir, / do not know you--and l
give credit to no one."
Innuman wretch, without pity"
/ Here he was interrupted by the porter
of the inn, who entered, telling the gen.
tleman that carriage had come for him.
"Very we'll" he replied, take my
trunk, and will CO."
| The landlord accompanied him to the
gate, saying: "a pleasant journey, sir;
we understand each other, and will re-
member my promise"
! Eager to examine more closely the
rich cloak, he mounted at once to the
chamber of the unknown, and went up
10 Iuc wall 10 Jake uOW Ii tlt ClOdht WITCH,
oh! horror! he discovered that 1t was
painted!
"Ah, the thief! the villain! man who
deserves hangingl" he began to shout,
and made such an uproar that all the
| strangers in the inn came out of their
rooms to see what had caused such
noise.
"Ah. gentlemen, sea- painted man
| tlel The man who had this room, and
who has just gone, not having money
enough to pay his bill, was to leave me
in pledge his magnificent cloak, worth
more than 500 forms Instead the viii
lain has put it in his trunk, and left me
| this; and more than this, he had the eff
frontery to mock me, Representing me
with being without human feeling, with
| outa heart"
One of the strangers, who was an anna
teur painter, said to the landlord: You
| are an migrate, an ignorant fool. You
possess treasure in this most beautiful
picture. You were born lucky. This
mantle will make your fortune. Charge
aprice of admission for each person who
| wishes to see it, and in short time you
| will have in your strong box many tines
the value of your reckoning"
The innkeeper, surprised at his praise
OF the plctuic from MS guest, ana rcHect-
| ing that it was possible that he might in
that way gain some profit, followed the
| advice.
The next day the report Of this strange
adventure had spread through all Flor
ence, and the curiosity was so great not
only in the city, but in all the country
| around, that our landlord in very little
time had pocketed 800 silver forms.
But when, few days after, it be-
came known that this wonderful painted
mantle was pleasantly Of Titan, who
had painted it as a trick on his inn
keeper, not only the Florentines came to
see it, but people came from all parts to
admire a work of this distinguished
painter, whom Charles v. had that year
summoned to Bologna to paint his por-
trait and undertake other important
works.
Our fortunate innkeeper found him
self in short time possessor of con-
siderable sum, and wrote a letter OF
apology to the great artist.
Titan replied that he was much sur
prised that any painting of his had pro.