The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1877-06-21
TOO MUCH BLUE.

Early on fine summer morning, an
old man was walking on the road be-
'ween Brussels and Namur. He expect
ID friend to arrive by the diligence,
md he set out some time before 1t was
due, to meet it on the road. Having
good deal of time to spare, he amused
himself by watching any object OF in
serest that caught his eye; and at length
stopped to inspect the operations of a
painter, who mounted on ladder placed
against the front of wayside inn, was
busily employed in depicting sign suit
able to its name, "The Rising Sun"
"Here," said the old man to himself,
els an honest dauber, who knows as
much of perspective as a cart-horse;
and who, I'll warrant, fancies himself
Rubens. How he brushes in that ultra
marine sky!"
The critic commenced walking back
ward and forward before the inn, think
ing that he might as well loitcr there for
the diligence as walk on farther. The
painter, meantime, continued to lay on
the fresh coats of the brightest blue,
which appeared to aggravate the old
gentleman very much. At length when
the sign painter took another brush full
of blue paint to plaster on, the spectator
could endure it no longer, and exclaimed,
severely:
"Too much blue!'
The honest painter looked down from
his perch, and said in a tone of forced
calmness, which an angry man some
times assumes:
"Monsieur does not perceive that l
am painting sky"
40, yes, see very well, YOU are try
ing to paint a sky, but tell you there's
too much blue!''
"Did you ever see skies painted with
out blue, Master amateur?'
g l am not an amateur. | merely tell
you, in passing-I make the casual re-
mark-that there is too much blue; but
do as you like. Put more blue, if you
don't think you have troweled on enough
already"
"But / tell you, that / want to repre-
sent clear blue sky at sunrise"
"And l tell you, that no man in his
senses would paint a sky at sunrise,
blue.''
"By Saint Gudula, this is too much!"
said the painter, coming down from his
ladder, at no pains this time to conceal
his anger; 81 should like to see how yoas
would paint a sky without blue!''
6" don't pretend to much skill in sky
painting; but, if were to make trial,
I wouldn't put in too much blue.''
"And what would it look like if you
didn't?"
"Like nature, | hope, and not like
yours, which might be taken for bed
OF gentianella, or sample of English
cloth, or any thing you please-except a
sky; | beg to assure you, for the tenth
time, there is too much blue!"
6" l tell you what, old gentleman"
cried the insulted painter, crossing his
maul-stick over his shoulder, and look
ing very fierce, 81 dare say you are a
very worthy fellow when you are at
home; but should not be let out alone. -
Why notp"
"Why not? Because you must be
crazy to play the critic after this fashion :;
too much blue, indeed! What, 1, the
pupil of Ruysdael, the third cousin of
Gerard Duow's great-grandson, not
know how to color a sky? Know that
Auy IcpuodIOu las Ueeu long Establish
ed. | have Red Horse at Malines, a
Green Bear at Nomur, and Charlemagne
at Aix-la-Chapelle, before which every
passenger stops fixed in admiration! -
Nonsense!" exclaimed the critic, as
he snatched the palette frem the paint
er's hand. "You deserve to have your
portrait painted to serve for the sign of
Flemish Asst" In his indignation he
mounted the ladder with the activity of
a boy, and began with the palm of his
hand to efface the chef d'ouure of Gerard
Douw's great-third cousin.
"Stop! You old charlatan!" shouted
the latter, "you are running my sign!
Why, it's worth thirty-five francs. And
then my reputation-lost! gone forev-
eri"
He shook the ladder violently to make
his prosecutor descend. But the latter,
undisturbed either by that or by the
presence of crowd of villagers, at
tracted by the dispute, continued mer-
cilessly to blot out the landscape. Then,
using merely the point of his finger and
the handle of a brush, he sketched, in
mastery outline, three Flemish Doors,
with beer-glasses in their hands, drink
yparr 70 Ir -,rs,~