The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-09-02

OF an artists life, and asserting its moral
superiority to that of any trade, when
our friend sighed deeply and said:
Sometimes, do you know, I think
had | learned to draw when a boy, |
might have done something in your line.
But now | am afraid it is too late"
This idea was so presumptuous that
we felt it demanded instant and severe
punishment, so Frank said, gently:
my dear fellow, you draw some
things very nicely now, even without
an artists education-checks, for in
stance"
| followed more severely:
"Mr. Hopkins, allow me to warn you
against falling into the error of that gen
eral public which you so well represent,
in thinking that the execution alone
makes the artist. An artist, as | under
stand the word, must have many quail
ties besides manual deXterity. He must
have, in ad lition, many of the gifts of
the poet, and among them that greatest
gift of all-imagination. Now you. my
dear sir, am afraid, are not very great
at that"
Poor Hopkins said nothing, evidently
convinced by Franks sarcasm and my
ponderous arguments that his case was
hopeless one.
"Do you ever dream?' asked Frank.
mot very often,' replied Hopkins,
"only after curried lobster or crab, or
something of that sort. 1 am very
sound sleeper"
''Then, you see, if you can't dream
without the assistance of indigestible
food, you can't imagine, and 1, with
every wish to encourage incipient talent,
should advise you not to adopt the pro-
fession of an artist"
"Well, WE'LL" said Hopkins, "let US
say no more about it," and he sighed
again.
But we were not inclined to let him
off 50 easily, and went on in the same
vein till we were weary, and tossed him
and his aspirations about between us
like ball. We treated him very badly,
and he must have been the beSt-tem-
pered or the thickest-skinned of men to
have stood it without showing anger.
Tired at last of batting our impertur-
able friend, we turned to other topics.
''Seen Jones' new picture?' asked
Frank.
"Yes. Don't care much for it," |
replied; "men shouldn' try to paint old
subjects unless they can treat them in q
new manner"
"Well, it must be hard to strike out a
new line with Hamlet and the ghost. |
never tried to paint a ghost, SO | don t
know what | should make of it.
81 shall wait till see one, and then
nf1n1 II bonIS nn1n for fn,N cit
tings. | think there is something to be
done with ghosts, but they must be of
an original kind, not conventional, like
Jones'.
Hang it. no. They are always the
same; thinly painted, with something
placed conveniently behind them to show
their transparency. | wouldn't care to
paint a ghost of that sort, people only
laugh at them; but | should like to put
that creepy sensation on canyaS-that
feeling that something uncanny is
about
"Well, when some one does see a
ghost we may get the correct thing; not
till then"
"Ghosts amt visible" said Hopkins,
solemnly; "but, for all that, there are
ghosts"
A remark like this from Hopkins was
an event not lightly to be passed by, so
we cried in breath:
"What do you know about ghosts?
Ever troubled with them?"
He took his pipe from his lips and said
quietly:
'If you young fellows won't laugh
too much, dom mind telling YOU"
We promised the gravity of Scion,
and Frank winked at me in so barefaced
a manner that anybody but our unob-
servant friend would have seen it and
at once declined speaking. However,
no mischief was done, forin deep accents
he began:
"You remember r.
Stop a Bit" | said; 81 can tell from
the way the story opens it is going to be
something awful. Let us fill the glasses
first" We did so: " Now fire away,
Did fellow, and don't, please. embellish
your truthful tale with too many flowers
of fancy"
Hopkins paused a little.
"Look here" he said, "you won't
mention this to anybody, as | should not
like the people on the Stock Exchange
to hear of it. They chatf So
We vowed that wild horses should not
rend the terrible revelation from our
boSomS.
Hopkins began again:
g You remember my late partner, poor
old Bobbett?"
Never even heard of him" inter-
rupted Blair.
" All, to be sure. Before your time.
Well, our firm was--indeed is now
Bobbett, Hopkins & Company"
" What busness?' | asked, with the
air of a cross-examining counsel.
''Stock Jobbers; Office, Capel Court"
said Hopkins, with a return 10 his usual
breyty.
. Excuse my interrupting your inter-
esting tale, said Frank, " but what is
stock jobber? Something eminently re-
spectacle, honest and lucrative, have
no doubt. But what is it?
Hopkins summed up his profession
briefly thus:
"You want to sell stock another man
wants to buy stock-you 90 to broker
he goes to broker-.-both brokers 90
to jobber, or dealer, which sounds
nicer-your broker sells him the stock,
his broker buys it OF him. That's stock
jobber's business in nutshell"