Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1884-07-02
| FRIEND OF MEAD'S.
BY LUKE SHARP,

One evening in Florence hotel I
had the pleasure of meeting w. D.
Howells. After an hours talk or so q
gentleman came in and wanted Mr..
Howells to go with him to the theater,
but the latter said he was very tired las
l said, had been talking to him about
an hour) and so introducing me to
Larkin G. Mead, the great sculptor,
Howells prudently beat a retreat. Mead,
by the way, is his brother-in-law and I
suppose Howells felt he might take
certain liberties with him and 50 left me
on his hands. 1 was very pleased to
meet an artist of Mead's fame, the man
who had made the national monument
to President Lincoln, so we were soon
IN earnest and interesting conversation,
Mr.. Mead's long residence in italy has
taken very little of the American ont
OF him so we were acquaintance from
the start.
"Going from here to Venice are YOU ?"
he said. "Now just allow me to give
you lettar of introduction that will
let you see more of Venice in q dav
than an ordinary tourists would see in
in a month"
So he dashed off a note, addressed it
to Mr.. Grist, Cafe Quadra, Piazza San
Marco, Venice. Mr.. Mead also gave
me many valuable hints about Venice
and what to see there, and about IL
O'Clock we parted, old friends.
I stood in the brilliantly lighted Cafe
Qradra at about II o'clock after the
opera was over. I said to waiter:
rs Mr.. Grist here?"
L mad some computations about pre-
sentiug the letter and taking up any
mans time when I was q stranger to
him, but 1 thought I would drop in and
kind of casually make Crisis acquaint-
ance, as | had a curiosity to see the
man OF whose knowledge of Venetian
art, Mr.. Mead spoke so highly.
did you want to see me?" A gentle
man rose from one of the little marble
tables and came forward. my name is
Grist."
SWELL" I stammered, taken back with
the suddedness of the situation.
"The fact isl happen Mr.. Mead,
of Florence
"Oh, you're friend of Meals, Come
right in. Sit down-sit down. What'l]
you have? They have some splendid
cool drinks here. Well, how's the old
man? When's Mead coming to Venice p
Il don't know exactly. You see it's
like this"
'That's Mead exactly. Never knows
when he's coming. Anyhow, there's
nobody more welcome in Venice than
Mead. He drops down here at odd
times, aud l tell you we're always glad
to see him.
II was going to say, Mr.. Grist, that
merely met"
Here two young Americans came in
and Grist said: "This is Mr.. Sharp, one
OF Me ads old friends. I was Just tell
ing him that next to Mead there's no
one more welcome than friend of his. !"
''That's so,", said the young men as
tney sat down and took something cool
at CRISIS solicitation.
II hear Howells is in Italv. Did
Mead say anything about where he is p
"He's in Florence now. T met him
there last week. He's coming on te
Venice in q month or so"
Where has he becn?"
"Down at Sienna, believe"
| oh, that reminds me. They had s
tire down there. No trouble gettine
burnt sienna now, eh, Grist?"
You mustn't mind them" said Mr.
G. in a sort of stage aside to me
"They're young yet you know. I'll d,
them Justice to say that they don't d.
that often, you know"
Then the culprit said: "We have
good deal Of trouble getting the hes
colors here"
II should think Italy would be tn
best place in the world for gettin,
colors: They paint here little, dom
they?"
"Wen-somewhat, yes. Our color
come from England, and with cost O
carriage and customs bother it is YER
hard to get them, so I thought all inter
ested would be. pleased to know tina
burnt sienna could be had a least"
| We talked till about 1, and as they al
walked with me to the hotel there wa
no chance of telling Grist that T ha,
only few hours acquaintance will
Larkin g. Mead, and that Mead ha,
very likely thought was an old frien,
OF Howell's. He appointed meetin
next day. When the time came I de
termined to avoid the meeting and no
trespass further on his time, as bega,
to feel as if I was q sort of confidenc
man floating around Venice on falls
pretenses. just as got on the piazz
met Mr.. Grist, who shook hands col
daily and said, well go round an
have look at some of the studios"
| As we walked along I resolved to COL
TESS, but there was so much to see. an
the conversation was so interesting tbs
we were at the door of Frank Duye1
ecks studio before I got chance.
MI. Sharp" said my introducer, g
friend of Mead's."
Duveneck had some etchings of hi
reproduced in that months Centur
Magazine, and we saw the originals to
gether with many others, some of th
Whistlerian school.
After leaving his studio we went int
that OF Graham, Graham lives in a
old palace square, with the usual Vone
tian court and fountain in the cente,
The palace faces on canal of course
and the artist keeps his own gondola
which is something similar to keepin
carriage in other cities. He also he
dat-bottomed boat somewhat ike a,
English punt, that he shoves out ct th
water door OF his palace and goes of i
it alone to paint on the lagoons. Il
i steady and holds an easel easily An m