Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-04-24
ANTON BLOCK.
Along Engagement and a Clio.
rious Banquet.

Mr.. Block was bald-headed. Extreme
self-esteem had made him bald; for it
had prevented him selling his pictures,
except at prices which nobody would
pay, and compelled him to make etch-
sngs and sketches in the small hours of
the night to keep soul and body to-
gethcr, Such severe application and
the sleeplessness which it induced had
deprived Mr.. Block of his capillary
adornments. No lotions or magical
compounds would restore to him the
crown of beauty which he had lost.
This was a sever trial to Mr.. Block,
not because he was vain, but because
hewas engaged. He had been engaged
to Miss Apollonia Schwinger for nearly
twenty years, and what is still more
remarkable, Apollonia had been en-
gagged to him for nearly twice that
period. For she devoutly believed that
she had been expressly made for Mr..
Block, and that Mr.. Block, from the
shining hour Of his birth, had been ex-
pressly destined for her. Nh. Block
declared himself in perfect accord with
this arrangement, although at times,
when he'saw how gray Apollonia was
getting, he had his doubts. But he
was a loyal man, Mr.. Block was, and
moreover he had gotten so accustomed
to being engaged to Apollonia that he
could not imagine how he should feel
if he were not. Besides, Apollonia had
her points; she had been decidedly
handsome in her day, and at home in
Switzerland she had been considered
quite a catch. After the death of both
her parents she had come to Rome,
and after a few modest exploits in art
had opened a clearinghouse. It was
generally understood that an italian
Prince had proposed to her, but then
there are few fourishing boarding
house keepers in Rome who have not
had the chance of becoming Princesses;
that is, Of course, on condition OF
boarding the Prince free. Apollonia
could not afford to do this, and there
fore she declined. Her first considera-
ton, however, was her tenderness for
Mr.. Block, from whose genius she ex-
pected a greater distinction than that
of worldly rank.
It will be observed that Apollonia
was a tritie romantic. Art was to her
a sacred thing, in the presence Of which
she would have taken off her hat if hel
hat had been detachable. When she
visited Mr.. Blocks studio, as she often
did, in the company of a chaperon, she
walked on tiptoe and talked in whis.
pers. She believed firmly that the
world would some day recognize Mr..
Blocks greatness, and then she would
be rewarded for her long and weary
waiting. In the meanwhile she could
only pity the world for it's purblind
stupidity in not recognizing MI. Block.
Only think of the splendid gallery Mr..
Block had collected of his own works
gambling peasants, monks drinking
wine OF p%inching the cheeks of pretty
girls, shepherds from the Campagna
playing mora, etc.-think of all these
radiant works of genius, which might
be had for the paltry sum Of fifty OF
sixty thousand dollars! Of course Mr..
Block was perfectly right in refusing
to sell such gems for five hundred or a
thousand francs. She would rather
wait until the moment of recognition
came, when he would be able, perhaps,
to sell them all together to his native
city of Berne, to be preserved forever
in a separate building, to be called the
Block Museum. Apollonia wept for
very Joy when she thought of distant
generations deriving inspiration and
enjoyment, and blessing her name be-
a she had upheld and strengthened
MI. Block in his defiance of the worlds
miserable disregard.
am SURF that the reader will now
expect me to tell him that Mr.. Block
was a poor artist. No, my dear sir;
there you are wide of the mark. Nj.
Block was, on the who',, more than a
fair artist. He was n 1t a great and
shining light, perhaps; but he was far
from being a charlatan. He was a
.l;ttle 10 hachelnr who. with cnnscien.