The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-24
ODDS AND ENDS.
james Whitcomb Riley.

Il. B. Gruelle, the artist, who two years since
went to Florida, returned six weeks ago and
opened studio in the Ingalls, Block Mr..
Gruels is an interchangeable worker and dur
ing his stay in Florida made numerous studies
and sketches of the subtropical scenery of that
wonderful State, many of which are fantas-
tically beautiful, the Floridan sky taken in con.
nection with the strange foliage producing rare
effects. There are canvaseS showing the weird
forests of live oaks, palmettos and magnoias, a
bewldering variety of foliage unknown in any
other State in the Union. "That," said the art
ist as the reporters eye fell upon dismal look
ing picture, that is the edge OF a cypress
swamp. 1t is malarial looking picture with its
funeral-ike hangings of Spanish moss, That is
one of my oddities. Here is bit of pine woods
in less sombre vein. O. there's no end to color
In Florida, if the artist wants it, There Is a
magnolia bloom as large tea cup. Think of
forest of maguolias and jasmines! l have
kept the Florida cow out of my landscapes. She
too, is tempting in color, running from white
through cream color on with many diversities
eliminating in purple We get wonderful colors
10 cows. but nothing is as wonderful as the beef
Of the cracker cattle"
Mr.. Gruele's studio contains a number of
portraits, which show much artistic merit He
has recently made number of pretty sketches
of scenery in the vicinity of Indianapolis.
"Stories about Horace Greeley are always in
teresting." remarked Charles NJ Walker in
conversation. "The other day l met one of
the proprietors of the Kniehtstown Banner, who
gave me two that have never been in print
He worked in the New York Tribune office ten
years during Mr. Greeley's time. and had many
anecdotes of that great editor. 1t was Mr..
Greeley's custom on Sunday forenoon to attend
DR. nina Off
ter down to the Tribune office and look through
the exchanges One remarkably cold Sunday
he came down to the Office after church. The
ianitor had neglected to build any fires. Mr..
Greeley went into the editorial room, and. his
feet feeling cold, he took off his shoes and hung
his feet in the register. Presently the foreman
came down on some GRAND of business. It was
freezing cold, and there was cold draft rushing
through the register where Mr.. Greeley sat i'm
mersed in exchanges, wholly oblivous of all
sublunary discomforts
why, Mr.. Greeley" exclaimed the fore
man, what in the world are you doing?
There's no fire there, and you'll take your death
Of cold
ON it, said the philosopher, pettishly,
why did you tell me? 1 was warming myself
very nicely"
"The second story is illustrative of Mr. Gree
ley's good heart his carelessness of money and
his absent mindedness A ne'er-do-well of a
drunken printer, always in need of money, on
one occasion went to Mr.. Greeley and asked
loan. He told the old man he hadn't worked for
several days, and needed money badly. Some
kind Of Republican convention was in prog
ress, and visitors were constantly coming and
going, comforting with the great editor. Draw
ing large roll of paper money out of his pocket,
he gave the printer five dollars He met q lot
of the boys a moment after his interview with
the sage, and told them his success. by Jove
said he, as IT happy thought had struck him,
4 believe I'll play it on the old man. Back he
went into the 'sanctum, again he was favored
with Mr. Greeleys ear, and told his story The
sage for moment looked puzzled, but, putting
his hand into his pocket, he again drew out the
roll of bills, and handed the printer five dollars
remarking: See here, Tom it runs in my mind
that you were here three or four weeks ago with
similar story, and / then loaned you some
money The rascal said 1t was true; that he
would repay both amounts, and made off with
his booty"
The jewellers to the east and north of the
State house have for some time been greatly ar
noyed by the dense smoke that rolls out of the
smokestack and settles in the form OF dust and
SCOT in their parlors. sitting rooms, bedrooms
and pantries. Said Mrs. Hendricks. widow OF
the late Vice-presdent II have always been
greatly annoyed by it. but as 1t seems necessary
and part of public work, l have long re-
Trained from saying anything. This summer it
became unbearable as they burned a
coal that seemed worse in the quantity of
smoke it furnished I then learned that
the contractors, having finished the State work
were using the machinery there, located on
State property, for dressing stone to be used in
building Chicago bridges. This ying smoke
stack is in the heart of the city, and thank
when the work they are engaged in is not for
this city, but for Chicago, that the contractors
should be compelled to put smoke-consumer on
the stack. We of the neghborhood dislike to
enter into a squabble. but we think we ha,
suffered long enough.
but say as little as possible in this matter
that is offensive" said Mrs Hendricks In con-
clusion. II do not want to go to war with the
contractors"
For four or Ave days there has been on ex-
hibit, at Colonel Erdelmeyer's drug store, on
Fort Wayne avenue, small oil portrait of Pres
ident Lincoln that is we'll worth looking at. In
1858 Mr. Lincoln stopped at Dayton, o., on his
way to Cincinnati, to meet Mr Craighead, a law
yer of Dayton, who was to accompany him to
the former place. where the two were engaged
in a law case. DIR. Craighcad prevailed upon
Mr.. Lincoln between trains to have bis photo
graph taken, and from this photograph Charles
w. Nickum, then boy of fifteen, but with de-
cided artistic genius. as the picture itself shows
made the portrait Mf. Nickum, now resident