The Washington critic., 1886-02-04
DAUGHTER.

EN- y Dh Uuil UN.
1t might be said of old Sam Sladgcr
that his counting house was his temple,
his desk was his altar, his ledger was
his bible and his money was his god.
Next to his money he loved his only
child his daughter Julia.
Old Sam had determined that Julia
should wed his friend, Aid Chozzlc,
who was worth a mint of money and
would be mayor at no distant day. 1t
was an excellent match from every
point of view except onc-Julia's.
Julia would have nothing to do with
Chozzlc, much less would she marry
him. The matter was often debated
between father and daughter, if that
can be called debate, which was all
command and low.voiced argument on
the one side and all tears and silent OBJ
stinacy on the other.
Had Cho22lo had no favored rival in
the field IL is possible the poor girl
might have been bullied into accepting
him. But there was rival. lie was
an artist. He was very poor: He was
a complete failure in his profession.
lie was exceedingly romantic, and his
name was Vandeleur dc We're. Any
one must see at once that these were
quite good and sufficient reasons for
any young woman falling in love with
him. AT any rate, they were quite
sufficient for Julia. Julia went out
one fine morning and married Ncnde-
leur dc We're according to prearranged
plan.
Now, If there was one man old Sam
objected to more strongly than another
it was Nandeleur de We're. He branded
him, with fine scorn, as zone of them
good-for- nothing ascetic fellow" by
which he was understood TO mean the
great aesthetic brotherhood in general.
When, therefore, he received a letter
from his daughter, putting him in pos
session of the state of affairs, implor.
ing forgiveness for herself and darling
Van" the old mans feelings may, to
use novel phrase, be better imagined
than described.
In their rooms in back street Mr..
and Mrs. Nandcleur dc We're awaited
the outraged parent reply with good
utul VI unNlttN' lhcy ditt NV CApcbJ
that he would come around all at once;
that would be too much, but they did
hope that after the first fit of passion
he would accept the inevitable and his
son.in law
But they were soon deceivcd-not
quite so soon, however, as might have
been supposed, for two days elapsed
before letter made its appearance,
bearing on the cover the stiff, awkward
writing of Samuel Sladger. When it
did come the young couple found it
very brief and to the point. twas adj
dressed TO Mrs. V. de We're, and ran as
follows
MADAM: Your favor of the ith instant to
hand aud contents noted. As you have made
your bed SO must you and your yagabond lie.
You lave not broken my heart by your wicked
II against you forever. am man of my
word; that you know well. cast you on; |
disown you MS daughter. forbid you or
your Mr.. dc We're to set foot in my house un-
der any pretense whatever, and | tell you
now, once for all, that you shall never have
even one penny piece, or the value Of II, from
me. 1t will be quito useless to write TO me,
as all your letters will be returned unopened.
SAMUEL SLADGER.
To do Julia and her husband justice
plucllily. Van painted by the perch,
rood and acre, but the pictures would
not sell. BY the time all Julia S
trinkets had been turned into money,
and actual starvation was staring the
young couple in the face-for dealers
and art shopkeepers wouldn't even
look at poor Vans productions now
the landlady, who was getting anxious
about the rent, which was rapidly fall.
ing in arrears, volunteered this-to
Julia-vcry mysterious piece of al
vice:
'1f you can't sell EN-" and she in
dicated the blushing canvas, why not
spout 'em?"
IL beg your pardon, don't quite
understand" replied Julia, looking q
good deal bcwildered.
The landlady, in tone of ill-con-
cealed pity for her lodger's ignorance,
explained that 'spouting' the pictures
meant pledging them at pawnbroker's
for whatever he could be induced to
lend upon them,
Julia soon reconciled herself to the
notion of obtaining small advances upon
her husbands pictures.
In their keen struggle for life both
Van and Julia became smart and art
ful to u degree which surprised even
themselves Van very soon got tc
know the sort of pictures upon which
most money could be lent, and was
| lavish in the use of his brightest colors
| But to Julia must be given the credit
of hitting upon the idea of Vans pro
ducing endless copies of his most pop
| ular piece-a cd.cloaked maiden walk
ing in gamboge cornleld under {
| brilliant ultra marine sky. Van soon
dropped into the knack of knocking
of" these masterpieces at u terrific
rate. He worked upon some half
dozen at once, first putting on six bril-
liant skies, then calling into being sis
fields of waving grain, and then intro
ducing into each the simple maiden IL
the eXcruciating scarlet cloak,
For many week did the young peo
pie live upon the proceeds of thel
gaudy manufacture, but there came ,
time when there was scarcely pawn
broker in New York who had not il
his keeping one of Vans outrages upoi
nature. But it gradually becam,
harder to part with them or any pic
ture at all, and the young people were
getting terribly anxious about th
future.
IVAN, dear" said Julia, for tn
thousandth time, 1--WE must have none.
somehow. I'm getting desperate.
wish, oh how ] wish | could earn
some! But what can ] do? ! wa
never taught anything useful. | cal
play deccntly, it's true, and can sing
that's one thing can do really well
But where can sing? ! have neve
sung in public. have no recon-
mendations nor introductions. shall
never make anything by singing"
"I'm afraid you're right, darling,
said her husband, gloomilY, as h
clinked the few half-dollars remaining