New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-22
NETWORK LIFE.
PAY DAY AT THE METROPOLITAN


q Admission to-day, 25 cents' This is all that pro
pares the vision for the unwonted presence OF tho
copying artist the yawnng lounger, laboriousy Bhg
time; the itnersnt tourist, catalogue In hand glasses
we'll forward the tip Of his nose and umbrella
tucked tight under his arm; the snnotating STUDENT
with long pale hair cropped of along the nape OF MS
neck the charming young lady, stalking new sens%
lions the delightful young man, generally staining inc
young lady, else working up artistic tsste whcn
In the future fill dismal gaps OF silence AZ ohners
ind tho arid wastes of hot entire acts.
Inside the lower hall, chill lofty and silent, there
,re only few people 1t is not comfortable, frenoiy
place the air seems chilled and robbed OF its emil
aratng properties by contact with the lonely, quie'
marbles In the middle of the hall stands STUDENT
leaning on and studying with dreaming eye tno
old illuminated missals, his thoughts slipping oacA W
the picturesque days when pous fathers enrcheo tno
mssa border with glowing tangles Of flowers aud
fruit and vino. sceptic, with pursed hp, aiert
glance and fingers warly tapping on the bronze BACKS
of the great crabs bends unbeleving head to peer
at their underside and passes warm palm over their
cold indented surface woman, her back toward
YOU. with slender waist and coil Of hair, bright
where the sun strikes 1t, stands musDg among the
unblushing marble nudities Passing footsteps echo
sharply on the floor then pause, to gradually fade
aw ay in the reverberating distance amid solitude OF
stone sarcophagi, and tghtcured noseless Assyrlan
monarchs The clicking Of woman's high heels
comes ntly from the direction Of the shelves whore
the Cyprus bottles CLEAN Dramatically The clicNns
rouses your langud curiosity; 1t sounds as though the
heel might be French, the feet small and dainty, and
one imsglnes a face to correspond. Unfortunately
under one Of the shelves you can see the feet and
their owner being alone and uDobserved luxuriousy
stands at with her toes turned In ana you see
the feet to sure but somewhat en- deshabie, which
rather cools your interest in the face to correspond
Upstairs IT is more interesting. No one being alonc
and unobserved no shocks Of turnedin toes need be
feared A shifting throng pass in and out 60 JOY"
fully antcipant along the corridor to tho wolfe col
lection returning with heads close together vouDly
exchanging opinions On the benches tired ones droop
before canvases which pail. They have passed the
bored stage and only look dIsconsolate but ap-
psrently have not sufficient vitality left to get up
aud co. Hero and there lonely figure, man or
woman, stands mOtonless and mute before tavorlte
Three women full Of suppressed laughter, ready to
run at the highest touch, stand before The Dc
fence of Champigny" The near-sghted one holds the
catalogue under her nose, and that member being
longer than the longest caprice in noses ever sane
toned by the OF beauty, the catalogue is entirely
overshadowed by It, and neither of the friends can have
q GLIMPSE They silently wrestle; but with large
nose large brains, hear, and the nearsghted
one whlsks the coveted catalogue dextrousy aside,
and holding it high toward the light decphers the name
Then they turn and 1t on the frame feel that the
touch has been given and overflow into waves of ever
increasing mirth which when most successfully re-
pressed on side, bubble toyfully out like thermal
spring on another.
"What do you suppose those glass things are ~
murmuS one, pointing TO the overturned glass bells
In the foreground.
al thought they were bombshes at frst,' the other
admits guilty. and only the advent Of another party
boforo Champlgny checks another outbreak
The second party has two ladies and a man for COM
ponent parts The man talks loudly for the crowd !;
there Is dash, the fantest soupoon, OF the Funny
Man about him to add relish But 1t does not make
him as crisp and tart as 1t ought. He is on his best
behavior-pote and determined to amuse. In ap-
pearance he suggests a clergyman on the stage
smooth oily hair parted down the middle and the ends
caressng his coatcOllar WHISPERS large and bushy,
shaven mouth, large sleek, gradual smile which 1t
takes time TO develop; low unctuous voice. His
ladies goodlookng, good natured comfortable and
fat, and laugh lazily at his jokes.
Defence of glIby; then he pauses. He almost
capitulates before Cbamplgny, but finally muttes 1t
into the bosom Of his shirt as though he conhded IL
secretly to his heart It's war;" he explains you sec
they're trying to scale the wall"
How terrible war is,n says the largest lady with
the easy pity of one who IS safe from such Ills, which
she certainly isfor even a vvandiere there would
be the cold, the wet and tho short skirts Then they
pass on mlnge with the crowd and pause to criticse
the artists work
There Is one artist young man, tall blond and
says confdentaly in his ear as they stand behind
him, with their heads sde staring at his can
vas. He unruifed by this lavish praise works
away industrously, sometimes giving his maulstck an
impatient witch when quite by accident 1T hits some
one, to whom he gracefully apologies, or again getting
off his stool and Of sudden stepping back to scrutnize
tho old womans face, when, in his pre-occupaon, or
that Of his admirer he stops firm and hard on the toes
Of the admirer who cries cry OF bitter PAIN and TO
whom once more that young artist, turning
1ushed and contrl,e apologies with all the gracious
ness OF Bohemia.
artist, and she has to grief and is dsheartened
Her stool deserted, her picture stands with the figure
roughly blocked the canvas, and she sits Respondent
on bench, with her useless maulstick beside her, and
her idle brushes clasped In her dropping hand. She
dwelIs upon her canvas with troubled glances a;
though she fears sho is Matching cockatrice. But
her pose is delightful, her profile pensvcly piquant
and her eyes have the clesrness and depth OF child
hood The crowd gapes at her as she meditates looks
at her rough picture and then at the original, anc
passes on, not finding her particularly interesting
There two young who stroll in, one cookbook
ing with dark pointed Vandyke beard, ono ugly
with smooth face, and they, to be sure, cast thu
eye OF experience upon her, and side toward her
They pretend 10 look at the copy, but really lool
coyly at the musing artist who has the bad taste no
to them, and doesn't even turn her head Ths
young men crestfallen, and can't make II out.
The thin artist, when his admiring crowd gives hin
breathing space, and when the venom Of his spleei
has been vented his admirers toes comes across Il
help and reassue this discouraged ab0rer In the vine
yard. And why is not a writer Of romances at hand
He takes the maulstck taps the canvas, and crosses
with mystic lines, and in md-dscourse sufused will
enthusiasm, meets the young ladys shy eyes, lowers
he maustick and his voice, and 10 they murmur to
gcther IN manner there Is no installing. The watch
ing spnsters thrill in romantic sympathy and the TIVE
young eye each other with killing looks The,
understand now, those bold and wordly-wise youn
men. They straghten up, and feel no longer crest
fallen.
In the doorway two interesting looking girls
who have Just come in. They look wonderingly about
confused by the wealth of color and richness Tn
smaller of the two is petite and pretty and wears
,roun coat a brown bonnet and a misty brown veil