Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1888-10-24
THAT PRINCE ALBERT.
An Old Dar}zy's Amusing Conduct
During an Emergency.

Mr.. Waldo Archer, the portrait
painter, lived, about three years ago,
in one Of those pretty studio building 5
on Thirty-seventh street. in New York
City. If you have ever been through
the street you must remember the
buildings-Philadelphia pressed brick,
each story set back further than the
one below, and with Il sloping roof of
ground glass rising back to the next
story.
Mr.. Arche. Was not "a we'll known
Their a. ne is now. He had not us vet
painted that portrait OF Leonard P.
Jenkins, vice-prosident Of the c.. p &
81. railroad, which made such stir at
tie spring exhibition at the academy
in 1886. But he had already attained
reasonable success. and had IL pretty
wife who was q painter, too-not of
portraits, but of china-that dainty
sort you have seen at the great china
stores, wild roses with the mornin 9
Jew on them and blackberry vines in
their autumn colors. You felt almost
certain you could see them stir little
in some passing breeze, as sou looked
at them.
Mrs. Archer had herself done the
homework in the little flat for some
time-she did. not flint it much of Il
burden. nd now, their only servant
was an old coloreG man who had
> brought them a letter from some dear
friends of theirs in the South. He had
come to New York to look up child
he had lost after the war, but had only
found that the child was dead The
Archers did not know what to do with
the old man, at first. He used to come
in in the afternoon to see if they had
found him place.
Mr.. Archer would be painting away
at his easel on the blue coat perhaps
Of C. General, or the ball-dress of
lady of fashion, and his wife would be
sitting in her low, rattan chaii: read
ing aloud to him from Robert Brown
ing or DR.. Holmes: or some other Of
their favorite writer's, when there
would come a knock at the door, and
in would walk Rev. Alexander Max
we'll St. Clair. bowling low and swing
ing back at arms length his high,
whitebeaver hat.
He was q tall, gaunt old rlan, solemn
iu appearance until he began tc speak,
when his face lighted up finely.
Mrs. Archer always laid her book
do wn at once, and asked him to be
seated, but he would only bow and
smile, and remain standing, and say,
bowling his head frequently while he
spoke: a..
"Well, sir, any news for me to-day,
sir?" g.:
He always said "Sir," but he evil
IDENTIFY asked the question of both.
There never was any news Mr..
Archer "loaned" him q little money
now and then, ''till he could find &
place." and finally they took him them
selves-in self-defense, Mrs: Archer
said-and he soon became an estab-
lished member of the family.
He could cook, and wash and iron,
and sweep, and scrub--not only could,
but did. lie ''tended' the door with
much state and solemnity, made all
the purchases at the groccr's and
butchers, and, in fact, rendered life
quite another thing for Mrs. Archer,
She said that formerly, when she
read to her husband from Whittier or
Lowell, she was always seeing visions
OF boiling potatoes and baking bread
floating between the lines. Now she
turned all such visions over to Alex
ander.
One day a handsome carriage, with
a, faint rcd monogram on the panel,
stopped before MI. Archcr's building,
and in a few moments a gentleman was
ushered in by Alcxandcr-Mr. Win
throp.
MIR. Archer knew the name. lie had
seen it in the papers often. And he
knew where Mr.. Winthrop lived, in a
great. double, brown-stone house with
glittering plate glass windows, OF Fifth
avenue-a corner house with a square
oriel window projecting diagonally
from the corner on the second floor
Mr.. Winthrop had seen some of Mr.
Archer's portraits at the Academy TX
hibitiop, and recently had been especi-
ally pleased with one he saw at u
friends house on Fifty-seventh street.
Be ""nted to have MIR. Archer to paint