The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1888-11-08
MR.. WINTHROP'S COAT.
BY STEWART CHAPLIN.

nY STEWART CHAPTIN.
Mr. Waldo Archer, the portrait painter.
lived, about three years ago, in one of
those pretty studio buildings on Thirty.
seventh street, IN New York city. If
you have ever been through the street
you must remember the bui dings-
Philadelphia pressed brick, each story
set back further than the one below, and
with sloping root of ground glass rising
back TO the ncNt story.
Mir. Archer was not as well known
then aS he is know. he had not as vet
painted that portrait of Leonard Z.
Jenkins, icc.Prcsidcnt OF the o., +. AZ
W. l,a'lroad, which made such stir at
the spring exhibition at the Academy in
lNNd. But he had alread, attained rea
sonab'c success, aud had IA pretty wife
who was n painter, tOo-not of portraits.
but If china a-thlt dainty sort YOU have
seen at the great china stores. wild roses
with the morulrg dew on them and
blackberry vines IN their autumn colors
You felt almost certain you could see
them STIR lIt,,c IN some passing br cle,
as you looked at them.
Mrs. Archer had herself done the house.
work in the little Hat some time-~he
Il not ind 1t much OF u burden. And
nov, their only servant was an old col
orcd man who had brought them letter
from some dear friend, of theirs in the
South. He had come to Ncw York to
look up child be had lost after the
war, but had only found that the child
wa, dead.
The hryhrrs did not know what to do
hn al ~ t,. 4 4
como M IN the afternoon TO Sc, If they
had found him place.
1.r. Archer would be painting away
AT hi, easel on the blue coat ucrhlps Of
General! or the ball dress Of n lady of
fashion, and his wife would be ,ittng
in her low, rattan chair reading aloud
to him from FoDcrt Browning or Dr.
Holmes, or some other of their favoritc
writers, whel there would come knock
on the door, and IN would walk AlcNan.
der Maxwell st. Clair, bowling low and
swinging back Mt aims length his high,
white Caycr hat.
lie was tai, gaunt old man. solemn
IN appearance until he began to speak,
when his face lighted mp finely.
Mrs. Archer always laid her book
down at once and asked him to be
seated, but he would only bow and
smile, and remain standing, and say,
, bowling his head fre Iucntly while he
spoke:
"Well, sir any news for me to-day,
sir"
lie always said "Sir," but he evidently
asked the question of both.
There never vas any news. Mr..
Archer "loancd" hma a little money now
and then, "tll he could find place, "
and finally they took him themselves, in
| self defence, Mrs. Archer said, and he
soon became an established member of
the family.
lie could cook, and wash and iron, and
/ sweep, and scrub, not ouly could, but
did. He tended" the door with much
state and so'emnity, made all the pur.
! chascs 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 see,
ing visions of boiling pota oes and balt.
ing bread float ng between the lines
| Now she turned all such visions over tC
Alexander.
one day handsome carriage with
faint red monogram on the panel,
stopped before Mr.. Archer's building,
and in few moments gentleman wa,
ushcred in 10y AleXander--Mr. Win
thror.
Mr.. Archer knew the name. He hat
scen it in the papers often. And he knew
where Mr., Winthrop lived, in great
double, brown stone house. with glitter
ing platc-glass windows, on Fifth ave
nue., corner house with square orie
window projecting diagoualy from tn
c-rner on the second floor.
Mr.. Winthrop had seen some of MI
Archer's portraits at the Academy Ex