Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-17
THE TOPICAL TALKER.
A Miracle of NIemory-The Joke Went Ofin
the Breech-A New Picture or Two.


observant nature and youthful in her buoyancy
and energy happened to be in Washington
with friends, and she spent great deal of time
seeing the sights In the course of their wan
derings they visited the National Museum
and there they found two of those singular
stone figures brought from the little Easter
ISLE that volcanic waif in the eastern part Of
the Pacific. Nobody knows who made these
hideous images of stone, with their round out
lines. The Polynesian natives of the Isle are
no better informed about the statues, which
they used to worship before Christianity took
them into its fold, than anybody else.
But they seemed strangely familiar to the
Pittsburg lady. She was sure she had seen
them before. How this could have been she
did not know. She had not been to Easter
Isle, nor had she visited the National Museum
before. And these are the only images in this
country. For long while she was at a loss to
read the riddle. Then it suddenly dawned
upon her that she had seen picture of the
images in book when she was very small
girl. The book was in some sort narrative of
Captain Cooks voyages, in the course of one
of which that great navigator visited Easter
Isle. The book was published in 1910, and it
was not long after that that it was in the hands
of the little girl who half century later was
to see the originals of one of the illustrations
in Washington museum. The impressions Of
childhood last long while
So
AS most people know, there is man in Pitts
burg who says he can diagnose physical all
ments and prescribe for them efficaciously by
simply examining hair of the patient. A good
many other people must believe in letting their
lives depend upon single hair for this unique
doctor has prospered not little.
couple of young men. however, not so very
long ago, thought that the hair doctor would
be an excellent subject for practical joke
So they plucked hair from bay horse and
took it to the doctor, telling him that the pa
tient who desired his treatment lived some
distance from Pittsburg and was confined to
his bed. The doctor examined the hair care
fully, and turning it between his finger and
thumb remarked: This is very, very serious
caseI must have few minutes to think over
it," and he sat down at his desk with his back
to the two young men, who nudged one an
other and exchanged smiles.
After few minutes the doctor wrote a pre-
scription of some length, and handed it to his
visitors. They saw what appeared to them to
be the usual mixture of hieroglyphics and in
distinct scrawls, which make up physicians
prescription, and asked the doctor what his fee
would be.
"Well, gentlemen" the doctor replied, sim
afraid my terms will seem little high, but the
condition of your friend, judging by the hair
you have given me, is SO precarlous that must
charge you S25"
The jokers were little aghast at this request,
but the amount was handed over by one of
them, and they then left They laughed hearth
ly when they reached the street at the way they
had fooled the doctor, and laughed some more
at the thought of what fun they would have
with him later on. They were still laughing
when they entered drugstore and handed the
prescription to the clerk. They kept on laugh
ing while the clerk tried to read the prescrip-
tion, and remarked that it was hard to read
Then the drug clerk began to laugh. The
jokers laughed with him. They all laughed
heartily till the drug clerk managed to blurt
out: you'd better take this to the feed store
we don't fill such an order as this here" and
then he went on reading from the prescription:
''One bushel of oats two quarts of bran, four
quarts of water, stir well, and give three times
a day-and then turn the animal out to grassp'
Then the jokers stopped laughing. The doc
tor had recognized the origin of the hair. He
had joke on the jokers and five crisp fvers
-
EVERYBODY who knows Mr., A. ]. Shed den,
the assistant manager of the Bijou Theater
will be very sorry to hear that he is not likely
to be well enough to attend to his theatrical
duties again this season. He is at present in
the Allegheny Hospital, and in addition to the
lamentable eye trouble, his general health has
given way.
A week or two before his eyes began to pain
him anew Mr.. Shedden told me that he had
evil presentiments about his health, although
no tangible symptom of his subsequent col
lapse had then shown itself. 1t is sad that such
gentle, warm-hearted as well as very useful
man should be singled out for such intense
suffering He himself often has expressed his
envy of the very beggars who tramp along the
highways stout in health and endowed with
perfect sight.
PITTsBURG has recently encouraged dealers
in pictures of the better sort to bring their ar
tistlc wares here. There is considerable en-
couragement. it will be admitted. in the fact
that dealers from abroad have sold over 81 900
worth of pictures here within the last ten
weeks.
Mr.. Bleiman has again brought some pictures
to the Gillespie gallery, which are worth going
to see. Probably they number dozen, and
they are mostly rather loftily priced. There is
very repulsive, but powerful work of Gustave
Dore, very fifty called "The Embrace of
Death" which very few would care to look at
every day. Several other pictures notably
Jacque and a smudgy, monotonous Corot, are
principally valuable because of the signatures
they bear.
50
BUT there is certainly one picture which
everybody will rejoice IN. 1t is genre picture
of no great size, by Adrien Harmand THE
subject is a hunter in fox-hunting rig of red
coat, buckslin shorts and high boots lolling at
his ease in a tavern. He holds his glass non
chalantly toward pretty waiting-maid bearing
Jug of beer. She leans a little over the
table in a graceful pose. Her turned-up
sleeves show rounded arm, and her S krt is
high enough to show pair of shapely ankles.
The dress of the maid is excellently finished
The bodice of dotted blue stuff and the kerr
chief of fame color about her neck contrast
admirably with the delicate flesh tints. The
wall of the room is a sad neural tint. A pic
ture of an ancient beau and belle, hanging on
the wall is deliciously true in its stiff ugliness
A dog in the foreground exhibits NJ. Har-
mand's strength of drawing; the foreshortening
is accomplished in mastery fashion. II you
are not careful you'll find yourself trying to
pat the dog. The whole picture is full of life
and air.
The only doubtful part of this picture is the
nationality of Its subject The huntsman is
English in his dress, countenance and attitude
the waitress is as thoroughly German or at
least Continental; her face, cap and air do not
suggest an English inn. The huntsmans horn
hung on the wall is certainly of the French
kind. Perhaps M. Harmand made the picture
as English as his choice Of models and acces-
sories permitted.
PARADED IN A PELTING RAIN.