San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-02-14

Forbes was greatly in his element at
lunch | never knew him more racy he gave
US biographies, mostly imaginary, illustrated
by sketches, made in the intervals of eating,
Of the sitters whose portraits he has con-
descended to take this year. They range
from bishop and a royalty down TO little
girl picked up in the London streets. and his
presentation of the characteristic attitudes
of each-those attitudes which, according to
him, betray the inner soul Of the bishop or
the foundling-was admirable. Then he fell
upon the academy-that respected body Of
which suppose he will soon be the president
and tore it limb from limb. With what face
| shall ever sit at the same table with him at
the academy dinners of the future-suppos
ing fortune ever eIalts me agnin rs she did
this year to chat august NEAL hardly
know Millas' faces, Pettie's knights or
Calderon's beauties-all Jared the same. You
could not say it was i'll natured; il was
simply the bare truth OF things put in the
whimsical manner which is natural to
Forbes.
Miss Bretherton listened to and laughed at
it ALL finding her way through the crowd Of
unfamiliar names and illusions with a wo.
mans cleverneSs, looking adorable all the
Time in a click of some brown velvet stuff,
and large hat also OF brown velvet. She
has beautiful hand. fine and delicate, not
specially small, but full of character; it was
pleasant to watch it playing with her orange,
or smoothing back every now and then the
rebellious locks which will stray, do what
she will, beyond the boundaries assigned to
them. Presently Wallace was i'll advised
enough to ask her which pictures she had
liked the best at the Private View; she 70
piled by picking out ball room scene at
Forth's and an uuutterable mawkish thing Of
uaford's-a troubadour in a pluk dressln.
gown, gracefully intertwined with violet
Scarfs, singing to a party of robust young
women i'll light which never was on sea or
land You could count all the figures
III tho frs, she said, it was so ifelike, so
real end then halford was romantic, the
picture was pretty, and she liked it, | looked
at Forbes with some amusement; it was graft
flying, remembering the rodomontade with
which wallace and | had been crushed on
the night of the White Lady to see him
vince under Miss Bre.hertonS liking Of ths
worst art III Engandl Is the critical spint
worth something, or is It superhuous in the
atricai matters and only indispensable in
matters of paintingf think he caught the
challenge in my eye, for he evidently felt
himself in some little difficulty.
"Oh, you couldn't he said, with groan,
you couldn't like that ball room-and that
troubadour, heaven forgive usl Well, there
must be something in it-there must be some
thing in it, if it really gives you pleasure
dare say there is; we're so confoundedly up
pish in the way we look at things II either
Of them had a particle of drawing or a scrap
of taste. if both OF them weren't as bare as
q broomSticS of the least vestige Of gift, or
any suspicion of knowledge, there might be
good deal to say for theml Only, my dear
Miss BrethertoD, you see it's really not mat
ter Of opinion, assure you it isn't. | could
prove to you as plain as two and two make
four, that Haford's figures don't join in the
middle, and that Forth's men and women are
as fat as my hand-there isn't back among
theml And then the taste, and the color, and
the claptrap idiocy of the sentiment No,
don't think can stand it | am all for people
getting enjoyment where they can, with a
defiant look at me, and swapping their fin
gers at the critics. But one must draw the
line somewhere. There's some art that's out
of court from the beginning
Il couldn't resist it.
"'Don't listen to him, Miss Bretherton,'
cried. If were you wouldn't let him spoil
your pleasure The great thing is to feel;
defend your feeling against himl Its worth
more than this criticism
FORBES eyes looked laughing daggers at
me from under his shaggy white brows. Mrs.
Stuart and Wallace kept their countenances
to perfection; but | had him; there's no
denying it.
"'Oh, know nothing about it. said Isabel
Bretherton, divinely unconscious Of the little
skirmish going on around her You must
teach me, Mr. Forbes only know what
touches me, what like-thats all know in
aRgtLlOSi