The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1891-12-12
The LONG AGO.
BADGERS PICTURE.

Do you remember Badgers big picture
Of "a Nihilist Conspiracy" in the 1885
academy? 1t was one of the pictures of
the year, By CAD, sir, that was a pic
ture! 1t fetched everybody, did "a
Nihilist Conspiracy" Then came the
order for the "Conversazione at1Burling-
ton House." and then, of course, his for
tune was made, and Badger became an
A. r. A. Badger, A. r. A., cuts me
now. l used to know him very we'll;
we were both members of the Goose
club. OF course that isn't the right
name Of our club-the real name is the
Swan but we are always called the
Goose club, you know, and there are all
sorts of mysterious reasons alleged for it.
Splitter, who is professional wit, and
earns a very precarious living by it, and
is not a member of the Goose club
mean the Swan-declares that it's be-
cause all our members who are dramatists
invariably get the goose; that, in the
vile, common slang of the stage, means
that their productions are always hissed.
have been told to my face, sir, by that
beast Grinner, also a professional wit.
ling, ard whom we decline to elect to the
Goose club mean the Swan-because
he wasn't qualified, for we are all spon.
taneous wits at our dear old place-that
it's because all our geese are swans, and
we swans are all geese. know the real
reason, and I've got it down in my re.
miniscences, and when die they'll be
published, and you can buy a copy, and
then you'll find it out.
But to come back to Badgers nagnum
opus. l gave him the tip-I mean the
valuable hint; I'm always giving people
good advice, and they're seldom, very
seldom, grateful for it.
"Why don't you do a nihilist pictureT
said to Badger one day; Everybody
mad on nihilism just now. You've only
got to read up Stepniak and make YOU
nihilists ugly enough, and its bound tc
be big thing" And then stroked my
long gray beard (my beard is my great
feature, you know. I've got a rather
low forehead, but then the ancients ad
mired low foreheads-tenui fronte, Hor
ace. Ha, hal
YOU'D make a capital nihilist," sait
Badger.
gave him one of my scathing glances
and saw that the young fellow wal
sorry for his impertinence. And ther
the matter dropped.
The next thing heard was that Bad
ger was going to immortalize the Coos,
club-that he had determined to paint ,
picture of the thirty most celebrated
members. Badger became suddenly pop
ular.
"Dear old man." he said to me, &c
want you to sit"
was delighted. l only sat for tn
face, you know, and was in the verl
center of the picture. Badger selected
twenty-nine other victims. The like
nesses were wonderful. The member
actually fought for the honor of sitting
to Badger, and then he shut himself ul
in his studio, and denied himself h
everybody on the pretense Of putting il
the figures. There wasn't one Of us VIII
had the least doubt that the great pic
ture of the Goose club would become a
celebrated as Terburg's masterpiece
1.-THE Congress of Munster" We felt
by we Imean the happy thirty-that w
were already immortal; we felt tina
Badger would hand US down to posterit,
as representative lights of literature
science and art. We'd have done any
thing for Badger at that time. We
and the other twenty-nine immortals-
were continually calling on Badger; bu
we never could get a sight Of Of the pic
ture; he was invariably not at home
And then a dreadful rumor ran abou
the Goose club.
Pugwash, the sculptor, came bacI
| from st. Petersburg, where he had beel
executing a commission, and he told u
that Badger had painted one Of us ou
and had painted him in. Wei mea
the original thirty-endured weeks O
agony till the academy private view
We couldn't get anything out Of Pug
wash; he declared that he was sworn I
secrecy; he even pretended that he didn'
really know which Of us was the-well
Peri at the gate-for he swore that tn
picture was covered up mysterlousl
with clothes, merely leaving an openin
Ia which his head was inserted. HOy
we all envied Pugwashl He, at least
was certain of immortality.
But was determined TO ascertain th
truth at once. Directly the hangin
committee at Burlington House con
menced its labors, l called on ever
academician and associate knew. The
none on them could tell me anythin
about the Goose club picture. You Sc,
In the ordinary course Of things, Badge
would have exhibited his great pictuI
on Show Sunday, a month before th
opening Of the academy. BE didn't, sil
our agony was prolonged until the yer
last moment.
was thereby there, mean at Bui
lington house-the instant the dool
opened for the private view, / had
ticket, you know, Of course-I alway
have. almost snatohed the gratuitoU
catalogue with which / was presente
by one Of the gorgeous gentlemen In II
scarlet gowns, who resemble lord chi,
justices or doctors Of music Of the Un
versity Of Oxford-at least, they do 4
the private views; 10 the general publ
on ordinary occasions they are only con
mon doorkeepers. Ialmost snAtched Il
catalogue, l say, and with trembling fiji
gers turned to the index and looked u
Badger, Michael Angelo. found II M