The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-09-04


tion 10 the fact, and was still less capable
of owning that was playing the part of
cave sdrOpper. l had to listen, whether
wanted to or not. that's the fact.
What was the subject"
Il assure you. my dear sir, that have not
the faintest notion"
'But didn't you ask him ?"
Il did. lie said it spoke for itself. If 1t
did, it spoke to man who was deaf"
However came you TO put both your
feet through it?'
''As L was coming down the ladder. l
had the wretehed thing under my arm. 1t
slipped. In trying to save it lost my foot
feet right on to IL. AS 1t had fallen on its
back both my feet went through"
DIDN'T he see what you had dOne?"
Fortunately he did not, or he might have
insisted upon my taking another in its place.
He asked me if the picture was hurt. | said
no. In saying so hold that was justified.
Nothing could hurt such a picture as that
was-nOthing. Even a hole in 1t large
enough 10 thrust ones head and shoulders
through
And you gave him five-and-twenty pounds
for it?"
Il did. Ny dear. our honeymoon has been
sarctified by an act of kindness. When the
landlord tod me that this unfortunate
mans payments were so much in arrear
and that yet he had not the heart to turn
him out, | understood exactly what it was
he meant. The poor creature is not actually
In sane; IN some respects he is as sane as
anu. But in one direction, like Mr.. Dick in
David C0pperfeld,' he is distinctly want
ing. Yet, in his famous simplicity. he is a
loyable creature. The thought of him in
his dirty ill-lighted, ill-veniilated loft, dis
figuring canyases, for which he can Ill afford
TO pay. with what he calls his painting.
touched me to the heart. Ic0uld not prefer
him loan, and So"
l waited TO hear no more; l stole out OF
the room on tiptoe. | went back 10 my
paintlng-roOm, and have a sort of dim i'm
preston that l cried. 1t was so funny.
That was the only picture / ever sold. but
that was not the only encouragement I've
received. One day there came TO nv Studio
at Walham Green-I als avs called it Full
ham" In my letters-a man who looked to
me as If he were something little superior
in the old clothes line. He introduced him.
self as he came in.
Pm Gibbs" he said.
"Ob," / remarked; then l waited. /
rather expected that he was going to ask
me il L had anything to dispose Of in the
way of old bottles or kitchen stuff. He
stood in The middle OF the room, looking
about him at the works of art. | flatter
myself that they made pretty tolerable
show They were numerous enough, at
any rate.
he had, fancy, an unconscious habit of
talking to himself out loud; because all at
once lie began to make very audible re-
marks.
He has got it bad. Never saw anybody
who had il worse Why they don't shut
some of them up can't think. The chap
must buy his colors from the oilsh0p s by
the ton. Never saw anything like them.
Never"
Then he turned 10 me and said as If he
were under the impression that he was for
the first time making an audible remark ::
'Pil give you half price for the lot of 'em. J"
He waved his arms with comprehensive
gesture which took in all my works of art.
was a little startled. Ii he was in earnest,
then he was certainly buyer on whole
sale scale.
Half price? What do you mean?"
Mean? Why, what | say. I'll take the
LOT. and I'll give you half the price OF the
canvases; that's what | mean Cd canvases
always do come handy TO me; they're pretty
well as good 10 me as new ones.
1t dawned upon me what the unwashed
scoundrel meant. II was actually Offering
to purchase the whole OF my unrlYaled col
Iection-the fruits Of life OF earnest la
bOr.-and to pay for them half the price
which | had originally paid for the can
vases when implanted on. The enOrmity
Of the offer staggered me. Bat he contin-
ued, apparently unconscious that he had
given the slightest cause for offense:
And | tell you what, FL give you regular
employment-1Sd an hour and your beer"
By degrees | began to get my breath.
81 am afraid / do not understand you,
sir. May | ask to whom l have the pleas
ure Of speakingP
I'm Gibbs"
"Indeed, sir. What Gibbs %
"The Gibhs-what has the factory"
Factory? What factory?"
He appeared to he genuipely surprised.
- - l.. - "a
on with trowel, but l never saw one of
them who'd never heard of the factory
Why. my lad. at my shop | turn out pic
lures by the acre. ] supply all the markets
Of the world. You come and 90 my skies.
ana III give you regular woTk-1Sd an hour
and your beer. It's wet and dry with me.
The chap who's been doing my skies has
got himself locked mp again, and I've had
enough OF him. and that's the fact. Y0n
amt, perhaps, quite up to our STYLE; but
you'll soon getlnto that. And. what's more,
I'll give you half price for all the caDYases
you've got. They want lot of scraping
some Of them viii, but don't mind"
l gathered, ultimately, that the fellow was
the proprietor OF a notorious picture
factory'-a place in which they put blank
canyRsses on shelves running round the
walls. Then man comes along and
paints in the sky on canvas No. !, then
passes on and paints In the SKY on canvas
-
Then another man comes and paints in a
sandy shore; then another and paints in a
tree; then another and paints in the sea ;
then another and paints in n ship upon
the sea. Then those pictures. which are
rs like each other as two pins, are, by a
beautiful division of labOrs, finished, so to
speak, in less time than no time. And they
cal the first "On Smiling Shore" the sec
ond "W here the Wavelets Kiss the Sands"
the third THE Shin that Sailed" They
give each picture a different title. | believe
they keep man whose sole business Is to
find the titles. He must be the most in
genious, not 10 say imaginative, man in the
place. The whole affair is a beautiful ex-
position of the applicability to commercial
purposes of the fine arts.
Mr.. Gibbs wanted me to be the man to set
'the pot abiding" lie wanted me to do
the skies" At 18d an hour and my beer
He seemed unable to realize that | was in
seemed to think that / was bidding for a
rise; SO he actually increased his terms a
penny an hour. Nineteen pence an hour
was to have, and nv beer. That was the
most genuine encouragement | ever re-
ceived. When l still persisted in declining
he showed tendency to become abusive.
Insolent-from my point of view--he had
been all through. But held out TO the end.
| heard him swear at me when he got out
side the door.
No. | may rot be able to paint. | am be-
ginning to more than suspect | can't | ain
even beginning to suspect that strive and
struggle rs | may, / never shall paint we'll.
| will aim high, though all my arrows may
miss the mark. Not even for the guerdon
Of 1914 an hour and my beer will l make ii
my business to aim low. / love my art. i
will not seek to degrade her; not though.
throughout the years, to the end Of my days
she lets me WOO in vain.
Therefore | say, why. because my pictures
happen to be bad, should / be unable to
sell them? If you reflect, you will perceive
that the answer is not so obvious as might
at first appear.-Al the Year Round.
SIR LYON PLAYFAIR.