St. Paul daily globe., 1893-06-23
5000 FOR A PAINTED CAT.
R0gfnn Glnhn

|
Boston Globe
Mr.. Cornelius Jonquil was evidently
not in that envlabls frame of mind
which we are proverbiaIly assured con-
stitutes a continual feast.
IL must raise money somehow" he
muttered, ''but how. that's the prob
EMP
AS the words fell from his lips, his
eyes rested OH a grimy and unframed
picture which hung above the mantel-
piece. 1t was, no doubt. an oil painting,
but like many other more ambitious eff
forts in the world of art, it was a very
bad Oil painting.
1t represented an entirely unknown
| species of the domestic eat, the artists
ideas of form and color having proba
bly, been inspired by an unusually Sc
we're attack of mental alteration.
'Now. bad as you are" said Jonquil,
| addressing tine daub in sarcastic tones,
unlike any cat known to biologists as
| you are, l might make money even out
| of you. if | could persuade some art
enthusiast that the initials "E. L."
| in the corner there, stood for Edwin
| Landseer."
| He paused, and then seemed lost i'm
thought for several minutes. His face
| gradually Frightened and he murmured
| softly: Its grand idea and might
work. AT any rate, it's worth trial"
He rose while thus musing aloud and
| seated himself at table which occupied
one entire side of the office.
! Taking advantage OF my privilege as
| chronicler, / looked over his shoulder
| an act which would be an unwarrant
| able liberty in any one but an author
| and am thus enabled to give my readers
| a copy of Mr.. JOnquiPs neatly written
epistle. 1t ran as follows:
Dear Sir: Although l have not the honor
of personal acquaintance with your wor-
| ship have for many years past known you
by repute as leading and liberal patron OF
art. II is this knowledge which has prompted
me to crave your assistance in carrying out a
| design have had in view for some years. L
| am as you are doubtless aware, past middle
| age. and while yet there is time, | earnestly
| desire to obtain possession, at any cost, of
| several early, almost juvenile. pictures of
| mine, SO that 1 may leave behind me only
| works of my reputation as an artist.
| In the town of Peddlington is one of these
| crude efforts. painting, II l mistake not,
| sadly misrepresenting cat. 1t Is in the pos
4 session of Cornelius Jonauil, commission
| agent in High street. and. although II only
| bears my initials, he is fully aware that / am
| the painter of this miserable daub. III yon
| could procure this picture from him-at his
| own price-and forward ii to me, l shall feel
| under lasting obligations 10 you.
OF course | win remit the purchase money
| TO you Immediately hear the amount you
| have paid Mr.. Jonquil. Trusting that l may
| rely OH your valuable help in enabling me 10
| realize my desire. am, sir. yours very sim
| cerely. EDWIN LAEDsEER
REMBRANDT BROWN. Esq.
Mayor OF Peddlington.
| Mr.. Jonquil perused this epistle wit h
intense satisfaction, and then. with a N
| emphatic, "Thatll fetch himW he
| placed it in an envelope. Having
! stamped it, he inclosed it in another
accompanied by brief note to alparticu-
lar crony in London, requesting him to
| post the letter TO the mayor as soon as
received.
Forty-egnt hours afterward Mr.. JON
quill was sitting at his Office table. anx-
iously awaiting the arrival of the mayor.
He drummed impatiently Oh the tabl
with his fingers, and eagerly listened to
every football on the staircase.
At last he was rewarded by the sound
CT a slow and solemn tread; the office
| door was opened and the chief magis-
trate of Peddlington stood before Cor
nelius Jonquil, who rose and bowed
with well-feigned mixture of surprise
and humility.
Good afternoon, your worship" he
said: pray be seated, sir" and he
placed a chair facing the fire and that
awful example of Landseer.
II have called, Mr.. Jonqull. to inquire
if you will sell an old oil painting of a
| cat, which a friend of mine says you
own, and which he has taken fancy
to-"
"Oh, my Landseer, is it?" calculated
the astufe proprietor of the art treas
ure. well, sir, value that work very
much. There it is, sir. The light is
bad, but you can see the touch or the
great animal painter in every stroke OF
the brush"
| The mayor looked attentively at this
painted horror for few minutes,
groaned as if in pain. and said: why,
it's positively frightfulW remark
which Mr.. Jonquil astutely ignored.
'It isn't for sale, your worship,
though. of course. might part with it
if anybody made it worth my while. 1t
is only an early work of Landseer's, l
know, but anything from his brush
fetches a high price, and l am not going
to let your friend have this picture
cheap just because he wants to own a
genuine Sir Edwin"
lie IldlOT tfleu IllS UtSI W Keep JUL
quil's idea of value within reasonable
bounds; but, to make long story short,
he failed to obtain possession of that
libel on cat under 5000. He made a
check out for that amount, and left the
room with the LandSeer under his arm,
| proud of having rendered signal sery-
ice to the foremost painter of his time.
1t only took Jonqui a few minutes to
cash that check. and on his way back
from the bank he brought broker with
him, VINO bought the office furniture for
$3.50.
At 4 O'Clock the ingenious commission
agent was sitting in the express train
for London, since when have not set
| eyes on him. but l have no doubt his
great abilities will ere this have enabled
! him to attain prominent place in the
| ranks or metropolitan rascaldom.
Rembrandt Brown used language
| very unbecoming on the part OF may
! or when he received brief note from
the artist stating that he knew nothing
| at all about the matter, and denying
that he had ever requested his worship
to act on his behalf.
| R.
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