The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-11-04
The MYSTERY. OF
ELIAS ROEBUCK.
W. L. Alden in the London Pail Mall
Budget.

W. L. Alden in the London Pail Mall
Budget.
Roebuck told me this story one day as l
sat in his studio in the Rue Notre Dame
des Champs. l don't pretend to say
whether the story is true or not, but l
know that he believed ne was telling the
literal truth
He was a tall, CadaverOus American
from one of the far western states, and
was totally uneducated except for the
most elementary branches taught in the
district school of his native village. He
mad been Il house and sign painter by oc-
culaLon, and when he was nearly 80
years of age he came to Paris to study
art with the design of becoming a land
scape painter. He was not in ali respects
The very worst draughtsman in Paris, but
lhere was NOT the slightest doubt that he
was the worst painter that ever spoilt
canvas. The man had absolutely no sense
OF color, and he was as devoid of imagi-
nation as table of logarithms We both
"reW at the same academy, where he used
10 sit next to me, and as we were the
only Americans in the place there was
SORT OF friendship between us. He was an
honest unassuming, supplemented fell
low, and, with the exception of the deu-
sion that he could paint, he was by no
means wanting in common sense.
The students at the academy liked Roe
buck well enough. though they used TO
pay good many Jokes on him. They
decided that his name did not suit him, so
JneN translated it into De CheVreuil. One
OF them painted the De Chevreul arms
on the chair where Roebuck usually sat
and we all took to calling him De Chew
FeWl. ] say all, but ! ought to except
myself, for being his fellow countryman,
declined to take any share in casting
Ndicule on the man.
Eoeouck had begged me to come and
picture that he had just finished.
aHa 10 give him my honest opinion about
-, Lets talk about something else for
nllT While" said ], as ] took up one Of
Noebuck's pipes and filed it, who says
you haven't any Imagination"
All the chaps at the academy" ne re-
Ihed. II don't mind, for 1t isn't true.
Isn't dreaming imagination"
suppose it is"
wen, then, I'm Just chock fun Of imapi-
nation, for ! dream all night long. And
"'7dI4a come true, too, sometimes" he
1'He4. "A mighty queer thing happened
I, ME not long ago that convinced me Of
Ial' though there was something in It
'hal J can't explain"
. zen me about it, l cried. catching at
me possibility that there might be the
means OF leading him to forget my prom
''5u criticism Of his picture.
va tNFA bttlt at tNDuoIE dcAtl
my friend. l told him that ] had only
spent several DAVIS IN Rouen.
. went down to Havver last week TO see
B. ear herby off in the Normandic and on
NE way back I stopped over night at
""uong, for they told me that there was
ONE swell architecture there, and, II
painting don't pan out as well "a 7 think
D. 10 ] may take 90 architecture myself
'2ok "a hack az the churches, and such.
1rd m the evening ! started out for "a
wa through the town
now there Is a dream that I have hal
ever Since L can remember. / dream that
]. in an old European city. though ]
never seem 20 know the name OF H. Some
Where iu that city there IS "a small open
square, with Two streets leading out OF one
'aa or b.. They start rret 81 close together
~
one Of these strects-the one 10 the loft
Wide. modern street pretty we'll
.fhtea nni with a good many peopl. 900
bu tic other street ls morrow 'ul
alFlt The hol-e. have sharp-Robled roofs,