The Penn's Grove record., 1894-09-21
THE CHALLENGE.

~lCllOW0 III WV "a 80 80 49,
me iron, the stuff that cnduFcs fol
everl These pictures that folk call
immortal, what are they? One slash
Of a knife, one dab with a stick. even
one scrape OF some careless fellows
elbow, and where is all their beauty:
I'll be bound that iron lantern Of
mine up yonder in the church tower
will last longer than any OF their fine
Immortal paintings!"
"And by that time" said a quiet
voice behind him, 'ft will have
grown rusty like its author, and men
will remember it as little as they do
him!"
The new comer-who had Just
stepped out of a quiet little tavern in
the market place Of a quaint old
Flemish city, IN front Of which the
sturdy smith stood praising his own
occupation-was a stout, rudy man.
in a handsome though rather slovenLg
dress, and wearing a look OF careless
good humor which seemed TO mark
him as one who was fonder Of pleas
ure than Of work. But behind this
there lay a nameless something in his
large forehead and clear bright eye,
which would have told to an appreci-
alive observer that this was no COM
mon man.
The keen and sudden retort upon
the boastful blacksmith tickled the
fancy of the bystanders, who greeted
1t with a loud laugh, and a shout of
''Well said, Hans Holbein!"
Hans Holbein?" echoed the smith,
turning around angrily at this open
insult to his trade-for In those days
las may be seer by the example of
Quentin Matsys of Antwerp a skilled
ironworker ranked with sculptOrs and
painters and not unfrequently stood
higher than either; 'of a truth he
may well think highly of painting,
since he getteth his bread by it. But,
bark ye, Master Holbein; men call
thee a great painter, and / doubt not
but what thou callest thyself so, too.
Dost thou think, now, that with all
thy skill thou canst produce any
thing surprising the best that I
can do?"
II venture to believe that l cam"
answered the great artist, with a
quiet smile.
$50 be it, then," rcioined the
blacksmith, ~delantly. ave will each
OF US de our best, and this day month
will we meet on this spot to try
which Of us two Is the better man.
Say l well, c~omradcs?"
The group of listener-which had
by this time swelled into a pretty
large crowd-unanimously agreed that
the match was a fair one; and as Hol-
bein turned to depart, the stalwart
blacksmith nodded his huge head
after him de1antly, with the air of a
mar who had settled the matter once
for all.
For the next few weeks the chal-
ienger scarcely eyer stirred out Of his
forge, and public curiosity was on tip
toe to know what marvel ne could be
producing; but as the smith worked
with closed doors, and had neither
wife nor child to keep watch upon
him nothing cou'l be learned bat
that he was very I Isy.
AS usual In such cases, however,
fancy supplied the place OF informa.
tion, and the less the townspeople
knew, the more they imagined. All
sorts of rumors, each more amazing
than the other, were In circulation
about the masterpiece upon which
the blacksmith was engaged. Some
asserted that he was making an iron
weathercock which would flap its
wings and crow at sunrise tust like
the real bird. Others were equally
positive that the new wonder was q
trap that would bait and set itSolf,
and throw away the rat when killed
into the bargain; and others still dc,
clared that the great art!tcer was
constructing IA iron man, who could
walk about the house and wait al
table IS well as any living servant
But there was another thing that
puzzled tho good folk OF the towr
quite as much as the mysterious in.
dustry Of the blacksmith, aud thai
was tho mysterious ldlcncss Of hi,
rival, Hans HOlbcin. While one o.
the two competitors seemed to b,
doing too much, the other was ap
parently doing nothing at all Ever
one expected, OF course, that Hol
bein would be as busy in his studio a
the blacksmith was In his forge
laborIng day and night on SOM
wonderful picture, which would
eclipse even his renowned "Dancec
10 Death" itself. But ho-not he
So far from that, indeed, he sacmct
hardly yer to enter his studio at all
for at almost any hour of the day ht
was to be seen about the streets q,
the town, playing dice, drinking
wine, chattering with his friends, o.
lounging about the market place.
Such extraordinary conduct nat
urally pcrplcxed the honest citizen.
not 4 little aud they accounted for II
In two very different ways. The
friends OF Hans lHolbcIn stoatl,
maintained that he felt himself c,
CERTAIN OF winning the match az no
81 re Iuirc to trouble himself in an,
way about a matter which was p-ac
tically decided already, Those VIII
favored the blacksmith, on the othc
hand, took an exactly opposite vlnv
u the case, and vowed that tn,
painter knew that he had no chaac'
81 winning, and intended, when III,
Time came, to give up the contas
without making any effort at all.
As the appointed day drew near
The whole city was n a ferment. II
entire population seemed to he di
.ided into two ~cuatendins faction
Of HQlbsipjtss and smishites; en-