The Dickinson press., 1894-08-18
SLADGER'S
DAUGHTER.

child, his daughter Julia. One could
hardly realize that Julia was his daugh-
ter, or even that she bore the unroman-
tic name of Sladger. She was bcauti-
full, we'll bred and accomplished and
was sweetly winning in manner
Old Sam had determined that Julia
shonld wed his friend Al lderman Choz-
zle, who was worth mint Of money
and would he mayor at no distant day.
1t was an excellent match from every
point of view except )nc.-Julia's.
Julia would have nothing to do with
Chozzle, much less would she marry
him. The matter was often debated
between father and daughter, If tina:
can be called debate which was all
command and low.voiccd argument on
the one side, AMI all tears and silent
obstinacy Oh the other.
Had Chozzle had no favored rival
in the field it is possible the poor girl
might have been bullicl into accepting
him. But there was a rival. He was
an artist. He was very poor. He was
complete failure in his profession
He was exceedingly romantic, and his
name was Vandeleur de We're. ANY
one must see at once that these We're
quite good and sufficient reasons fOi
any young woman falling in love with
him. At any rate they were quite suf
ticicnt for Julia.
At last Chozzle became too much fol
to him. Her life seemed all Chozzle.
Her father served him up ut orclkf:lst,
at dinner and between meals. At last
this incessant ChoZzle diet. so it ma!
be called, became intolerable. So Juli5
went out one fine morning and marricd
Vandeleur dc We're, according to pre-
arranged plan.
Soon old Sladger received a letter
from his darling daughter asking for
givcness.
In their rooms in back street, Mr..
and Mrs. Vandeleur de We're awaited
the outraged parents reply with good
deal of anxiety. 'S,,ey did not expect
that he would come round all at once
that would be too much; but they did
hope that he would. after his first tit
Of passion, accept the inevitable, and
his SOn-in-law.
But they were soon unleceived not
quite as soon, however, as might have
been supposed, fo- two days elapsed
before a letter made its appearance,
bearing OH the cover the stiff, awk-
ward writing of Samuel Sladgcr. When
it did come, the young couple found it
very brief and to the point. 1t was ad-
dressed to Mrs. V. dc We're, and ran
as follows:
MADAM: Your favor of the 4th in.
slant to hand, and contents noted.
AS you have made your bed, SO must
you and your vagabold lie. You have
not broken my heart by your wicked
and disgraceful conduct, but vol have
closed it against you forever. am
a man Of my word; that you know Well.
I cast you off; disown you as daugh-
ter, forbid you or your NJ. de We're
to set foot in my house under any pre-
tense whatever, and tell you now,
once for all, that you shall never have
even one penny piece, or the value Of
it, from me. 1t will be quite useless
to write to me, rs all your letters will
be returned unopened.
Samuel Sladger."
Writing to the obdurate old man un-
der these circumstances was certainly
O forlorn hope. but the young people
did write-more than once, and each
time the letter was duly returned un-
opened.
To do Julia, and her husband justice,
they bore up under their misfortune
pluckily. Van painted by the perch.
rood and acre, but the pictures would
coll p,v Tho <S,,,o oIl <r;p
cts had been turned into money, and
actual starvation was staring the young
people in the face-for dealers and art
shopkeepers wouldn't even look at
poor Vans productions now--the land
lady who was anxious about the rent,
which was rapidly falling in arrears,
volunteered this-tO Julia-very mys-
terious piece Of advice.
IF you can't sell 'em," and she indl-
Gated the blushing canvas, "why not
spout 'em?"
I'll beg pardon. I don't under
stand" replied Julia looking a good
deal bewildered.
The landlady in tone of ill-conceal-
ed pity for her lodged's ignorance, ex-
planned that "spouting' the pictures
meant pledging them at pawnbrok-
er'3 for whatever he could be induced
to lend upon them.
Julia shrank from the idea Mt first,
and Van was indignant when it was
suggested that he should pawn his
works Of genius just as if they were
flat-irons or Sunday suits. But Julia
had grown more practical Of late-was
beginning to come out Of her shell, as
the landlady said-and soon reconciled
herself to the notion of obtaining small
advances upon her husbands pictures.
The work Of pledging them was by
no means a pleasant one. Only a few
pawn brokers here and there could be
induced to lend anything upon Vans
priceless art treaSllrerS. And those
who lent anything Mt all lent very, very
little, grumbling that pictures was a
drug in the market" and suggesting
that they We're prepared to make real
ly liberal advances upon any article of
solid commercial value.
In their keen struggle for life both
Van and Julia became smart and art
full to a degree which surprised even
themselves. Van very soon got to
know the sort Of pictures upon which
most money could be lent. and was Law
ish in the use of his brightest colors.
But to Julia must be given the credit
Of hitting upon the idea Of Vans pro-
ducing endless copies Of his most popu-
lar picce-a red-c!oaked maiden walk
ing in gamboge corntield under bril-
liant ultra marine sky. Van soon drop.
ped into the knack Of "knocking OFF,
these masterpieces ut terrible rate.
He worked upon some half dozen at
once, first putting on six brilliant skies
then calling into being six fields of
waving grain, and then introducing
into each the simple maiden In the ex-
cruciating scarlet coat.
ivan, dear" said Julia, for the thou.
sandth time. 1--WE must have some mon.
ey somehow. I'm getting desperate.
l wish. oh. how l wish could earn
some. But what can do! was never
taught anything useful. I can play
decently, it's true, and can sing; that
one thing I can do really well. Blu
where can sing? have never sung 4
public. have no recommendation
nor introductions. l shall never Mak
anything by singing"
I'm afraid you're right, darling.