Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1894-09-26
THE CHALLENGE.

fellows VINO work In canvas. Tive
me iron, the stuff that endureS for
ever! These pictures that folk call
immortal, what are they9 One slash
Of knife, one dab with Il 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 quiet
voice behind him, sit will have
grown rusty like its author, and men
will remember it As little a, they do
him.
The new comer-who had Just
stepped out of 4 quiet little tavern in
the market place of 4 quaint old
Flemish city, IN front of which the
sturdy smith stood praising his own
Occupation-waS stout, ruddy man,
in Il handsome though rather slovenly
dress, and wearing a look OF careless
good humor which seemed to mark
him as one who was fondcr Of pleas
urc 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-
ativc 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
it with loud laugh, and 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
(as may be seen by the example Of
Quentin Matsys of Antwerp skilled
ironworker ranked with sculptors and
painters, and not unfreQuentIy stood
higher than either; ''of a truth he
may well think highly of painting,
since he getteth his bread by it. But,
bark We, Master Holbein; men call
thee great painter, and l 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 l
can dO?"
Il venture to believe that l cam"
answered the great artist, with a
quiet smile.
$50 be it, then Ieioincd the
blacksmith, deflantly. 1--WE will each
of US do our best, and this day month
will we meet on this spot to try
which of u. two is tie better man.
Say l WELL comrades"
The group Of listener-which had
10y this time swelled into a pretty
large ecrowd-unanimOusly agreed that
ha fch a
bcin turned to depart, the stalwart
blacksmith nodded his huge head
after him defiantly, with the air OF 4
man who had settled the matter once
for all.
For the next few weeks the chal-
lenger scarcely ever stirred out OF his
forge, and public curiosity was on tips
toe to know what marvel he could be
producing; but as the smith worked
with closed doors, and had neither
wife nor child to keep watch upon
him nothing cou'i be learned but
tnat he was very I IsY.
AS usual in such cases, however;
fancy supplied the place OF Informal
tion, and the less the townSpeoDlc
knew, the more they imagined. AL
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
wcathcrcock which would flap its
wings and crow at sunrise Just like
the real bird. Others were equally
positive that the new wonder was q
trap that would bait and set itself,
and throw away the rat when killed
into the bargain: and Others still de-
clared that the great art!ticer wa1
constructing Al iron man, who could
walk about the house and wait at
table as well as any living servant
But there was another thing that
puzzled the good folk OF the town
quite as much rs the mysterious iu-
dustry of the blacksmith, and that
was the mysterious idicrcss Of his
rival, Hans iIolbcin. While one OF
the two competitors seemed to ba
doing too much, the other was ap.
parently doing nothing at all Every
one expected, OF course, that Hol.
bcin would be as busy in his studio as
the blacksmith was in his forge,
labor,ng day and night on some
wonderful picture, which would
eclipse even his renowned Danced
to Death" itself. But no--not he!
So far from that, indeed, he seemed
hardly ever to enter his studio at all,
for at almost any hour OF the day hc
was to be seen about the streets Of
the town, playing dice, drinking
wine, chattering with his friends, or
lounginS about the market place.
Such extraordinary conduct nat
urally pc:picxed the honest citizens
not li:tlc and they accounted for IL
in two very different ways. The
friends of Hans Hoiben stcuty
maintained that he felt himself go
certain CT winning the match as rot
10 require to trouble himself in any
way about matter which was prac-
tically decided already. Those who
favored the blacksmith, On the other
hand, took an exactly opposite view
of the case, and vowed that the
painter knew that he had no chance
OF winning, and intended, when TIC
time came, to give up the contest
without making any effort at ell.
AS the appointed day drew near,
the whole city was in fernent. Its
entire population seemed to he di-
vided into two cootendiIs factions
Of uolbsinitss and sniihites; and