The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-18


certain door. AT last the painter prom
ised 10 do 10 the next morning ] rec
solved 20 see that thing done. SO ] got
up before dawn. planted myself in tnc
ola dining room al a good point OF view
and pretended 10 sketch from The window.
Pretty soon young Daubgny came down,
pr0fessel 20 be not IN The least disturbed
hv me- So I STAYED. He sat down in
front Of the door and looked az g hard
Tor an hour or SO. Inen Pc got PIP ana
viewed 10 from different angles. Then De
razad al it from the enl OF the room
Then he sat down again. Tile hours came
and went. and still he was studying that
door, with scarcely pause Ior meals, ny
afternoon l was nearly Will u ne dllu Z
open his paint box soon Would smash
the door AT last. at the beginning OF
twilight, prestOi-the thing was done. I
see. All in a minute few lghtnings
flashed out from him, and there was
the miraclei And breathlessly [ realized
that he had been painting that picture
There was a young fellow in our
crowd Mr. Fiagg went on. named
Jacques. He was as poor as blind mole,
so he proceeded to double his poverty hy
getting married 10 girl 30 flcurr IMAM
himself. The bride and groom went down
10 Barb!ZOn and rented q tWo-room caoin
in the woods, and every little while
Jacques would 90 up 10 Paris ana sell
some pictures for rev francs apiece
one day he painted a friend of his as
priest and the result was SO good that
Nine. Jacques grew bold. Don You take
tnaL TO any OF the cheap ufAltlSf SAlN SetAtt
TO her husband. Go straignt TO d. 3,
and charge him 100 francs TOT it-not q
sous less And, sure enough Jacques
screwed up his courage, saw the magnale.
and got his price from him and an order
for TWO more pictures, lot Whlcn the
painter dared demand $50 francs apiece,
Then there was a grand feast m the
little cabn-wine and trufies and pate de
foie gras. toasts and speeches ana general
hilarity And Jacques painted the TWO
pictures, and then raised the price another
".
until the great dealer spake unto MN mus
You keep raising your price, quoth hgi
now, I'll tell YOU what | viii do Will
give you 500 francs for each picture you
paint for the next five years but you
must sign a contract TO paint TOT no one
in France but me until the five years are
Jacques could have danced for glee as
he signed the contract, and there was
more feasting at Barbizon, And all Went
well for a year or two, untu one DAY, wan
dering into private room at G-s gall
leries, he saw man studying anu NUM-
bling beore one of his own pictures. The
man was glad of an auditor LOOK al that
little picture he said, pounding each word
with his fist; I've offered them 1000 for
Jacques feelings He did not bottle them
up, but took them red-hot to the great
dealer. You are selling my pictures tor
great price he said. Yes, you don [
know 1t, but 1 have made you famous,
blandly replied the magnate. Well, what
will you do about it?' inquired the painter
i Will live up to my contract said the
man of business. But l Will paint no
more for such a price. said the indignant
Jacques. Then you paint for no one IN
France the great c. remarked, with a
bow.
so Jacques went to England. But the
thing seemed to turn his head, and, be-
Sides the taste for this kind of genre was
waning. Gradually he sank out of sight.
Then there was a young Enghshman
named Hawkins" Mr. Flagg continued.
He was so poor that he lived on bread
alone, soaking his loaf bit by bit, In two
or three sous worth of wine He would
sell pictures for or francs apiece, and
that sort Of grind went on for years. At
last he painted a big picture, which all
the boys thought so fine that they Clipped
in for cheap frame and sent IL TO the sa-
lon. 1t was Q landscape, showing a grave
yard with children playing in the sunlight
but there was no cheap sentmentality
about tilt was a strong, manly, brilliant
| thing. For bravodo we made him set big
price on it--somethng IKE 10000 francs.
well, j had picture In the salon that
year, so ] went in on vanishing day and
wandered up and down among the nota-
| bles, looking for my picture. Suddenly /
| saw the sky of Hawkins picture-that was
| all l could see for the crowd around It.
| And there was little MISSIONER gesticu-
| lating and exclaiming. That's the best
| thing in the whole salon. and Bastien Lee
page was pointing out this and that in II,
and all the artists were admiring and
| chatterng. And, do you know, he was
the success of the year. The picture was
| bought that day for its fun price. and
the next day the carriages were lined up in
front of his poor little studio, and he sold
every rag in the place for any price he
chose TO set upon H. He managed to hold
on 10 his success, too; Il lasted so long as
he lived"
In France fame has wings by a single
great success she carries her Votary 10
the top. In this country she is but a
sleepy plodder; for the same achievements
here she helps him up one round on his
| ladder, and begrudges him that.
Some Of these men who are famous
now" Mr.. Flagg unused, what a hard
time they had in the old days! There IS
X"-he mentioned the name of one of
| the foremost painters in America--"one
day Y asked one of the fellows II he had
any money. My wife and / had nothing
to eat yesterday he said. we sang last
night and went to bed to forget it, but
this morning it's awful. X is famous
now, and rich-for a patnter-but the
brave little wife who helped him through
the evil days could not survive them
for the days of plenty.
And you know j." said the remi-
niscent painter, speaking the name of
another famous American; zone day long
ago I saw him across the street, his
clothes IN the last stage of dissolution,
his shoes tied up with Irvine. But there
was a wild gleam in his eve. i've got a
hundred dollars he shouted quite OBJ
livious Of the croWd-'a hundred dollars,
and I'm going to buy some shoestrings.' ="
Harriet Monroe.