Middletown transcript., 1896-03-14
AT THE ART GALLERY.


Dramatis Personae: Miss Edith Va
Brugh. a social favorite of sever,
years. standing. and Mr.. Rowland D
Remsen, whom she has rejected fiv
years previously.
Place: The Art Galleries of the I'm
pressiOnists.
Time: Afternoon of a day in earl
summer.
Miss Van Brugh is studying a land
scape in which ''purple cows" cavor
against an orange-colored sky upon ;
malarially green marsh. She is inter
rupted by Mr.. De Remsen.
Mr.. De Remsen-Do my eyes deceive
me? Miss Van Brugh, after all thest
years!
Edith (shaking hands quietly)-No o.
your monocle has not misled you mol
your memory failed. How do you dol
Rowland Very happily, now that
l have met you'll You are entirely un-
changed.
Edith-It is small compliment to a
woman to tell her that five years have
brought her no new graces.
Howland-Ah, the years are like
usurers. They lend charms recklessly
until we become of age. After that
they begin exacting returns Of the loans.
That they have refrained from calling
in any of their notes is. the highest
compliment they could pay you.
Edith (critically)-Very clever, but
a little to far fetched. When man
studies his compliments instead of the
woman to whom he pays them. her
complexion is beginning to fall off.
Howland-Sceptical and critical, as
you always were of my poor efforts.
Well-how have you been these five
yearsp
Edith-It is really my feminine pre-
rogative to change the subject, but
We'll let that pass. I have been we'll
and mainly in Algiers. We have win
tered there, you know, because of
Philip. He grows no stronger"
Howland-Poor little chapl How
devoted you and your mother are to
himl You always were though, Edith.
Edith-Devotion has always led us
into pleasant paths. The Algerian
colony is amusing and so are the Arabs.
But where have you been?
Howland-Oh, all over. Mainly in
Norway. l like it there and it 10 not
an outworn place for the would-be
Edith like your last book very
much. What was it you called it2
"Tbe Rose of the Northland?"
Howland-Yes, You recognized the
heroinep
Edith-No. l saw you had a some
what complex, cosmopolitan woman
masluerading in Norwegian peasant
dress, l confess l didn't recognize her.
Your impossibly constant hero 1 rec
Dgnized Immediately, however.
Howland-For whom did you take
him?
Edith-For your idealization of
yourself.
Howland-A thousand thanksl You
must then have guessed who alone
could play heroine to my herop
Edith shall use my feminine pre-
and change the subject. What
10 you think of this picturep
Howland- it is masculine preroga-
i've not to be led, even in silken cords,
decline to have the subject changed.
You guessed who my heroine was, de-
'pite her Norwegian dress and her |
blue eyes-when yours are hazelp
Edith-If you choose to exert you
privilege of sex and be rude can do !
nothing. did not recognize myself.
rhe blue eyes deceived me, probably.
Now what do you think of this picture7
Howland-You are absolutely un-
AS provoking-and as allur-
ng-as ever! l think the picture is
laub, and hideous one.
Edith-Keallyl Why2 l see numer-
us good points in it.
,Howland-Good pointsp So has
inned tomato label.
Edilh-You think they belong to
he same school-the label and this?
Howlapd-I dol The COWS are
rawn like anything from cats to cam
Is and colored like beet salad. The
sky shall we call tits unutterably
peird, and the grass is SO livid that it |
reduces typhoid fever to look at it. |
What is the thing anyway You have
catalogue. have you not?
Edith-Yes. It is ascribed-let me
se. Number 224. Ahl here it is:
An Afternoon in Algiers by Edith
AN brugh." 1t is a little lurid that's
.ue.
Howland-Edithl For heavens sake
'rgive the rawlings of an anti-impres-
onist. Had l known-But you didn't I
lint when 1 knew you. How could I
less? Forgive me. l wouldn't have
i'd it.
Edith-Don't bother. You're proba-
= right. a
Howland-You Knoxville Rose I
the Northland" must have told you :
that my dream is what it was FIVE n
nro aro ,uor,l,1 NOT ha uaa 90 II u,v r .