The evening times., 1897-05-06
MUCH TOO TRUE TO NATURE
The Book offered for Sale by a
Sweet-VOiced Young Woman.
Bald-Headed Old Depa rtment Clerks
Approached-Rap Sale at the
Treasury-Finally stopped.

''Arc you a lover of art?" said gentle
voiced young woman one day last Week as
she cast her dark brown eyes inqUiringly
OH Mr. Hamnack, OF the Bureau of Sta It's
tics at the State Department. The young
woman did not pause for reply from the
astonished clerk, but hastily thro wing
aside a light wrap, and revealing a waist
that was a study in red, she Withdrew
from it a volume of fair proportions, re-
marking, as she smiled ever so sweetly:
IF you love fidelity to nature in art, IN
sure You will admire this book"
Mr.. Hammack has bald head, which,
fringed with the silver Of the passing
years He has seen much OF the world
as much as the average bald-hedded man
usually sees. He has been iii the front
row at performance Of the Black
Crook" and lias had box at the White
Fawn." He is experienced, and is seldom
phazed, but when he opened the book
which contained fidelity to nature" he
was amazed. lie glanced at two pictures,
Which might have been portraits Of Eve
before the Tree of KnO wledge was dis
covered, blushed, stammered, clOSGd the
book with q snap, and sternly SAID he
was busy"
Capt. Charles DanInell, a clerk in the
same room, is lover of art. He adores
1t. To see him surrounded with q mass
of musty old consular reports or u great
pile OF headache-prOducing statistics one
would not believe it; but it is true. The
captain loves art. He loves it true to ma
ture. To him u Venus is a goddess. The
more faithful to nature the better the art.
To HIM the pretty young woman turned
with her pleasant smile. She opened the
book and the captain looked at it. He
looked again. Then he carefully picked up
his glasses, wiped and adjusted them and
with the gusto Of a devotee scanned the
pictures. Its fidelity TO nature was appar-
ent but the fair saeswomdn seized the
opportunity To describe in detail that which
seemed to need no description, for it was
as true to nature as a photograph, and
the face was a sweet, GreCian one From
page to page the captain turned and each
wOrkOf art he saw appeared more enhancing
than its predecessor. The study of the
volume resulted in its being left behind
when [ he young woman departed. and last
Saturday Capt. Dammell exhibited il to
few Of his nearest friends. Other men
heard Of his art prize aud called to inspect
it but the captain refused 10 crafty their
curiosity.
When the young woman departed she
visited number Of other officers in the
State, War. and Navy building, and then
went over to tie Treasury. It's said that
her sales in the Treasury were better Than
at the state, War, aud Navy, and no one
knows how long she would have kept il
up T some of the female clerks had not
learned of the traffic They became in
dignant and over the lunch counter held
an iTnpromptu Indignation meeting, which
resulted in the captain of the watch beng
informed that young person was selling
pictures of the altogcth in the Treasury"
The captain said he would stop it a nj he
did, for the next time she appeared she
was ordered away and she went. About n
year agO an order was issued. To be strictly
infOrccd, that no book agents, pedders. or
other vcndeTs OF ware would he permitted
70 ply their vocations in the department
buildings. and as this last epiSOdeis known
to most Of the employees, interesting devel-
opements are expected