The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-03-07
CHAPTER XXI.


day to drive through Surrey lanes. with
fine pair of horses in front and a
liveried mental with folded arms on the
seat behind. Barney. who knew the
country well, chose the byroads rather
than the main thoroughfares; for he
had a keen love of nature and an ap-
man who had placed on canvas sc
many amazing reproductions OF
natural scenery.
AS he neared his destination he
turned into the particular lane which
he knew to be Lady Marys favorite
walk, and he kept a sharp lookout
ahead, hoping to descry the girl in the
distance. He also looked at his watch
and slowed the horses when he saw
he had arrived at the head of the lane
| somewhat in advance of the time he
had set for himself. Barney was above
all things a practical man, and he
knew that, outside of the drama, CO.
medicines rarely happened unless they
were touched up bit; so before leav-
ing Chelsea he took the precaution to
telegraph Lady Mary, telling her that
at a certain hour he would be at the
head of the lane, and that if he met
there anyone who lived in the neigh
| borhood who would extend to him a
cordial invitation to visit a certain
country house, he would accept with
| all the heartfelt gratitude of a home
less man perambulating the country
with two horses and a wagon. 1t was
one of Barney's habits rarely TO write
a letter, and to depend almost entirely
on the telegraph as a means of COM
munication with his fellows.
He delighted in sending a friend a
| ten-page telegram on some perfectly
| trivial subject, and to the numerous
people all over the country who now
wrote to him for his autograph, he in
variably sent it in a long telegram, ex-
planning in the message that, as he
never wrote letters any signature of
his at the end of an epistle was sure
| to be a forgery and no autographs
were benuine unless they came by wire.
Barney's electrical autographs now
bring good prices at auction sales.
| AS he entered the lane, then, he
looked ahead for the fulfilment of the
coincidence he had arranged, and was
presently rewarded by seeing the fine
figure of the girl coming toward him,
an ebony stick in her Hand, and three
big dogs following her. Barney threw
the reins to his man, and told him to
drive on, and sprang down.
The girls cheeks were as rosy as the
dawn, either with the exercise in the
pure air or the pleasure of meeting
him.
After greeting her he cried:
You got my telegram, them"
Yes. Have you any money left af-
ter sending it?'
"Oh. I'm in funds today 1 sold a
picture for $1,000 yesterday to a Chi
cago man. They know how to buy,
those western fellows, He took one of
the burnt-umber night scenes, made
me sign my name on it in scarlet, with
letters three inches long, and then told
me with a chuckle. after it was done,
that he would have given me a couple
of hundred extra for the signature if |
had held out. Thus are we poor artists
imposed upon, Still. the scarlet letter
ing completely killed the half-tones in
the painting, and ruined it, in my
opinion, but he said it was the sigma
ture he wanted. so we are both salts
fed. He was a perfectly frank heather;
said he could buy better paintings in
Chicago for So each, with a discount
off if he took a quantity, but that peo-
pie over there wouldn't have the work
of the native artists at any price. He
proudly claimed to know nothing about
art himself-tin goods was his line. [
said l supposed that was all right as
long as the goods brought in the tin,
and he replied that that was what he
was after"
We'll, I'm sure I congratulate you"
"Me?" Now, Lady Mary. 1 call that
hard lines. I thought you were a
friend of mine-I did, indeed"
Il am. May I not congratulate you
on selling a picture?"
mo, your ladyship; no, mum, But
you might congratulate the Chicago
man. / feel that he did me out of two
hundred. Oh, he's got bargain, and
he knows it, l tell you what it is,
civ
that 1 am beginning to realize it is
reckless extravaganza for me to have
so many of them hanging in my studio.
That's why took the thousand, merely
to get rid of it,
Did it take you long to paint?"
Yes, a good while. OF course, I
can't tell just how long, for one does
not do a masterpiece like that right off
the reel, don't you know. l suppose
must have spent as much as six hours |
on it, off and on. You see, you have |
to wait until the groundwork dries be-
fore you can go on with the rest. I
first, with a big brush, covered the /
whole of the canvas with burnt lumber |
and then let it dry. That's night, as
it would appear if there were no lights
anywhere. Then you put in your high
dabs of white paint. That
seems easy, but l tell you it requires
genius Then, if there is water, even
though unseen to the general eye, you
put in little wabbly lines of grey paint
under the dots of high light, and there
you are, don't you know. 1t all seems
simple enough to talk about, and
plenty of fellows are trying it, now /
have shown them the way; but some
how they don't hit it off, don't you
know But sink the shop in a Surrey
lane; 1 hate talking shop, anyhow
Now, am I going to get my invitation,
or am I not?'
"Of course you are. My father is
most anxious to meet you"
That's very nice of him. But, 1 say,
Lady Mary
The young man stopped suddenly,
and the girl looked uE at him. She
read in his eyes such honest, undis-
guised admiration of herself that she
dropped her own and blushed still more
rosily.
What is it?" she asked. Have you
forgotten something's
NO" he said eagerly taking the I'M
fingers of her two hands in
MS. as they stood there. No, 1 have
lust remembered. 1 ought to have
to say to your father, don't
you know. We can't talk about paint
ng, and-well, Mary. we should have !
some topic of vital interest to US both
% discuss shouldn't we?"
The girl laughed a little. but did not
.eply The three dogs stood some dis I
ance off, regarding the pair with sus-
,icion and low growl from one of ]
hem indicated that the situation was {
unusual and must not be carried too !
I