The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-13
a MYSTERIOUS COINCIDENCE.
Paintings Given by an Amateur Artist to
Three Friends Ruined I'm the Same Way.

~8NfSSS
Paintings Given by an Amateur Artist d
Three Friends Ruined In the same Way.
MY attention has been called recent.
ly TO the interesting subject OF coincid
ences." said the young woman from ths
country who has studied art. and tn,
more l investigate IL the more myster.
ious II seems. Let me tell you about ii
Three old friends of mine enjoy the su.
preme happiness of living in New York
Two Of them are men and one Of them
is a woman. and j have been in the
habit of sending them little remem-
brances every Christmas. There is a
very small choice of Christmas gifts In
the town where I live. and II has taxed
my ingenuity to find something suitable
for each of them. You know I have
studied art. and my friends tell me that
i paint rather better than the average
amateur. My friends here in town have
artistic tastes, so I solved the Christ
mas problem last year by painting a
picture for each of them. I know that
the pictures were appreciated. because
each OF my friends wrote me long let
tiers of thanks. They told me lust
where they had hung the pictures.
When I came 20 New York last week
saw the Metropolitan museum.
Grants Tomb and the Aquarium. and
then | oke up my three friends. I
called on Mrs. Giltframe first, and she
was so glad to see me. She had Just
written to me hat my painting was
hung I'm her parlor between two old
masterpieces to brighten them up As
l talked I looked I'm vain for II.
p" You have hung my picture In an
other ROOM I said.
Yes. that Is. no. or / mean-well.
might just as well tell you the whole
story said Mrs. Giltframe. 1t was
most unfortunate when we moved this
spring. / told the van men to take par
ticular care of you painting. I imag-
Inc my disgust. my dear. when I un-
packed my pictures TO find that yours.
which i value abo all Others, had
been punctured in three places by a
bundle of canes n ruined. I am so
sorry
Never mind said I. I can paint
II again for you next year. but Mrs.
Glltframe would not cheer up.
"On my way Jack to my hotel I
stopped To see Mr.. Oldboy. who lives
with ar uncle of mine. I have known
him ever since / was a little girl. and
every time he has gone abroad he has
brought some little gift for me. He
wrote to me after Christmas that my
painting frightened his study and was
a constant source Of satisfaction to
him.. Mr.. Oldboy has retired from prac-
tice. you know. so ! found him at
hone. He was so glad to see me.
After n little genera conversation I
asked II ! might see his study. He took
me up stairs to IL. and to my surprise
j didn't see my lower picture on the
wall. I talked about his books. and
then In n most casual way I said:
I should like to see how you have
hung my flower picture. I am sure
that you were nattering me when you
wrote you thanks
Not a bit of it, he said. but the
fact Is. a serious mishap befell thai
picture. | don't even like to talk about
II. 1t happened I'm this way: This-er
-this-yes, this spring. you know. this
spring. 1-er-1 decided TO go to the
country for "A month. Yes, that was IL,
to the country! you know. Now, I al
ways like my few household goods
around me. and 1 ordered a truckman
10 pack my books and my pictures and
send them to me. Imagine. II you can.
my sorrow 10 discover that the truck
man had handled your picture so
roughly that he had ruined II. II was
completely wrecked. But don't talk
about II. because 10 ia me. Have
you seen the Aquarium
when I returned to my hotel that
night ! vas struck by the coincidence.
Two Of my pictures had been ruined by
truckmen. The other friend to whom /
aah tfhh 'tAt VI ~ IalhNADkE II al u
chtect. and he wrote to me that he
valued SO highly that he was going TO
hang II in his office instead of I'm his
bachelor apartment. so that when he
was tired he might rest his eyes by
looking at IL. He added some more
about it's being a constant inspiration
20 him to do good work. but I am too
modest about my own painting to re-
peat hat. I happened TO be In the
downtown part OF New York the next
day. so I went in To Mr.. Housebuilder's
ONCE. He told me how well I was
looking and how much my friends re-
GREETED that I didn't come to New York
more frequently. The walls of his Office
were covered with pen and ink draw
ing of a unset.
4 suppose that you got tired OF my
poor little painting said I jokingly. I
was sorry the moment after I had said
IL, because he looked panied.
Indeed ] did not he said. Tt was
a constant inspiration to me and my
clerks until two months ago. when I
moved my Office. The van men prov
ed To he awfully careless. and one of
them dropped your picture and tore it,
=" Let me ave it, said I c~heerfully.
and 1 can patch IL up so that o
would not know that II had ever been
injured
" Unfortunately said Mr.. House.
builder. II fell in such a way that II
was torn all TO pieces
'Now. wasn't that a queer way for
a picture to fall? 1 never heard Of
an accident. but / know that Mr..
Householder is a truthful man. The
more I think OF all three of my pictures
having been destroyed by truckmen,
the more IL seems. and as a
coincidence IL surpasses anything in
my previous experience. Fortunately,
] have the originals from which / paint
them. and I will see that my friends
are not the losers by it."-New York