Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1898-04-29
A MASTERPIECE.

n vi ~ In LIE
During the career Of the first Napoleon
there lived in the little Dutch town OF
Brent young man named Hans Freefurt,
n painter, of very moderate attachments In .
his chosen profession. In all else he was
capable himself pleasant person, popular
with his townSfOlk and neighhurs.
But he was far from happy. for he craved
above all else the reputation Of "a great
artist. IL was not for money ut oil that he
wished celebrity. Ii was she honor and
fame that be desired. In short, the young
man was ambitious beyond all words.
Hans had tried industriously to paint
good pictures. The room was filled liter
ally TO overlooking with these daubs.
Their number was the result Of peculiar
train Of thought on the part OF the painter.
He had said TO himself:
MY pictures are bad, undoubtedly very
bad. but-and piuusly thank heaven for
| this-there is not the shadow OF prctCnSe
about them. At the first glance they carry
/ the conviction OF their complete inferiority.
/ Here is no att,mrt 10 cloak faults of draw
| ing or of color. 70 one can say that my
/ pictures ara not honestly bad ones. Now,
/ | suppose no man is all bad. / have then,
q capacity for only a limited number Of
+ these wretched creations, let me say 800,
/ to he thoroughly on the safe side. | will
/ paint 500 pictures and l warrant the five
/ hundred and first will be u masterpiece"
He was still working at the 500 and his
skill was improving, the necessary conse-
! quence OF hard, honest work, but Hans
was discouraged and began to doubt his
/ hypothesis. He was long way from that
/ five hundred and first picture, and he
could not help dreading lest. nfter this
wedding of himself for the five hundredth
/ time, the next picture, when finished,
might prove not to be masterpiece might
never reach the Louvre.
Masterpiece! Louvre! As quick as a fash
he saw n plan for satisfy ing at one grand
coup his ambition and patriotism as well.
An hour later he laid this plan before his
friend Quentin.
| The great emperor was then In the midst
of those prodigious thefts which have
more than all else endeared him to the
really thoughtful and earnest sort Of
Frenchmen. His victorious armies from
oil over southern Europe were constantly
returning laden with the most precious
works of art.
In Greece, take what no might he could
hardly go wrong. and therefore could trust
to his own Judgment, but in Italy and the
southern countries there Is good reason to
believe that his choice was guided chiefly
by the actions of the guardians of the vari.
GUS art repositories, and that he selected,
at all times, the paintings or the marbles
which appeared to be the subjects Of great
est solicitation to their owners.
Now Hans plan for tho attaining OF his
ambition was this: Napoleon WINS at the
time absent on some little expedition in
the north. On his return, as he passed
through Brent, which lay in his direct
line to the capital, the great man must be
made to steal one of Hans pictures, and
with some show Of violence, II possible
that the affair might have the greater pub
LEFTY.
The theft accomplished, his fnme as III
artist was established. He would be ac-
counted Il genius at once, and the time
would have come for him to exchange his
privacy for publicity and to increase his
correspondence, as all wise geniuses do, In
preparation for death.
The emperor entered the city on April I.
He was not overpopular with the Dutch,
so there was no demonstration as he passed
through the town, nor did he seem to ez
pect 1t. The day was hot, and no pushed
steadily onward, evidently anxious to
reaCh Paris.
Suddenly his attention was attracted by
a piercing cry overhead Looking upward
hastily he saw, leaning out Of window,
q wild looking man, bristlng with artist
sccouterments, who gazed fearfully for
moment at the oaynoade beneath and
then shot back from the window Us II at
tached to an elastic cord.
The emperor halted. His instinct told
him he was on tho trail of high art, and
in moment the few doubts he had were
put to flight by his catching glimpse OF
tho same young man and another equally
rufi1anly looking person struggling over
the roofs Of some neighboring houses. car.
Tying between them what was evidently o
large canvas
Soldiers and an officer were at once or
dered in pursuit A house was broken
into, some little damage done and much
disturbance of the neighborhood occa-
stoned, and after an indifferent race, tho
two young men and their canvas were
overtaken and brought before the emperor,
who then for the first time confronted
Hans eighty fifth daub.
1t staggered even Napoleon, and Hans
lieved that II 1t had not been for the pro-
testations OF the townspeople, his and
Quentin's plans would have gone for
nHught. These two had thrown them
selves on their knees and begged the EN-
peror In suppliant terms to return this
painting. the work Of years, intended Tor
the cathedral of St. Ananias
And all the people round about--and by
| CT .A4 VI ua m MIA al
blocked--ilnplored his majesty TO spare
this precious work, speaking out Of pure
good Will toward Hans who, as l have
said, was great favorite, and whom they
saw to 10 in distress ut tho tEou. Lit Of LIS
loss.
The emperor was treasured. There could
DO no longer any doubt Us to the pictures
superiority. Besides the artist had about
hihL all the elements Of genius. He had
wonderful head OF hair, RAN but poorly,
was lux In his CATERS, laxer in his gait
In short, the circunstantial evidence
WAS overwhelming, and, a. Thoreau has
said, sometimes circunstantiaI evidence
Is convincing, as when one finds trout
In the milk jug. Napoleon was convinced.
Five soldiers were ordered W convey the
painting to Paris with great care. soon
after it was added to tho Louvre cohesion,