, 1899-12-23

oit auuiiltS lHt tledtOl " nc plS-
lures. She would be even willing to
make you a present of her hand and
her millions"
NJ. Diomede damned his hat upon his
head.
you are joking"
Never. The lady is very hand
some"
so much worse. If she were home
ly she might at least serve as IN inter-
esting study for me-"
You are not asked to paint her. but
to take her."
That is to say, vice versa. l am to
sell myself to her. Now look here,
NJ. Luchs, I can't work myself up to an
impression on such a thing. A young
man who allows himself to be taken
by a rich young woman and afterwafd
rides behind his wife's team is a PUP.
l don't fancy that style of love-maklng,
a marble-heart n silk-clad woman
beside it; a young woman who reads
aloud, an old nan who drinks coffee, a
waiter who serves with a tray, a lap
dog, yawning with tedium. / detest
that sort of pictures. shall not mar
ry until the whole world recognizes
whom l am. When connoisseurs begin
to vie with one another for the pur-
chase of my pictures; when | have
reached that point at which l shall be
able to come to you with a blank can
vas on which nothing has yet been
rNnintaI avnnn{ rnr ~ ~ nrl nsE
you, What is this canvas worth?' and
you say, Twenty thousand francs and
l reply, 1T shall be ready for you in a
week. then l will be ready to wed.
My own self-respect demands that 1
be able to say to Miss Deborah Stops,
the silver queen, 4 take you"
"Nobly spoken" said NJ. Luchs.
That's the kind Of youth like"
A few days later NJ. Diomede was
awakened at 10 o'clock in the orn
ing. He was told to hurry to the art
dealer. A purchaser had COM for one
of his pictures.
who is hep"
IAN American"
What is he?"
"a cotton king
Diomede hurried to get to the art
dealer. He was there within three
hours. The American was waiting for
him. NJ. Luchs introduced them to
each other.
IN. Diomede-Mr. Vanderguld."
Mr.. Vanderguld was a tall, thin old
man, pale, with that complexion which
goes with total abstinence from spir-
ituous drink.
Are YOU pictures for sale?"
That's why they are placed on ex-
hibition."
What is their price?"
You can see. The Sleeping Wench,'
10, 900 francs; the Drinking Cow H.
900 francs; the Sunshine -, 1000
francs; the Still Life,' $4,000 francs;
the Battle Picture $4,000 francs-to-
tall don't know how much. Just add
them together"
Mr.. Vanderguld shook his head.
I'm my gallery, my dear sir, in
which Edrope's most famous artists
are represented, there is not a picture
.nal mas ''oou NE iess than lo'ooo
mas .a'hy iehieuieu. Let each
VI .ne hSe oe io'oVo irahcs, 'heh'
1--WE ear place the Battle Picture
at 10000"
81 .ha' ~ rounu numbers IL shail
Va i"o. "p 'o'ovo frames! Asreeu!
MI 'ahoereuIu LOOK OUT MS checK-
DOCK ahd gave NJ. the amount.
49, -" listing eaia ih'o
as anidanoo y, ~, 80.
thou H. s,uon,n a. ~.
~. 49, aA.sSS o.
49, -. the 49, Is -
40 ~ Lora ~ n"
II pi..uie' On eAnioi'ion
take them with him IN tho Nav worId
The report NJ this ~wonderfr, cole
spread rapidlv through the metrono,is
And now the nublic rushed with a ven-
geance to admire the pictures which
America had captured. And e~vervbodv
now discovered the hidden beauties
which nobody had been able to detect
before. And from that day NJ. Diomede
became n Of the most celebrated
artists of Europe, whose pictures are
shown only for an admission fee, and
are placed on pedestals beneath can
opies and illuminated with electrical
effects.
Now he could proudly step before the
silver queen and ask for her hand. He
got it, too. and became a universally
enVieu husoaho'