The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1902-11-13
THE COLLECTOR.
by BARRY PAIN.

pictures this year But he Is not an artist.
The point is beyond doubt"
"WhyY
Because | know for fact that he I'M
derstands--really understands-rates and
taxes"
/ eff that is true" / conceded, ''it seems
pretty grave But how do you know"
! "Well," said the stranger, retcctiyely,
81 don't know why | should tell you. We
are the casual acquaintance OF long ra'l-
way Journey; you do not even know my
name, and you will not be told it; when
/ | step out of this carriage, the acquaint-
ance is at an end. 1t is true you will form
bad opinion of me, but | know of no
overwhelming reason why should value
/ your good opinion. / will take it for
| granted that you do not care to undertake
the dirty work OF an informer, and | will
! speak candidly. How do / know that the
! painter IT. question undelstan rates ana
! taxes? Because a very dear friend OF mine,
| in the same business as myself, once called
at his studio to collect "a lbs. Cd. sanitary
rate. That friend of mine has still two
| years of his sentence to run"
81 don't quite follow. How did your
| friend get into trouble!"
"But that's Just what I've told you. he
called to collect GA lbs. Cd. sanitary rate.
| But if the money was due"
"Preclsely The money was not due.
| And if it had been, my friend was not au-
| thorized to collect it. 1T was merely that
| he felt Ike getting the singular sum that
/ mentioned Ninety-nine painters out
OF hundred would have paid it with.
out question. At certain times they know
that man calls with little brown bag
and some printed forms, and that then
they have to write a check. They know
vaguely that it is rates But, IT they
really have the artistic temperament, they
don't know why they have to pay 1T, or
how much it ought to be, or how often
they have paid it already. | have myself
collected sanitary rate four times in three
weeks from one artist, charging him diff
ferent sum each time, and he newer
raised the least objection or showed the
faintest suspicion. Of course, though,
even the really artistic temperament has
its limits, and I'm told that when the
actual sanitary rate called day or Two
after | had left the neighborhood, he was
very roughly handled Hot teInper-one
so often finds that in artists. Untor-
tunately the painter my friend tried to
collect from was Of a very bourgeois type.
He fetched a poiiceman-prosaic kind OF
thing for man to do who is actually
painting the death Of King Arthur at the
time. Ny friend hurt the policeman
rather. | was very sorry about 1t, very
sorry.
1T was this friend, then, who mislei
you into dishonest courses
"Not at all | misled him-if you can
call it misleading. And / don't quite ike
that word dishonest A man studies finance
and profits by the result Of his study; he
invests; he speculates; he makes a for
tune; and nobody dreams Of accusing him
of dishonesty. /, on the other hand,
studied psychology with special reference
to the artistic temperament; it Is a inner
study than finance; it has, indeed, been
well said that the noblest study OF man
kind Is man Well the laborer is worthy
of his hire. May not | also reap the re-
ward OF my work.
"The law looks at it in"
Eyes, | know there is technical OBJ
lection to the course | take. | avoid as
far az possible coming into collision with
the officers of the law"
"The wonder is that you have not been
caught a hundred times over You ought
to have been"
"Once would have been sufficient-for
some time, at any rate. | change my
neioiborhood frequently and to some ex-
tent I vary my methods. Sometimes it's
sanitary rate, sometimes it's poor rate,
sometimes it's a gas account, sometimes
it's water. came rather near beng
cauuht once over a gas account. sall
that il was IS 0s. md, and long over
dine And the artist had not got gas IN
his studio, and never had had But ne
was perfect gentleman, and quite Wiling
to accept my explanation that had called
at the wrong address; in fact, he apollo
pized for having inadvertently given me
cytra trouble, Once | came on an artist
buyina an old pewter dish in curiosity
! sbon and | noticed that the dish had CO.
crest or it. | called on him next day
and collected a flyer for license for armori-
al bearings, and fine OF two pounds LOT
using them without a license. lie gave
me a whisky-and-s and hve shi!hhgs
for myself for promising to keep the case
ont of the papers. Oh, there's no mistake
about It-artists are the salt OF the earlh!
| Without them ! should never oe "oie W
travel in luxury, dine sumptuously' ana ,i
smoke these excellent cigars. Have one
Certainly not; and l hope next tune
YOU try anything of the kind on you'll
be caught
ut Is not likely, for | am going on
fundamental law. 1t is law that any,
one with the artistic temperament wui
nav any sum not exceeding ten pounds
10 any respectfully dressed man with
small bag, a plausible manner, and some
imposing, printed forms. That 49, sup
nos,np that the artist has got the money;
and f he has not got it all he will pay
what he has got on account. It's a SIN
ole idea but then all the really great ideas
are simple
He got out, am glad to say, at the next
station. He explained that well-known
ocademician had a bungalow with studio
attached in the neghborhood. That :
nm artist indeed" he said, with enthus,
osm Owe stood before his picture with
tears in my eyes. BEAUTIFUL Real! bea"
tiful. I've put him down for tl3 los-
it's more than | generally ask LOT Hos
licenses. but | shall get it all right he ea
we are. Sure you won't try II you'~ei'
--Lopdon Black and White.