The Savannah morning news., 1902-12-18
Painted a M..terpiece

The young man with the touZled hair
and Vandyke beard sat in his studio
in back attic and looked moodily at
his stock of unsold and apparently I'M
salable pictures. says the Chicago Tri-
bune.
They say my paintings lack the pow
er to move people, do they?" he reflect
ed with bitterness. They excite no
emotion, no impulse, hey? What the
devil do the critics know about art?''
An idea broke upon him.
"Hai" he exclaimed. "If that's what
they want I'll give II to them! By
Jove, I'll paint a picture that nobody
can look at without being visibly
movedl Watch mel"
He went to work with enthusiasm.
Day after day he wrought upon that
painting. sustained in his task by a
high devotion to art and diet of cof-
fee and sinkers.
At last he finished it.
He took it to local art gallery and
asked leave to place it on exhibition.
TT will make a hit" said the dealer.
what is the title of it?"
II shall call it," said the artist.
When the Evening Shadows
Gather.'"
Then he hunted up a weIl-known pa
tron of art.
"Muntoburn," he said, "what will you
give me for a painting that shall be
absolutely unique-that shall attract
instant attention and excite in every
beholder an uncomfortable impulse, as
it were?"
"Such a painting said the patron of
art, would be cheap at thousand"
Come with me-"
They went to the gallery-if a spa
Of ban he fret he Nal n
ed a gallery-where the picture was on
exhibition.
"Sit down in this little ROOM" said
the artist, where we can watch the
people as they look at my painting" .
but 1 want to see the painting it
self"
"All in good time. Keep your eye
on that girl"
A young woman had stepped up to
take a look at the picture.
She suppressed a yawn' and passed
on.
1T didn't seem to hit her very hard"
commented the patron.
That's all right. Watch her beefy
father"
A soggy parsonage in a fur-trimmed
overcoat next inspected it.
A smile wrinkled his fat face. He
yawned openly and went on.
Doesn't appear to have made much
of an impression on him, either"
Never mind about him. Watch the
old lady"
A portly dowager was the next one
to view the picture. The result was
the same.
"Say, Highlyte," exclaimed the pa
iron, I'm sorry for you, my boy.
but
Hold on. Let's see how it strikes
that young fellow"
A young man was seen to step up
to the picture. He broke into a laugh,
covered his mouth with his hand and
sauntered along.
Several others followed.
All seemed to be equally amused and
bored
by the way. Highlyte. what do you
call your painting?"
when the Evening Shadows Gath
err"
you must have given it a mighty
peculiar sort of treatment. BY George,
everybody has either laughed or yawn-
ed at it-or BOTH"
IT admit it. Let's take a nearer
view ourselves"
They stepped out into the gallery"
and stood before the painting.
1t represented a fat, sleepy boy
stretching himself and leaning back in
chair. with his mouth distended in
the frankest, openest, most capacious
yawn ever exhibited on canvas. AS a
yawn it was absolutely the limit.
Art Patron Muntoburn looked at il
and-yawned.
He couldn't help it. It simply yawn-
ed itself
'Highlyte." he said. 'your painting
excites-heighho!- the Uncomfortable
Impulse all right. Here's your-wait a
minute-here's your check for a thou
sand. and you've played a confidence
game on me, darn youi'