Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1903-01-02
THE COLLECTOR.
ny nAnnr rAIN.

rIt may be 60. said the stranger 'Ths
ritics speak very highly Of his academy
pictures this year. But he is not an artist
The point is beyond doubt"
"WhyY
because J know for fact that he un-
dersiands-really understands rates and
taxes
III that il true" conceded, 'it seems
pretty grave. But how do you knowg
Well said the stranger reRectively,
4 don't know why I should tell you. We
are the casual acquaintances Of long rail
way journey; you do not even know my
name and you VIII not be told it, when
| step out Of this carriage the acquaint
ance is at an end. II is true you viii form
o bad opinion of me- but J 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 | win
speak candidly How do ! know that tho
painter ir question understands rates and
taxesi Because a very dear friend Of mine,
in the same business as myself. once called
at his studio to collect ga l3s 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 "a i3s Cd sanitary rate.
But u the money was due
"Pieusely The money was not due.
And IL It had been, my friend was not au.
thorized TO collect it. lt was merely that
he felt Ike getting the singular sum that
! mentioned Ninetynine painters out
Of hundred would have paid it with
ont 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 knox
vaguely that il is rates But il they
really have the artistic temperament, they
don't know why they have to pay il, or
how much II ought to be, or how often
they have paid it already. l have myself
collected sanitary rate four times IN three
weeks from one artist, charging him a dil
| ferent sum each time aud he newer
/ raised the least objection OF 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 a day OF two
after / bad left the neighborhood, he was
very roughly handled. Hot temper-on
so often finds that IN artists. Unfor-
tunately the painter my friend tried to
| collect from was OF very bourgeois type.
| De fetched a policeman-prosaic kind OF
/ thing for a 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 it, very
sorry
1T was this friend, then, who misle /
you into dishonest courses
"Not at all. misled mm-if you can
/ Ill "a N,T Il lruff nuffp like
that word dishonest A man studies finance
and profits by the result Of his study; he
invests; he specuates; he makes fof-
tune; and nobody dreams Of accusing him
of dishonesty. /, on the other hand,
studied psychology with special reference
to the artistic temperament; il is finer
study than finance: it has indeed been
well said that the noblest study OF man
| kind is man Well the laboreris worthy
Of bis hire. May not | also reap the re.
ward Of my work?'
"trhe law looks at it i'm"
eyes, | know there is technical OBJ
lection to the course ! take. | avoid as
far as possible coming into collision with
the officers of the law"
"The wonder is that you have not been
caught q hundred times over. You ought
to have been"
aOnce would have been suffieient-for
some time. at any rate. / change my
neiqhborhood frequently, and TO some ex-
tent | vary my methods. Sometimes it
sanitary rate, sometimes it's poor rate
sometimes it's a gas account, sometimes
it's water. ] came rather near being
caught once over gas account l sai'
that it was es 0s 4kd., and long over
due. And the artist had not got gas IN
his studio, and never had had. But he
was perfect gentleman and quite willnn
to accept my explanation that | had called
at the wrong address, IN TACT, ne apoio
pized for having inadvertently gwen me
extra trouble Once | came on an artist
buying an old pewter dish m a curiosity
shop, and | noticed that the dish had go
crest on il. ! called on MN next das
and collected iiver for license for armor'
al bearings, and a fine Of two pounds io'
usinp them without a license. lie gave
me whiskv-and-soda and five shilling
for myself for promising TO keep the case
out of ,bc papers. Oh, there's no mistake
about it--artists are the salt OF the earth
Without them | should never be able q
travel in luxury. dine sumptuously, am
smoke these excellent cigars. Have onef
HCertainly not; and 1 hope next tim
YOU try anything Of the kind on You
be caught"
III Is not likely. for ! am going on g
fundamental law. 1t is law that any
one with the artistic temperament wa
nav any sum not exceeding ten pound
10 anv respectfully dressed man with
small bag. a plausible manner and som'
imposing. printed forms. That is, sup
posing that the artist has got the money
and Il he has not got il all he will pa'
what he has got on account. lts a sim
BE idea. but en- al the really great idea
lie got ont, ] am glad 90 say at the mex
Station. He explained that weli-knowi
aeademician had bungalow with a studio
attached in the neighborhood. That
AM artist indeed" he said, with enthusi
asm GIVE stood before his picture witt
tears in my eyes. Beaptfull Really beat
Hfu I've put him down for flS iOj-
~ more than ! generally ask for doi
licenses. but ! shall get it all right. Her
We are. Sure you won't try it yourself
London Black and White.
Qualified CompIimena.
Two women and a bright little girl, say
.tr r...s.. (fifv .Iouruaf oceuuied seats II