The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1904-12-16
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
z THE CAANcEi
OF ART. !
@:@:@:@:@:@:@i
BY ISABEL MOORE.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

i middle-aged couple with one
daughter, Katherine, who, as an only
daughter should be, was the pride of
their lives. And in spite of this,
though it is hard to say how she man
aged it, She really was a very attrac-
tive and sensible girl. Katherine was
away at school when certain events
transpired that led to portentous re-
Suits,
It all came about after this manner:
One day short time before Christ
mas, Mrs. Murray went into an auc-
ton room not far from Sixth avenue
while an auction was in progress, and
though she only remained half an hour,
she came away the possessor Of a
good-sized oil painting. Mrs. Murray
had never been noted for her judg-
ment in matters artistic, whereas Mr.
Murray laid some such, claim to this
distinction; therefore it was with a
little trepidation of spirit that she an
nounced her purchase.
MAY I ask the subject" was his
suaye inquiry.
pressionistic treatment. The picture
really isn't worth anything at all, but
1 bid on it because of the frame 1t
is beautiful frame Of California
redwood, quite wide and we'll made; it
would have been pity not to have ia
ken it at so cents"
lis that what you paid for it, pic
ture and all?"
eyes, and you couldn't get such
frame under two dollars and fifty
cents"
what do you intend to put in it,"
ooh, I'll leave that to you; you
know so much more about such things
than I do, and I'm quite sure you will
like the frame. Anyway, if you don't
fifty cents isn't any great matter"
Mr.. Murray laughed. He had heard
this form of reasoning before.
Sounds attractive" he unused, ''im-
pressionist nymphs; always was fond
of impressionist nymphs."
II tell you the picture isn't any
Shing-it's the FRAME" reiterated Mrs.
Murray with conviction. Nevertheless,
they both awaited its delivery with
considerable interest.
"Ah," said Mr.. Murray, viewing their
new possession frCSn a safe distance,
that's not so bad my dear; upon my
word, it isn't. The greens are really
we'll handled and the figures are not
out of the way. In fact quite like the
Fncto fh~ t.
right, too"
"No. it isn't 50 bad as you say"
admitted Mrs. Murray; but isn't the
frame lovely!"
eyes it is a high class frame all
right enough; but quite like the pic
ture."
"Well, you know, I rather did, too,
though hardly liked to say so be-
cause If it was really any good they
wouldn't have let me have it for fifty
cents, would they?",
"One would hardly think so. OF
course it is only a rough study, never
was intended for anything else, and
was probably done out on the coast
where redwood is cheap, for nobody
would be likely to buy such a frame for
It here. Signed too," and Mr.. Murray
carefully examined the left-hand cor
ner, ''Theo. E. Butler-never heard OF
him, but what's the odds; it is really
very clever" -. :
Mrs. Murray looked exceedingly
gratified.
"And think we shall put it up jus,
as it u.s." went on her husband, s'at
first the color of the frame strikes
one as being too great a contrast tt
the cool tone of the picture. but thu
longer I look at it the better I like
it,
"a man bid over me-" confided Mrs
Murray, "he said sixty cents and thu
auctioncer said, sixty, sixty, sixty, die
I hear sixty?' Surely ! heard sixt,
bid, but you know, the man didn't sa,
1t again. He probably thought better
Of it and made up his mind he sdidn't
want; it. at any price; SO it wa;
knocked down to me-"
well, we must never tall anyon,
what We paid for it, or, Indeed where
we got it," cautioned Mr.. Murray.
'*Oh. If anyone asks us We can jus