The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-01-14

pictures. Mrs. Miller held S200 in re- serve to pay for them She put of buy ing them till the very last. But finally the curtains and portieres were hung, the bookcase filled with nicely-bound editions of the standard authors and the egg beater and potato masher put away in their particular corner in the kitchen cupboard, whereupon Mrs Miller an- nounced her readiness to consider the picture proposition.
 q have made a study of the walls" she told Miller, "and find that I have places to hang twenty-three pictures, all told. both large and small 'Whew-ew-ew," whistled Mir. Miller, isn't that a good many? If you are going into the picture business on such large scale why don't you give D'Au- Der a show? I'm sure he would appre- ciate a commission and he would prob ably turn out a few little things for you at very reasonable rate"
 Mrs. Miller indicated by means of an eloquent gesture her abhorrence of MT. D'Auber and his artistic achievements.
 MT. D'Auber?' she said. T wouldn't t give room on my walls to those botches of his. They are abominable. l don't know anything about art, but l do know that I don't like MT. D'Auber personally; then how on earth could l ever like his work? No, intend to buy our pictures at Gregory's. I shall rely upon his judgment entirely. shall have to depend upon him, wheth- CT I want to or not, because, as l have freely admitted, don't know the first thing about pictures, and you know even less. You can't tell an oil painting from a baking powder chro- mo-
 "Oh, I don't know about that" pro- tested Miller, somewhat warmly. T ana not quite such a fool as you try to make me out"
 Well, perhaps you are not" return- ed Mrs. Miller, consolingly, but you
 certainly don't know anything about pictudes I shall write note to MT. i Gregory to-day telling him we will be
 at his place Wednesday morning, and
 that shall trust him to invest my $2OO
 as conscientiously as if he were buying art for his own use.''
 l Miller waited until his wife finished
 the letter making an appointment with MT. Gregory and mailed it on his way
 out. Before he reached the office he met D'Auber.
 Hello, DAuber!' he said; you seem
 to be in a hurry"
 T am" said D'Auber; T am going | to leave the city, and am busy trying
 to sell the things that anybody will buy and packing up the things they
 won't. Won't you come in and look around few minutes?"
 1 They were then only half block l from D'Auber's studio, and Miller ac-
 cepted his invitation. They loitered l for awhile in the general reception
 room, admiring and criticising aim
 lessly Presently D'Auber opened the
 door of small back room in which l the light burned dimly.
 Here" he said, lis my morgue On these walls you see pictures rejected of many men. And most of them are rat
 ting good pictures, too. I wish l could sell them If anybody would come along and take the whole bunch off my hands I'd let them go for song" Miller turned up the lights and plant ed himself in critical attitude before a small group of water colors. What do you call a song?" he asked after awhile.
 "Oh, about $25.' returned D'Auber l Miller passed on to a larger picture. l This seems to be all right he said. 'sOf course, you understand, D'Auber, that I'm not up in art. but, as say, these things, particularly this sheep fold, strike me as being about the real | thing. If you are in dead earnest about selling the pictures in a lump I'll buy them. I'll pay you s25 for the whole outfit.
 1 DAuber coughed. T didn't expect such a literal acceptance of my terms, 3 he said. Still, a bargain is bargain, so I suppose we might as well call it a go. I don't see what on earth you want of the things, but it seems that you do want them, so yours thfey are Very well" said Miller. T will send a man around this afternoon to pack them up and haul them away. I may
 not be able to pay you before Friday or
 Saturday, but I'll be sure to make good then.'
 | D'Auber smiled significantly. Money doesn't seem to come you way as read fly now as it used to, does it, Miller?" he said.
 NO" Miller confessed; "it doesn't,
 but after next Thursday I hope to be a little more flush in spending money, for a few weeks at least, than I have been for a couple of years. At any rate. I'll have the $25 to pay for your pictures"
 From DAuber's Miller went to Greg ory's. MT. Gregory filled the dual role of dealer in art to the general public and friend extraordinary to Sylvester Miller. Notwithstanding the faithful ness with which he had always per- 1 formed the duties attendant upon the latter capacity. he failed to respond with enthusiasm to MiIler's latest prop osition.
 q really can't afford to, Miller" he argued; upon my word can't. It will iniure my reputation. I have never seen these particular pictures of D'Au- bers, but I've seen others of his later and avowedly better work, and even 1 that was atrocious Then what must those earlier efforts be? Honestly, I don't like to handle them. To send them out on my recommendation and have your wife tel everybody that comes to see her lEl 1 urged her to { buy the pictures az $De vea best I had in the store woul1 spvN y1ination fer ,sno n 1aoIar,