The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1905-09-22
Why Angelo Jones
Gave Up Art

"C) YOU don't know why Angelo
Jones gave up art" said the doc
tor. after contributing three smoke
rings TO the rathskeller haze We'll. il
was a mean game of the old mans-one
OF thase shrewd. brutal schemes that
only a hardened stock operator would be
callous enough 10 think Of OF execute.
You know old Midas Jones never took
kindly TO the idea Of the young cub be-
coming painter-daubina for a living
ne used to call IT, But he had never been
accustomed 10 exercise any authority or
even influence over his children His
was a busy life. keeping up the house
and the yacht and the villa and the style
generally The children and the sery-
ants were left 10 madame. She was
yapOry thing who lived under the de-
| lusiOn that she had soul. The girls all
took after dad. They got away from her
and became golfers But Angelo was
mammals boy: he thought he had a soul.
too. and his mother encouraged him 10
spread It out In oils.
and ridiculed. but. naturally. the more
earnest he grew the more convinced the
soul contingent became that II was their
duty TO stick ont against him. And they
did. Angelo rigged up studio coy
corner style. In the top floor front Of the
old Fifth avenue barrack. entered at the
/ Academy OF Design. bought a velvet coat
and an Objectionable pipe let his hair
grow long and Joined an evening life
class.
This Is where old hamburg came In.
| You knew hamburg. You knew his
seedy coat and his collar. which he al
ways wore once too often. his dusty veil
Of long hair, his thin, leathery face. his
sunken eye and his peony nose. Maybe
you don't know. however. that he had
touch Of genius in him-genius gone
wrong.
IT'S a very sad story. He was bach
elor They say he was very hard hit in
love affair and let go his hold on hope.
/ don't know about the love affair, but
| it's all true about the hope end Of II. lie
was one Of those menwho are marked fOI
| failure. 1t was no fault of his. lie
worked. He got his pictures shown. lie
sold a good many. But ne never had any
business instinct He never seemed 10
get ahead Of the game. He was always
fighting poverty and debt. He was often
in actual want
After awhile the struggle wore him
/ out. Discouragement crushed him and
he became the dealers hack he was when
he died.
Yet he was a most charming fellow.
| remember one New Years eve he came
TO my Office. was bachelor then and
prescribed in the back parlor Of fur
nlshed room house He asked me II
had some hot water and said | had
gas stove and a kettle Then he hauled
out Of one pocket OF his long rusty over
coat two beautiful eggs and out Of the
other a bottle Of bourbon whisky. |
/ borrowed a tumbler Of milk from the
landlady and he brewed egg-nOgg. He
handled the vessels and the ingredients
so tenderly that It almost brought tears
to my eyes to see him do H.
Il wondered what the meaning Of the
treat was and wasn't much wiser when
he told me that IL was through me that
ne had Just made 5000 He didn't seem
inclined TO explain and | wondered
vaguely whether he had used my mug
for a model in some picture he had sold.
He put the subject ont Of my head by
beginning 70 talk about art. and when
he talked about art no one could DO any
thing but listen.
Il found out later how had helped
him. II was HIS last flicker of good luck,
by the way. About a month earlier. as
I recall. | had advised him to take some
OF his work TO Midas Jones. whom he
had met often In the days when his ca
reer seemed full Of promise. and who.
besides being really good-hearted man,
was always vain Of his reputation as a
picture buyer. You should have seen
some OF the pictures he bought
Well. after hesitating for nearly a
month, old hamburg at last found him
self In a desperate hole. Extremity gave
him courage. He tucked a couple Of mis-
sketches under his arm and walked
down 20 Wall street-llterally / have
seen the things many time since. They
are exquisite. They are actually IN
splred. believe they are the best work
old BAN ever did.
The ofnce-boy eyed him askance and
consulted a typewriter The young wom-
an passed the problem up TO Jones pri-
vate secretary. The private secretary
sized up the very shabby gentleman, the
shapeless. soft felt hat. the long, rusty
overcoat. the gloveless hands blue with
cold clasping the pictures tied face 20
face. But when be exchanged a few
words with the queer visitor he decided
10 take in his name He came back with
a surprised face and ushered Bamburs
into the mahogany and leather sane
tuary of The Boss
'GOod-morning. Mr. Jones' said
Bamburg, deprecatlngly.
'GOOd-morning. Mr. Bamburg, re-
Joined Jones. right cheerily.
DIR. Jones. went on hamburg, al
most aggressiyely. 1 am IN need Of mon
ey. Perhaps / need hardly tell you so.
You have money. l, however. have
genius. and 1 have projected upon these
oanvases no Insignificant part OF the best