The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1907-02-23

stances with light heart
~os When. the sky vas hlnf
ana the air of Paris keen yet balmy
was more exhilarating than wine. his
studlo IN the Rue Breda lost it's shabbi
ness: On such days as these he went
doWn into the street and watched cav
women make their purchases for lun
cneon. The disarray of their costume
IN the morning contrasted with the
spiendor with which he had seen them
emerge from their houses the night be-
1ore' They fingered at the door of
green srocers bargaining for their veg.
etables with the strenuousness Of mod.
el housewives. Several had sat for
nlm' and with these he exchanged the
gossip OF the quarters Then, his eyes
n'led With the viyacity of that scene,
liz returned to his studio, and sought
10 pace on canvas the dancing sunlight
oI the Parlsian street. He felt in him
the courage to paint masterpieces. But
when gray clouds and rain made the
colors on his palette scarcely distin.
sulsnaDIe from one another, his mood
changed. He could scarcely bear the
dingy shabbiness of his studio. He
looked with distaste at the picture on
which he had been working for q
month and saw that it was bad. His
poverty appalled, him.
IL was on such an occasion. thai
charles Bartle sat, pipe in mouth, con-
templatlng with deep discouragement
the work OF his hands. He smoked
gloomlly. Presently, with Sigh. he
took palette knife and prepared to
scrape down all that he had done.
There was knock at the door.
Come 1n,'' cried Charlie. looking
round.
1t was slowly opened by little old
man. with bald head, a hooked nose
or immense size. and a.. gray beard.
he was shabbily dressed, but the rings
on his finger. the diamond in his tie.
and his massive watch chain, suggest
ed that it was not from poverty.
"Monsieur Leir"' said Charlie, with a
smile. Come in. I'm delighted to see
you.''
II knew you couldn't paint in this
weather, so thought I shouldn't be in
the way
He came into the room aud looked
at Bartle's unfinished canvas. The
painter watched him anxiously, but no
change in the Frenchman's expression
betrayed his opinion.
do you think it's utterly rotten? ''
asked Charlie.
MY dear fellow, you young men are
so impatient. You buy a canvas. and
you buy paints, and you think you can
produce marvels Immediately. You
won't. give time to it, and you won't
give patience. The old masters weren't
in such a hurry. Read Vasari and
you'll see how they worked.''
Charles Bartle impatiently threw
aside his palette knife.
Il wish I'd veen crossing sweeper
rather than "a painter. It's a, dogs life
that lead. I do without everything
that gives happiness, and I don't even
do~work that's fit to look att
Monsieur Leir sat down, took from
his Waistcoat pocket the stump OF all
unfinished cigar, rubbed the charred end
with his finger and lit it. He smoked
this with apparent satisfaction. In
his day he had known many painters.
Some had succeeded, but most had
failed, and he knew that the profess
sion, even for the fortunate, was very
hard. Genius itself starved at times,
and recognition often did not arrive till
a man was too embittered to enjoy it..
But he liked artists. and found pecu7
liar satisfaction in their society. Mon
sleur Leir was a dealer. He had early
seen the merit of the impressionists,
had bought their pictures Systematic
cally, thus saving many of them from
disaster and at the same time. benefit
ing himself, and finally sold them
when the world discovered that Ma
net, Monet and. Sisley were great
painters; His only daughter had mar
ried- Rudolf Kuhn, dealer in New
York, so Monsieur Leir felt justified
in spending the years that remained to
him in condition Of opulent idleness.
But he flattered himself that the paint
ers whose works he mad bought for a
| song were his friends IS we'll as, his
customers, and it pleased him still to
potter about the studiosrof those who
yet lived. When Charlie Bartle settled
in the houSe in which he himself had
All apartment, Monsieur Leir gladly
made. his acquaintance The young
man was delighted to hear stories Of
the wild life they led in Montmarte in
the seventies, and he was taken, too,
by the kindness, of the retired dealer.
There was an unaffected amiability in
Monsieur NJ s Leir's manner, which led: The.
foreigner quickly:,to pour into his sym
pathetic ear his troubles and his ambi-
tons. The dealer was. a lonely man,
and he: soon began to feel a certain af-
lection for the young painter. Now
that be was no longer in the trade he
could afford to put charms *of manner
before talent, and the. mediocrity Of
BIZ bis friends" work touched his gentle
old heart " ss, : .;s5 s !.
E.::lt one Of your bad days. mon
lY1euX, said the dealer. z5aSs ": ;t III = T.