Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1908-04-17
Nj. barniCkeI's Portrait
lOriginal.1


When Mr.. Barnickel got rich the
first thing he wanted was a crest.
which he found, though his title to it
was rather thin, and the next was his
portrait to hang in his drawing room
and to hand down to his descendants
as the lineaments of the reinstitutor of
the family. Arnold Elliott was at that
time the principal portrait painter in
the city where Mr.. Barnickel lived.
and to him Mr.. Barnickel gave the or
der, agreeing to pay for the portrait
$500.
Now, although Mr.. Barnickel had
dealt In hides an article not calculated
to stimulate the imaginative faculty.
his imagination was strong. The mo-
ment he set himself up as a reinstitu-
tor of his family he saw himself fine
looking. dignifed gentleman Of aristo-
cratic mien and benevolent counte-
nance. In truth. he was a crafty look
ing man with a money making nose
He saw the picture of himself grow
ing up In the hands of the artist as he
was and not as he thought himself.
He made several protests. but when
he attempted to point out the errors
he sfgnally failed. He could not give
the artist his conception Of himself,
and the artist had no choice but to
paint him as Mr. Barnickel. When the
portrait was finished, there sat the
merchant looking for all the world as
II he were buying cargo Of hides.
When Mr. Barnickel saw the portrait
he refused to accept it on the ground
that his best friend wouldn't take 1t
for him.
As soon as Mr.. Elliott got little
spare time he hooked Mr.. Barnickel's
portrait up against the wall of his
studio. covered it with a sheet of
drawing paper and on the paper
sketched prison bars. This done, he
cut out the paper between the bars,
leaving Mr.. Barnickel in limbo Un-
derneath he placed the title of the pic
ture, "a Prisoner For Debt"
1t was not long before one who knew
Mr.. Barnickel we'll saw him behind
bars. Had he loved Mr.. Barnickel he
would have gone to him at once with
the information. But he didn't love
Mr.. Barnickel-few people did-so he
went about telling those who knew the
hide dealer of the rare sight to be
seen, and Mr.. Elliott's studio at once
became very popular. Indeed, from
among those who visited it to see "A
Prisoner For Debt he secured a num-
Der of orders.
The episode at last reached a mem.
Der of the Barnickel family, and the
family head was informed. The same
morning he drove up to Mr.. Elliott's
studio, alighted in hurry, climbed the
stairs in anger and burst into the stu
do in passion. There hung the pic.
ture, and there sat the artist quiescent
at his easel.
what do you mean by perpetrating
that outraged" shouted Mr.. Barnickel.
pointing to the picture.
"What outraged" asked the artist
without disseminating his work.
Putting my portrait behind bars"
"Your portrait? That isn't your por.
trait. You said yourself that no one
would recognize it,
The merchant saw that he could not
demand the removal of the objection.
able features without eating his words.
He went out, slamming the door be-
hind him. He had been triumphant in
too many deals to be beaten by pic.
ture maker: he would find q way to
get round the imposition"
But before he found this way he
heard that new feature had been at.
tached to the portrait. The artist LAD
removed the bars and the title, replac.
ing the latter with the words ''You
Want Too Much"
The title fitted the expression on the
face so we'll and Mr.. Barnickel's lido.
syncrasies were SO keenly appreciated
that new lot Of people came pouring
into the studio to see Old Scrouge, as
they called him, buying hides, though
some declared that he was disputing
the price Of his portrait. Mr.. Bar.
nickel was made aware of the change
by receiving an anonymous letter in.
curing which Of these two interpreta.
tions of the title was correct.
BY this time the merchant had COZ
suited his lawyer, who advised him
that the most satisfactory way out OF
the difficulty was to pay for the pic
ture and take it away. Therefore on
~SsoA a.. T.