Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1908-07-18

prominent. - they now are in the
work OF many drawing supervisors.
The new supervisor came upon the
work OF little Miss Pfctz.
why. where did this little girl
learn to draw this way--she is doing
what we are trying to teach--it Is
The same idea which we want to ex.
press-slie must have been taught
somewhere else"
mo. never learned anywhere"
said the httle maid, with her little
dark Japanese head on one side. "She
can do good work: she will be able
to make her living some day out OF
her sketches" said the supervisor,
but where she learned how to draw
In that particular fashion puzzles
me-"
There Is one way to explain ii;
she was a Jap in some other life"
said the teacher Of the reincarnation
theories. nodding her head wisely.
But Florence Pretz, whom her
friends called tinker Bell" only
gave the gay little smile she was
noted for and kept on with her draw.
ings. She had the strangest little
collection Of mud animals Of any OF
the children in the clay modelling
class. among them queer little beasts
which were never heard of In natural
history books, but which were strange.
ly like hieroglyphic animals. And
while she was working she dreamed
Of how she would work and save
enough money to come to Chicago to
work and study.
Chicago seems the great centre OF
design and wonderful art schools and
busy artists in the world, when you
are as far west as Kansas City. DC.
casionally the new drawing teacher
would help her sell some Of the
sketches Of funny Jap babies, SO that
the dream did not seem so far away
Then one day Tinker Bell thought
Of Billikin. "There never seem to
be any really good natured looking
IDOLS" she said. There ought to be
one to express all the new doctrine
about smiling"
Wear SMILE" Keep smiling
Come and take q smile with me,
she repeated to herself while she was
modelling, and pretty soon Billikir
was evolved "out OF the ideas she
had learned in some other existence
the teacher who had the reincarnatioz
theories insisted.
How In the world a little American
girl ever came to think Of such {
funny looking devil Is past under
standing" everybody else said.
But. however. she came to thinl
OF him, he began at once to brint
her good luck. She was offered {
place in an artistic furniture shop
where she was kept at work as ,
draughtsman making designs for fur
niture with her drawing board--he
daily bread board" as she callet
II. II was not big salary, but 1
was better than none, and Chicag'
looked nearer. Then the friend II
Chicago began to sell her little Japa
nese sketches. 1T all came abou
on account OF Billikin," both friend
declared. And then he began to b.
admired as he sat on the friend
iron grated desk In Chicago. Har
headed business men saw him ther
in the publishing house and stoppe
to pat him, startled out Of their, grin
practically by his friendly. impis
grin.
Then the arts and crafts adopte
him and displayed him In their win
dows, at the candy shop and ct tn
art shop Casts we're made In whole
sale numbers. ard even business me-
began to come I'm and set him up O.
their roll tops.
HE Is n funny little chap" sal
Burton Holmes, looking at him, bu
nevertheless he bought fourteen. An
II was this way with other order,
The cast makers are making fifty
one hundred, two hundred at a tim
! and still cannot get enough for thos
who want good luck omens. And a
this brought Tinker Bell enoug
money to come to Chicago to begi
work with her friend In a little studi
In Highland Park.
The two friends burned incense b.
fore Billikin at night, never omittin
the process, with the result that o
ders began to come In for the draw
ings. HE was the original officis
| luck bringer OF us ALL" said 9TH
+ friend who first started the god g,
ing in Chicago, and nothing Is to
| good for him" Chicago Tribune.
. CUTTING STEEL,