Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-05

ness into Observation-Disclosures since last
! had seen him; for his oil wells were not
busters and his gold mines were not
salts"
lie looked las plain an old shoe, y
as Iolks have way of saying, as he
weaved his way through the 9TH avenue
clutter, with his baegy pepper-and-salt
sack suit his dusty derby nat, his broad
ted wrinkly-uppered Congress gait
ers,'' his fat, made black bow tie,
which ! suspect was snapped on to the
collar button by an elastic loop. He Wore
no overcBat, though the air was nippinG
t''Ntver wore one OF the fool things in
TIE Rockies. so why should / swaddle
myself in one of EN- ON this crazy street,
he said to me.D You would have taken him
Tor foreman of gang of street PAYERS,
al perhaps a preoccupied boss plumber.
Looking over the latest ideas in town
cars? ! asked him, nodding toward the
lacked mass Of halted automobiles.
Nope" he replied seriously ON my
way TO buy d picture. Then he laughed
,nioyabN MY wife sends me, IA busy
laan. a-scooting more than two thousand
miles TO buy fool picture. Can YOU beat
hiatt" and he continued 10 chuckle over
the idea. lie is known as one OF the most
iudulGent husbands and fathers III al!
civilization.
What's the picture asked him.
Thing by fellow named Alna-Ia-
dee-ma. OF Tad'ma' or $40 something thin IKE
that. he replied. Trifiin Kind or
name for a man, Alma, hey:
happened To know something about
The picture TO which he was referring. II
as the only picture By Alma-Tadema
then being offered for sale III New York
and il was all unusually large canvas
FOR This artist
They're holding that picture for Il
pretty big price. | hear, said l to my
friend from the Rockies 'Sixty-fiTe
thousand il is said
'En,-ye-eh" he replied. indiferently
without symptom of surprise. MUSE
he some picture. en- But I'm just sport
enough old fool enough To buy II no
matter what il costs. see, We haven't
got any Tad ma or Ia dee-ma or what
ever YOU call him in our gallery, and the
wife wants one. Wants one SO bad that
she sent me kitin' to grab this one when
she heard about it. And. he added
with a humorous twinkle in his keen
gray eyes. what Mary wants, why, she
rally gets.
accompanied him to the richly hung
second floor sales gallery where the
.llrna-Tadema canvas was on view. The
manager OF the gallery. squat, red
faced sulky-lookinS man, lounSed IN
swivel chair al u desk in corner as We
entered lie darted us Il quick. dISap-
proving glance as We came III. ah'. tneh
swung around III his chair 50 as To give
IL, a perfect view OF his back. But he
was the only person in sight we had.
therefore. to acccst him.
This gentleman. j said To MN. wants
TO have a look at Your Alma-Tadema, il
you please.
The squat manager looked up sulienly
from 81. .Sca., and swept my western
friend with distinctly disdainful gaze.
With a view TO pu'chasin the picture.
rao daoubt?'' said the manager. a Ge-
cided trace of Righteousness in his tone,
as he tapped his pencil on the desk.
The manager was an American WHO
had spent a number Of years In London
His English accent. therefore. was more
acute than Lawrence DOrsays. which
isn't the real-thing English accent al all
Might buy it, If it suits me-, put il
my friend from the Rockies siirewdly
sizing the manager up from beneath his
shaggy brow<. You never can tell
"Ow va daont sa ay?' drawled the
manager. focusing his gaze on the west
errer'S turn-down collar and made
bow tie of black ''Er-uh--we like to
know. y'know. somethin abaout-er-uh-
people that leok at the pictchuh-whet..er