The Press., 1911-06-14

| It IS dISO lOTOuI1uC SCCAOp CdAACS
 Up the Arno' It takes in the river
 with the hills beyond. It, too, is [ great picture"
 My knees began to knock together My jaws chattered. but not sufficient! to prevent my asking, "What do yol ask for this picture?"
 "Twenty thousand francs"
 Great heavens! had never re ceived the half of that for a picture I looked at the man so astonished tha he hastened to say:
 "My profit will be but 500 francs.
 paid 19,5OO francs for it."
 Taking the number of the shoI where he said the other picture wal to be seen, staggered out of ehe stor' and was soon. before the picture ha( also created in dreams. It, too, fal exceeded any work I had ever done The dealer told me he had paid 27 .00( francs for 1t.
 Fortunately I occupied rooms witt an American friend in the Quartiel Latin and rushed home to tell hin that had discovered something whicl if not explained would drive me crazy He listened to my story, but could see by his expression that he, too feared something had occurred to dis turb my mental balance. He would express no opinion till he had seer the paintings, and as could not re main quiet insisted on his going witt me at once for the purpose. He did so, and, being familiar with my work he pronounced the pictures mine though they were far beyond any ot my work he had ever seen.
 On our way back to our rooms neither he nor I said anything about reached them he sat down before me lit a pipe and said: a.
 "While you were i'll in Florence and out of your head you undoubtedly painted those pictures, not knowing what you were doing; consequently you retained no remembrance of them"
 "But l wasn't out of my head when was wrapped in the views given in the pictures. Besides, how could I have done the work without the Miceles knowing it2 And, knowing it. they would have called my attention to it."
 My friend pondered awhile, blowing at the same time clouds of smoke, and finally said:
 "Whatever you have been physically, I'm sure you are all right now. But If you wish an explanation go back to Florence, see the people you board ed with and get it from them" Acting on his advice, started that evening. On the way I had time to think over the matter of my investiga- ton and decided to approach the Miceles without being known to them. On arrival I asked about them and learned that they had been left legacy of some fifty thousand francs This at once assured me that they had received the amount paid for my pie lures. One morning I rang their bell. Blanca answered the summons and, seeing me at the door, turned pale.
 Going in, asked her to call her mother and told both of my experience in Paris. At first they assumed to be as much surprised as I; but, seeing that was not to be deceived, Sonora Mi cele finally began confession which the senorina finished.
 ''We did not suppose that you would ever happen to see your pictures" said the former.
 "Well, tell me where they came from" asked her. She looked at her daughter.
 q can only tell you," said Blanca. ''that painted them while you were sitting out in your chair on the bal cony-how know not. All I do know is that 1t seemed to me that 1t was your brain working with my hand"
 questioned her and cross questioned her, eliciting nothing further except that she had discovered some time be- fore meeting me that she possessed some strange power of the order com monly called clairvoyant. My own in- depreciation of the incident was that, not being able to do good work herself, she had exercised this power over me to utilize my ability. Since she had painted the pictures herself the only fraud involved was her placing my name on them. She did this not re- alizing the pecuniary value of the pic lures themselves and supposed she could not sell them without a name to them. She and her mother were tempted chiefly because they were financially in desperate straits. They had sold the paintings through friend who appreciated their worth and paid them all they brought ex- cept a bare commission. I told them that they were welcome to all they had received for the paintings. The sole interest took in the matter was curiosity to know how the work had been executed.
 Every year brings to light new evil dence to show that there are subtle forces acting psychically within us that we do not understand. I believe that just as surely as the invention of wireless telegraphy will come an ex- plantation of how Blanca Micele united my artistic ability with her own per gonality and of the union made far better work of art than could have produced by myself It is possible that the advantage came merely through a certain suppleness in her wrist or in some other mechanical feature that was superior to mine, thus enabling me to attain an ideal that I had never been able to attain before with my less perfect member. But this is a mere exposition of my own, unsupported by proof.
 Her Excuse.
 Her Mortified Mother - Maude, I should like to know why you allowed that presumptuous fellow to kiss you.