The Richfield recorder. (Richfield, Idaho) 1909-1931, 1912-12-19
Getting His
Start

finishing touches to a soap advertise
ment sketch of bathroom interior
81 was not always famous and pros
porous. l have known the time whel
a sudden sight draft for less than fou
figures would have seriously embar
rassed me-"
you figure in the cents in tina
statement. suppose" said the studio
loafer
Il might even go as far as that" as
sented the artist. Did l ever tell you
how l got my start?" he continued
We'll, I'll tell you; it was in triplicate
portrait work"
Portraits of triplets?" inquired the
studio loafer. "Dobber told me he did
dime museum posters. too. at one
time"
He ought to have stuck to that
branch of art" remarked the artist.
mo, you misunderstood me. I'll tell
you how it was There was one win
ter was pretty well on my uppers. At
that time l got acquainted with Giotto
Parkinson, and | tell you he was a
gcdsend He had a studio in the Gros-
'NACA ~-0 iAO OANl use IL hlohbot bC-
sides having a samovar that he got in
the Ghetto and plenty Of alcohol. The
Grosvenor doesn't favor light house
keeping, but / was pretty careful how
| threw my scraps out of the window
"One day Parkinson gave an exhib-
1t. He knew quite a few people in re-
spectacle circles and he thought there
was chance that some one of them
might buy picture of his If they got
well under the influence of a proper
art atmosphere and Russian tea.
stuck up few little things of my
own with his to furnish the art at
mosphere and he provided the tea and
the samoyar. 1t turned out all right.
There was coal baroness among
those present and got her worked up
to the point of ordering from me
portrait of her ten-year-old son for $50.
She brought him around the very
next day. Parkinson was a good fell
low and he let me have the use of his
shop for the job. We had bully good
dinner on the strength of the condi-
lions anyway. The kid was a sallow.
faced, skinny-like monkey not at all
like mamma, but l calculated | could
idealize him by a wide stretch of my
well-known imaginative faculty. He
had one sitting that day. The next
day and for several other sittings his
nurse brought him, and | want to say
that | had the dickens own time get
do any good to talk to him. All got
by that was sass-oh, the worst sort
just sweat blood for four days trying
to get some sort Of expression on that
portrait that wasn't exactly diabolical
and yet resembled the kid At last
got it.
Two days later the picture was
done and the sigh Of relief that |
heaved made the windows rattle l
notified the baroness and she and the
baron came to look at it. He seemed |
to have been brought under compul-
sion and to be but mildly interested 7
had learned that he was merely /
to the brat, so | didn't won
der SO much at it. But the baroness
threw fits of ecstasy over the picture
and ordered two more at the same
price, after trying in vain to beat me
down
4 won't tell you what I went
through within the next month with
he heir apparent, how day by day
grew to loathe the little wretch more
md more. The dear angel had per
ormed a large variety of interesting
ricks around the place to relieve the
of the sittings, and he
wound up by coming early one after
loon and cooring Parkinson's cher
shed Florentine prints in oil in our
bsence. When | demonstrated he
ave me choice line of sass, where
nee and laid melrily on.
Nearly two weeks later the coal
aron caught me in.
Don't be alarmed he said, as |
to the window I only called
0 Pay you for the pictures. | believe
his is the right amount
He laid slip of paper on the ia
lie. 1t was check for 800.
Il gasped.
II you don't mind | would like to
hake hands with YOU he continued.
q backed away
I see THAI you still fail to under
tand, he said. I want to tell you,
If, that you have my entire sympathy
nd heartfelt thanks for the basting
GU gave that young one. I've often |
,nged to do it myself. Frankly, sir
envy you. BY the way, if you can
lake it convenient to call at my of
&c | have something there would
Ike to talk to you about No, don't
~ you are sorry. Please don't say X
lat. I'm pressed fo. time now, but /
hope to see you soon. / think the
leck is right, isn't it? Thank you Il
cry much. Good day
"Iie shook handz with me soiemnly
1t vigorously and then turned sud-
snly and bolted. | called on him and II
e got quite chummy. file had some
ustrating for railroad that he ran
a side issue and did it for him. / III
ay say that he discovered me. III
low that if it hadn't been for the
1.