Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-05-22

I.
you to paint your own pictures, and
have a plan by which you may sup
port yourself in the meantime. l will
buy from you several Of these pic
lures that | consider above the aver
age, paying you what is today more
than they are worth, but what after
you have made reputation will be
less than they will be worth. 1t is
fair deal"
You take all the risk"
And pocket all the profit"
But when 1 have used up all you
pay me for these 1 shall be again
stranded"
Yes. without assistance which I
propose to furnish in some such legit-
innate way as furnish the beginning.
We are partners, you producing the
ideal part of the goods we sell, l the
practical part. Moreover. l shall, as
the capitalist of the firm, take the
lions share of the profit"
Miss Hathorn was puzzled. She could
not understand this interest in a ca
reer for her in Il stranger. She stood
mute thinking about what he had said,
while he, selecting certain pictures.
set them aside. saying. II will give you
so many francs for this and so many
for that" and when he had finished
he figured up the amount. saying that
he would send for his property and re-
NIT the money TO pay for it at the
same time.
The girl thanked him mechanically,
half doubling whether he would keep
his promise, but when u messenger ar
rived for the pictures with an envelope
containing notes enough to keep her
in the inexpensive city of Florence for
more than a year she feared that the
transaction was intended to draw her
into trap. However. she was an
artist with pictures TO sell and solaced
herself with the thought that in any
event she was capable of taking care
of herself.
A change came over Miss Hathorn
when, a week later, she received a
note from Mr.. Cahoon stating that he
had sold two of her pictures to per-
sons who valued them for their in
trinsic worth for sum equal to what
statement he sent copies of letters or
dering the pictures and stating the
terms. II the artist was puzzled be-
fore she was now all the more so.
Since genius is unconscious she set
very little value upon her pictures,
but she we'll knew that, while poor pic
lures with a name will bring large
| price, poor pictures without a name
are drug on the market. 1t began to
| dawn upon her that. after all, her pic
! lures must have merit.
Mr.. Cahoon kept in touch with Miss
Hathorn from that time He was of
no assistance to her in her work, but
was quite valuable In the sale Of her
| pictures. Indeed, she had learned
most of what she could be taught
and had reached that point where per-
: sons of originality begin to throw off
the propensity to follow leaders and
strike out on their own paths. At first
her work was not understood, but aft
er a few pictures had been hung In
| positions where the public could in
spect them a taste for Miss Hathorn's
work began to grow, and in couple
of years she found herself able to sell
her pictures without Mr.. Cahoon's as
sistance.
However he had meanwhile passed
from the condition of a stranger TO
that of acquaintance and finally n
friend. He was often in her mind, for
there was that which was singular
about him. She knew him for a man
who could have made money dishon-
estly, but had succeeded in making it
! honestly. And, moreover, she realized
that he had taken her from failure
| and poverty and raised her to success
and competence.
But why had he done this?
One evening while walking with him
In the beautiful Boboli gardens back
Of the gallery where they had first met
! she was expressing her gratitude for
what he had done for her and asked
him point blank for the reason of his
doing so. ...-...
1.-The time has come" he said, ''for
me TO explain. When | looked across
the room where you were copying and
! saw you sitting at your work, the sun
light tinting your face and hair, rec
I ognized you for the one woman in the
world whom WANTED. 1t would have
been out of the question for me TO WOO
a stranger in the usual way. | did not
think you could he won by such
woOing Fortunately l thought / saw
in you indications Of the artist, and
when | saw your work my opinion was
confirmed You may have thought
was kind to you or that was disposed
to make money out Of your pictures.
My object was neither of these. l
served you for consideration of an
other kind. | wished you. And now
j call upon you to pay-dearly you may
think it-for what / have done for
you. / ask In return yourself, and you
know that wedding bells for a woman
sound the knell Of an artistic career"
Miss Hathorn paid the bin and will
ingly; but, being true artist, she
found much comfort during her mar.
ried life with her brush.