The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1912-07-25
Getting His
Start

/ finishing touches to soap advertise
meht sketch of a bathroom interior
Il was not always famous and pros
porous. | have known the time when
a sudden sight draft for less than four
figures would have seriously embar
raised me"
You figure in the cents in that
statement, | suppose" said the studio
loafer
81 might even go as far as that" as
scented the artist Did | 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.
No, you misunderstood me. I'll tell
you how 1t was. There was one win
ter | was pretty we'll on my uppers. At
that time l got acquainted with Giotto
Parkinson, and l tell you he was a
godsend He had studio in the Gros-
yenor and he didn't use 1t nights. be-
sides having a samovar that he got In
the Ghetto and plenty of alcohol. The
Grosvenor doesn't favor light house
keeping, but l was pretty careful how
| threw my scraps out of the window
"One day Parkinson gave an exhib-
1t. He knew quite 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
we'll 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 sa1noyar 1t turned out all right.
There was a coal baroness among
those present and got her worked up
to the point of ordering from me a
portrait of her ten-year-old son for $50.
she brought him around the very
next day. Parkinson was 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
wellknown 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.
ting that imp TO keep still 1t didn't
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 diabollcal
and yet resembled the kid. At last |
got It.
Two days later the picture was
done and the sigh of relief that |
neaYed made the windows rattle
notified the baroness and she and the
baron came to look at 1t. He seemed
to have been brought under compul-
sion and to be but mildly interested.
l had learned that he was merely
stepfather 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.
Il won't tell you what I went
through within the next month with
the heir apparent, how day by day l
grew to loathe the little wretch more
and more. The dear angel had per-
formed a large variety of interesting
tricks around the place to relieve the
monotony of the sittings, and he
wound up by coming early one after
noon and coloring Parkinson's cher
ished Florentine prints In oil In our
absence. When ! demonstrated he
gave me a choice line of sass, where
upon l took my little man across my
knee and laid merriy on.
Nearly two weeks later the coal
baron caught me in.
Don't be alarmed be said, as
retreated to the window. I only called
to pay you for the pictures | believe
this is the right amount
He laid slip of paper on the TIA
BILE. 1t was a check for 500.
81 gasped.
If you don't mind | would like to
shake hands with you, he continued.
II backed away.
1 see that you still fail to under
stand, he said. I want to tell you,
sir, that you have my entire sympathy
and heartfelt thanks for the basting
you gave that young one. I've often
longed to do It myself Frankly, sir,
I envy you. By the way if you can
make it convenient to call at my Of
flee have something there | would
like to talk to you about. No don't
say you are sorry. Please don't say
that I'm pressed for time now, but
| hope to see you soon. | think the
check is right, isn't TT Thank sou
very much Good day
HE shook hands with me solemuly
but vigorously and then turned sud
denly and bolted called on him and
We got quite chummy He had some
Illustrating for a railroad that he ran
as a side issue and did 1t for him
may say that he discovered me I
know that If 1t hadn't been for the
way he boosted me among his mon
eyed acquaintances ! would have been
comparatively obscure and unknown
today"
boosting for basting eh? said the
atudin loafer