News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1913-06-04
GRANDMA SPANROT
1t Could Repeat the Lords Pray
er From Beginning to End,
and Then Some.
BY BRYANT c. ROGERS.

Mr.. Fred Derwent was twenty-four
years old. He was referred to as
young Derwent, in order not to mix
MIN up with any old Derwent who
might have reached the age of hun
dred.
Young Derwent was called an artist.
Ihls was to distinguish him from the
many house painters one saw at work
every fine day.
lie was an orphan, adopted and
reared by his grandmother in Connec-
tlcut. She had much to answer for
Young Derwent developed talent
for sketching with charcoal and chalk.
AT nine years old he could sketch a
rooster SO naturally that hens would
gather around the picture and cluck.
year later he drew such a natural
lace OF Elder Comstock on barn
door that his proud grandma had to
pay fine of $40 to keep him out Of
Jail.
Young Derwent managed somehow
to pull through until he was of age
Ihen, as it was apparent to all but
other artists and few scene painters
that he he was genius with the
brush, he was sent to the city to set
up studio and blossom out. In the
space of four years he painted three
portraits. One was that of an alder
man, who went to the state prison for
graft within a week after his picture
was finished; the second was that of
a saloon keeper, whose wife eloped
and took the picture with her, and
the third was that of a bulldog, who
straight way went mad and bit his
master and no one blamed him for it.
When young Derwent was not busy
with his brush he played poker, golf,
polo and attended ball games. He
wasn't at all bad. He did not care
particularly about going to heaven
when he died, but it is simply impos-
sible for one reared under the laws
of Connecticut to be bad, even with
small 3D."
Most artists fall in love at tender
age and keep it up till they strike
80. Young Derwent had never loved.
He might sometime, but he wasn't
betting on it. He was sociable, but
did not seek to make himself popular
He was satisfied to go right along be-
ing Mr.. Derwent and having his grand
mother foot the bills
In the next apartment to Mr.: Der
vents studio dwelt Miss Honore Has
well. She didn't call her place an
atelier or a studio, but her office. Her
line was not mercantile or law, but
literary. She wrote stories for the
magazines. She read some of them to
her intimate friends, but no one ever
read one of them in cold type. 1t al
ways happened that the magazines
were overstocked with stories in her
line whenever she sent one in. If
they rejected a sporty story and she
sat down and invented and sent in
religious one, it was the same excuse
Miss Haswell may have been an or
phan or she may not. She may have
had plenty of money, or she may have
had to pinch. Be that as 1t may, she
was no kicker. She piled her reject
ed manuscripts in a corner of her of
flee as they came back.
Mr.. Derwent and Miss Haswell were
not acquainted. They used the same
stairway, and often bumped against
each other in the semi-darkness, but |
she had never smiled at him, and he |
lad never winked at her. They may |
lave wondered about each other |
sometimes, but it stopped right there. |
'erhaps this was wise thing on the |
'art of both, but it is also to be re-
rendered that there is such thing
IS carrying wisdom too far
One morning young Derwent awoke
With a troubled conscience. A still
mall voice charged him with neglect
ng MS grandmother. He hadn't been
p to Connecticut to see her for three
1onths, and it had been several weeks
ince he had written her that she
hight send an extra check. 1t wasn't
sing the dear old girl according to
loyle. She was drying apples and
laking soft soap, and he was loafing
round. She was putting a second
lortgage on her stony old farm and
craping the bottom of the -four bar
FL, and he was betting on the ponies
nd ordering fried eggs at the restau-
INT He would take a run up among
lie wooden nutmegs anu see her and
'sure her of his undyiug love and
latitude. Also, that he expected a
to paint famous por-
ait
The grateful adopted went further.
e would take up some little present
prove his thoughtfulness and con-
deration-not an expensive present.
1t momento to be laid away in the
chives after being rolled in camphor. I
ter eating his breakfast he went
rolling to see what he could find. {
2 had almost decided on a celIuloid
ck-comb, price twenty cents, when 1
met sailor carrying a parrot on s
J arm [
Come to anchor, Jack Rracel" /
the artist {
Aye, aye, sir It's a parrot inst c
I'm Africa and I'll sell her cheap." I
'Shiver my timbers, but might she S
Ike present for my grandmother" t
'Mainsl haul, but you couldn't beat "