The daily Alaskan., 1913-01-07
A PICTURE
 FIND
By CORA HATHoRNE SYKES

| I manifested a taste for art when was little boy, taking more comfort in drawing pictures on my slate than doing sums on 1t. As grew older l became ambitious to do something bet ter, and asked my father to allow me few drawing lessons. He refused, saying he would not encourage me In task that would wreck my future If ] gave way to it.
 When 1t became time for me to choose an occupation l wished to become an artist, but my parents made such an ado over the matter that l abandoned the plan and accepted a clerkshlp In grocery house. But if I couldn't make pictures l could at least look at pic lures. And 1t so happened that l lived | in a metropolis where the best works of art are to be seen. read the art journals and was on the lookout for any announcements of the changing hands of the great pictures of the world, especially those coming to Am erica.
 | I made no progress at business. All I did in a business way bored me. lt was simple drudgery, and drudgery Is | incompatible with an artistic tempera- ment. Instead of doing my work ] sketchcd the office boys, the cat, any thing that was sketchable. After awhile I was informed by my employ CTS that they had no further need for my services.
 My father. after a scene, secured an- other place for me and on entering upon it l promised to try to do better | But my heart was not in my work, and I have no faith in people being able to do continuously what they take no ln- terest iu. If they succeed in doing 1t they will not do it we'll | believe that persons only do well what they like and are fitted Co do; that eminently sue cessful persons are successful! in doing that which other people cannot do, or do as we'll
 One day after getting away from the work I hated after business hours ] was passing a building that was being torn down. A workman had taken a roll of canvas from an old briCked up chimney and was unroIling it | stopped and saw him reveal a dirty | painting. ! stepped up Co where he stood and looked over his shoulder. ] was astonished to see a work which, though dingy in the extreme, reminded me of the work of one of the great masters who hourShed in the latter part of the fifteenth century. l looked in the corner where the name should be. but the dirt was too thick; no name was visible.
 "What will you take for your dndF I asked the workman.
 "Oh, I don't suppose it is worth anything" he said Any loose change | you have in your pocket
 "Tm as poor as you are" said, "but know some picture dealers, and if you will let me have this one l will see what l can sell it for and divide with you" The man looked me in the face, handed me the painting and re- ! turned Co work.
 Give me your address, l said.
 He did so, and I went away with his dnd. Instead of taking it directly to picture dealers carried it to my room, and sitting down before lt, looked at it long while The more studied it the more was impressed wlth It's re l semblauce Co the works of the artist 1 have referred to. The same evening I went to a library where engravings of many pictures of the old masters were kept in portfolios and familiar ized myself anew with the style of this particular artist. The more look ed at his pictures the more l believed that the dnd was by him. Could lt be possible that 1t had been stolen?
 I set the librarian to hunting for book on stolen pictures but though he was successful in finding such a book, lt contained no reference to the la borer's find. wished to clean the pic ture, but did not know how to do so and was afraid to leave 1t with any picture dealer for the purpose lest the name he uncovered. and lf it were as ] suspected, the paintings value would be discovered and I be beaten out of It.
 One day told my father that l had left the place he had secured for me and had gone to work fin a picture and frame shop. He was in despair about me. and this move capped the climax.
 In the shop where I worked l learn ed to clean pictures. As soon as I be- came sufficiently expert to clean pic ture I took the materials for doing SO to my home and got the dirt of the corner where the name of the artist Is usually placed. What was my delight to see the name of the artist who believed had done the work
 Believing the picture to have been stolen consulted an expert dealer, asking him if he could find a record of one of the artists pictures having been stolen. He found a book in which the artist had been written up with other painters and a statement that In the early part of the nineteenth century one of his paintings belonging to nobleman In England had been cut from Its frame and taken away.
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