Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1913-03-07
Getting His
Start

ment sketch Of a bathroom interior.
II was not always famous and pros
porous. l have known the time when
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 I ever tell you
how l got my start?" he continued
We'll, I'll tell you; 1t 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 l was pretty wen on my uppers. At
that time | got acquainted with Giotto
Parkinson, and l tell you he was a
godsend. He had a studio in the eros
venor and he didn't use it nights be-
sides having a samoyar 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-
It. He knew quite a few people in re-
spectacle circles and he thought there
was a 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. l
stuck up a few little things of my
own with his to furnish the art at
mosphere and he provided the tea and
the samovar 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
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 sallow:.
faced. skinny-like monkey not at all
like mamma, but I calculated I could
idealize him by 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 I 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 l 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 l
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.
/ 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
price, after trying in vain to beat me
down.
q 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 /
of the sittings, and he
wound up by coming early one after
noon and coloring Parkinson's cher !
lshed Florentine prints in oil in our
absence. When l demonstrated he |
gave me a choice line of sass. where /
upon l took my little man across my
knee and laid merrily on
Nearly two weeks later the coal /
baron caught me in.
Don't be alarmed he said, as l /
retreated to the window. only called .
to pay you for the pictures. | believe
this is the right amount
He laid slip of paper on the ta-
Die. 1t was a check for 800.
Il gasped.
IF you don't mind l would like to
shake hands with you. he continued.
Il backed away.
d" I 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
onged TO do It myself. Frankly sir.
envy you. BY the way. if you can
make # convenient to call at my Of
ice / have something there l would
ike TO talk to you about. No, don't
ay you are sorry Please don't say
hat. I'm pressed for time now, but
hope to see you soon I think the
heck is right. isn't it? Thank you
rery much Good day.
"He shook hands With me solemnly
,ut vigorously and then turned sud
lenly and bolted. called on him and
We got quite chummy. He had some
for a railroad that he ran
.s a side issue and did it for him. /
49,, sav that he discovered me