davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1915-02-07

ment wherein to have little amuse
| ment.
| "Guess," he grinned.
| If curiosity is supposed to be femi
| nine failing, this mans wife coul'
have passed any examination ant
could have established an alibi for he
| sex.
II wish to know" she said, stonily
For you,' he declared, triumphantly
She received this declaration with un
measured calm.
Then" said she. why didn't you pu
| my name on the package?"
"Package2' he gasped.
The valentine" she amended.
For moment he was overcome. Tina
his wife should expect him to sign hsi
name to a little valentine which h'
had brought home WAS something be
yond him.
"I-I+" he'stammered.
George" she said, in a kindly voice,
! that story will not do. l find you
coming downstairs i'll your evening
clothes--uo doubt you were preparing
to dine with her sonewhere-and try
ing to sneak out of the house. When
J question you you inform me that the
valentine is for me. realizing that this
is the handiest explanation.
George started like frightened
horse. Any man falsely and uneNpect-
cdly accused will stutter and stammer
like the worst wretch on earth. George.
being no exception. did exactly that
thing Running his fingers around the
inside of his collar. he spoke.
Il ask no explanation" she raid,
freezingly She decided to take another
hack. There is no need of your MAX
ing noise like a locomotive. I'm un-
dow 10 yrai fsfI
''Chamber of Commerce dinner" bel
lowed George. All vestige OF self
control were rapidly disappearing.
How did you come to think of that
so quickly" she asked.
Only few happy moments before
George had been sane and orderly
business man Now he had become a
mere raving lunatic. Also his wife
being done her, began to exhibit emo
tion. Tears welled in her eyes. Her
voice broke.
lis she bub- bea utiful?" she faItered.
Beautiful! George ripped out hand
full of hair, recklessly disregarding the
fact that he was getting bald Oh top
IF you had only put my name on
it," continued his wife. IF you had
only done that l might have forgiven
you"
Forgiven: George swore softly and
aimed a kick at fine old piece OF
Mexican pottery which manned it per
patent leather shoe. He spoke. but his
voice was not his own. There was
strained foreign quality in it.
After my thinking up Il little sur
prise" he strangled, after my trying
to please"
He paused, then delivered his execra-
ton.
"Woman." he shouted. 80 long as
live l will never try to give you anoth-
er surprise. Surprising you develops
a counter recoil that is liable to kill
the surpriser. You. get too blamed
surprised"
The sheer physical violence of his
protestation impressed her. After all
It might be possible that George, poor de-
luded boob. had been trying to please her
They went into the dining room, where
George glumly filled himself with cold
food, for the meal had been on the
table during the whole of the dialogue.
And after dinner George, from whom
all thoughts of Chamber of Commerce
banquet had fed. led the way into the
Evening star., 1915-02-07

HE hundred and tenth ANNA,
hibition of paintings and SCUM.
ture to be held by the Pennsv,v.,, NJ.
academy of the Fine Arts. in PhiladeI.
phia: opens tonight with a nri,,. e.
view and reception. This exhibition
whicn is one of the most notable of fbe
year. Will remain open until March 2s
x
THERE would seem to be a verita
BILE chain Of exhibitions at this
time. for on Monday evening. Februar,
D. an exhibition of cotemporary Ameri.
can art Will be opened In the Peabody
institute. Baltimore. under the auspice.
OF the Peabody Institute and the Char.
coal Club of Baltimore This exhibi-
tfon will continue until March Q and
VIII be open daily from 10 am. to
pm: AS the Peabody Institute and the
waters Gallery are in the same vicin.
ity, IL would be quite possible to visit
collection the same day.
HE painting of the battleship Ore
gon by W. L. Halsall of Plymouth
which has hung for some time in the
National Gallery of Art, is to be sent
in the near future to the Panama-Pa-
ctfic exposition, and later will proba-
bly, find permanent place in one OF
the Oregon state buildings, prominent
persons in oregon having long covet-
ed Its possession. If not purchased by
some naval organization or by the gov
ernment as historical data this would
seem a suitable destiny for this inter
estingly accurate and impressive work
THE next lecture in the popular
course on The Decorative Arts,
being given by Frank Alvah Parsons OF
New York under the auspices of the
Washington Society of the Fine Arts
has unavoidably been postponed from
February to February 16. when it will
be given, as usual, in the auditorium of
the National Museum. AS the attend
ance in the past has exceeded the ca
pacity of the hall. no further tickets
will be issued, even to members of the
society, but as far as the capacity OF
the hall permits admission will be
granted under the usual conditions.
LEILA MECHLIN.
Evening star., 1915-02-07

A MOTHER interesting and valuable
~ loan recently received by the Cor
coran Gallery of Art Is a medallion
portrait of Robert Louis Stevenson by
Augustus Saint-Gaudens, which has
been loaned by Mrs. John c. Fremont
The original of this portrait was mod
eled in 1887. Sittings for the head and
shoulders took place in New York
when Stevenson was i'll there on his
way to the Adirondacks. The hands
were modelled from studies made at
Hanasquan just before Stevenson sailed
for Samoa. On the background Is in
scribed in simple letters Stevenson's
poem which begins:
Youth now fees ON feathered foot,
Faint and fainter sounds the flute.
and ends:
Life is over. Life was gay.
We have come the primrose way.
For some reason the>original did not
reach Stevenson until 1894, when he
wrote the sculptor as follows:
My Dear Saint -Gaudens: This is to tell you that
transported up the hill and placed over my smok.
Ing room mantelpiece 1t Is considered by every
one first-ratc but fiattering portrait. We have
1t In very good light. which brings out the ar
tistic merits Of the gotlike sculptor to great ad
vantage. As for my own opinion. believe 1t to
be speaking likeness and not fattering at all
possibly little the reverse. The verses look re-
remarkably well. Yours very sincerely
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON.
In 1S97-99 Saint-Gaudens modelled a
variation of this portrait for st. Giles
Cathedral in Edinburgh. making the
panel rectangular, extending the figure
and placing in the hand a pen in the
place of cigarette. as seemed more
betting the place In which it was to
have permanent position. 1t is this
larger memorial tablet with which the
majority are most familiar. rather than
this smaller one, of which Mrs. Fre-
mont is SO fortunate as to possess a
replica, presented to her. it Is under
stood. by no less than Stevenson him
self. Fine aud impressive as is the
larger tablet. there is in it not quite
the spontaneity and intimacy that one
finds expressed in this smaller medal
lion. Saint-Gaudens was deeply i'm
pressed by Stevenson's remarkable per-
sonality and he went to the modelling
of this portrait with real inspiration.
1t would be difficult to say that he
never did a better work, but certainly
it is to be numbered among his best
as well as most famous productions.
For the present the medallion has
Evening star., 1915-02-07

parlor. where he delivered another
powerful address. aided by appropriate te
gestures. on the ingratitude of women
wife. '''O "'e
Half" grunted George.
No. unused his wife. Il see now
that you couldn't have fibbed dexter
ously. You couldn't have invented IN
this You haven't the imagination
George sought refuge in injured ST.
lence
Another thought occurred TO his wife.
Perhaps" she ren,r rked, mildly. ~
You had done this sort of thing "A little
oftener in the last fifteen wears I
"ouidnt have been so astonished.'
Il have Il little story that "A man once
told me-" stated the poet. after he had
concluded the yarn of Georges diieu-
ma 1T might he called The Tale or
the Lost Message"
Whereupon he rccounted 10 the Oh
server the story which the namelcss
man had recited to him:
II seems that one day the uamelcss
man had dropped into a sale of articles
Which had been deposited i'm the dead
letter office Among the things which
were offered was small package cor
tanning single, rather expensive
Noichtihes Inc ndnleleSS man WAS
wealthy. Neithsr had he an obsessjon
to. become the possessor of a number Of
anOrouS verses.
Yet the valentine interested him. He
couldn't shake off the curiosity which
urged him to lind out what eNpression
of. alteration some girl had missed A.
the sale was being held on blazing ho,
summer day the bidders were not essen
TALLY concerned with the sale of sof,
sentiments.
So the nameIess man GOT Ii, ,,.t
tlne II was addressed to-Nell saw 10
Miss Mary Jones. Any name will do
FROM the appearance of the wrapper a
had been all over the city
Gazing at the wrapper. the uameless
man, visualized innumera BILE impatient
postnen going from door to door with
the little package, only to scrawI Not
az ABOVE address or Wrong address.
Try. etc. or House vacant" or some
thing of that kind, until the wanderine
message found peace at length i'm the
repositories of the dead letter office.
lie opened the valentine, which WAS
decorated on the outside with conycn-
tionaliy flaming hearts and roseate
cupids. This was what he read:
have wandered far meath the tropics glare,
Add north where the Ice is blue
And yet It's as though had ne'er been there
For my heart stays home with you.
Conventional enough, but there are
infinite possibilities of speculation in
the message which was never deli,-
cred. 1t might have been the agonized
cry of a young man who had left
TO take a position as ste
nographer in a manufacturing concern.
1t might have been a word from tho
dead One word was signed-"Tom"
Valentines, valentines, valentines,
Some with a message behind their ba-
nal verse; some used for insult;
The Observer left the poet On his way
down the street he passed book store
Before the window stood a small boy.
Before the window stood a small boy his
eyes fixed on collection of penny valen-
tines. He was weighing the merits OF
the different verses. The Observer
passed OIL, and as the vision of the
small boy required to him he felt a
strong inclination to go back and re-
mind the youngster that after all il
isn't so much what you say as what
you mean that counts.
BOBBIE HILL
Evening star., 1915-02-07
NEWS AND NOTES OF ART AND ARTISTS

6F1HE Corcoran Gallery of Art re-
opened the first of this week
with its permanent collection re-
hung and the galleries showing their
usual arrangement. There Is an ex-
citement about the special exhibition.
an interest in the newness of the ex-
hibits and pleasure in becoming ac-
quainted with the newer tendencies in
cotemporary art. but. after all, there
is invariably a satisfaction when the
old order of things is restored and the
friends of long standing resume their
habitual places.
This to a degree may be taken as a
pretty fair test of the genuine worth
of the Corcoran Gallery's permanent
collection. If the paintings that have
been purchased from time to time had
been of merely passing interest or
mediocre value. they would sink to in
significance when compared to the best
of current productions. But it is not
so. To the contrary, each time they
are temporarily displaced and brought
back they seem to have an added dig
nifty and strength. Certainly this is
also tribute to those by whom they
have been selected.
Five or six of the Corcoran Gallery's
pictures have been loaned for exhibi-
tion in the fine arts palace at the Pan
ama-Pacific exposition. Among the
most important of these are Niagara"
by F. Z. Church: Loretta" by George
Fuller. and Chester Harding's portrait
of John Randolph.
The new paintings purchased from
the exhibition go far toward making
up In space and interest for those tenn
porary losses, and 1t must be admitted
that the recent acquisitions take their
places very well with the other per-
manent possessions. The picture by ].
Alden Weir. receiving the first prize.
has been hung in the third American
room. next to a painting by Sergeant
Kendall. and appears to much better
advantage than when hung in the
temporary exhibition.
The painting by Philip L. Hale.
Girl With a Mun," which received the
Norman Wait Harris prize in Chicago
this winter and was purchased from
the collection here just before the date
of closing. has been hung in the end
room in the first series. where 1t may
Evening star., 1915-02-07

I been hung in the gallery on the main
| floor. which is given over almost ex-
clusively to modern sculpture.
! HE art talk at the Corcoran School
Monday was given by Richard N.
Brooke. who took as his subject Form
| and Design" 1t seemed strange. he
said. that among art students the i'm
portance of these two elements in art
| should need emphasis. but though they
are OF the utmost importance they are
| only too frequently overlooked and dis
regarded.
Color. Mr.. Brooke explained. was sur
| face beauty. and helpless unless sup
ported. yet today the tendency was
to overestimate the value of mere
| color. This is. he pointed out. a ma
teria1istic age-an age in which the
material and the ideal have become
widely separated. In art those things
which make material appeal triumph
| rather than those having ideal quali-
ties.
There is. he said. also an excess of
individualism which tolerates no lead
! ership. recognizes no superiority. These
| two tendencies find expression in our
art as also in the disturbed conditions
| Of warning nations. All of the art of
ehc past WHICH las endured, ne e4-
| planned. has had the distinction of
| beauty of form and design, both of
which make not only an esthetic but
! intellectual appeal
BY design. Mr.. Brooke meant not
| merely composition. or intention. but
ultimate purpose shaped by a knowl-
| edge of resultant effect L'hermitte,
| the French painter. he gave as an ex-
ample Of an artist who composed his
pictures we'll. but did not design them.
John W. Alexander. on the other hand,
he mentioned as one who actually de-
signed as well as composed every pic
ture he painted. Del Sarto and vero-
| nese. he said, designed their draperies
| beautifully. each fold being arranged
in relation to the other folds. and with
special significance.
Pattern. Mr.. Brooke explained, was a
feature of design, but that it alone
could not completely satisfy. Herein,
perhaps. lies the difference between a
picture framed and placed on a wall
| and a beautiful piece of woven fabric
similarly placed. And yet today we
| hear continually Of color and pattern
Evening star., 1915-02-07

be seen to excellent advantage. Philip
L. Hale Is pupil of J. Alden Weir and
has been for some time an instructor
In the school of the Boston Museum of
ward Everett Hale, and very gifted
painter. His wife, Lillian Westcott
Hale, was also represented in the CO.
temporary exhibition, to which she
contributed very charming interior
and remarkably beautiful and subtly
rendered portrait of a young girl with
dark waving hair.
A loan from Mrs. Louis Bennett of
"a Philadelphia the Corcoran gallery
has recently received and placed on
exhibition a portrait study entitled
THE Dutchman,' painted by the late
Thomas P. Anschutz, for many years
chief instructor in the school of the
Pennsylvania Academy Of the Fine
Arts.
This is an excellent example of Mr..
AnschutZ's work and very fine pic
ture. 1t shows Dutchman of long
ago with staff in hand and hat On head
clothed in brown with white collar and
cuffs. a picturesque though very simple
attire. He stands with some air of gay
distinction in a room wherein many of
discerned carved furniture and brass
objects. Obviously it is a posed model,
but at the same time it is a figure well
constructed and most admirably
painted.
Mr. Anschutz belonged essentially to
the academic school. His work was in
variably conservative. Eminently
sound. technically fine, it barely es-
capped greatness through lack of imag-
inative quality. He was perhaps one of
the best teachers we have had in this
country, and while as a painter he won
real distinction. 1t Is probable that his
greatest contribution to the field of
American art came from his leader
ship in the school of the Pennsylvania
Academy. The best painting which has
ever been done has been done along
the lines followed by Mr.. Anschutz.
and if he did not attain the most COM
plete success it was simply because
along this road he did not advance
quite far enough. His work well mer-
its place in our public collections, and
it is to be hoped that he will eventual
ly be represented in the foremost of
our American galleries.
Evening star., 1915-02-07
THE OBSERVER FINDS ALL, SORTS OF

where one dances until he has reached
the ultimate of endurance and then
hurls tea into himself. Immediately
he became one of the many calfike
followers of Miss Jones, a thoroughly
infatuated young man who trailed her
whenever he could, gazing at her with
brooding, sorrowful eyes, and occa-
sionally. uttering bovine noises.
Winter crowded onto the heels of
spring, and eventually the 14th of Feb
ruary arrived, and John Henry Smith,
being a young man of enterprise and
determination, sent to Miss Jones
valentine, which cost $3.50. and which
contained a wealth of lurid sentiments.
Being aware of the niceties, he did not,
of course, sign his name to the valen-
tine This anonymous contribution
reached Miss Jones home about one
hour before John Henry, dressed to the
verge Of foppishness. and wearing, wearing,
with other things, a large expectant
smile, made his appearance at the door.
He was let in Shortly afterward
Miss Jones entered the room ana I'M.
mediately John Henry Smith scented
trouble He was no diplomatist. Dis
raeli and TaIIeyrand had il on him
seven ways from the ace. But there
was that in Miss Jones' upturned chin
and ice-refrigerating pose which warn
cd, even as reliable barometer
young men:
Nothing.
He smiled fatuously. Surely his valen-
tine had won some dlstinction. II coet
$3.5oi
day. he asked.
About two Dozen" she replied, distantly
This foored him, as it would any ono
who was Unexpectedly oVertaken oy an
avalanche.
long silence ensued.
"you must excuse me- said Miss
Jones, rising abruptly. Il have an en-
gagcment."
De1ectediy John Henry Smith went out
fpto the hallway and found his hat and
prepared to go. The door closed behind
him. Then. from the cellarway he heard
a hoarso voice
Gimme a dollar and Ill square IT with
! sis," announced the voice. John Henry
Smith pcered into darkness.
| "Are you on?" continued the voice. John
gruntecf noncommittally.
| You won't paste me II come up?"
insisted the voice. Again John mur-
INJURED assent Thereupon shock-haired.
slovenly youth of fourteen-brother of
Miss Jones-made his appearance.
II sent her comic" he said And
put your. name upon 1t in typewriung.''
John Henry Smith at this moment
went through one of the desperate INTER
, walls Of his career. Justice demanded
that he should do something. Slaugb-
ter-a slow choldng-that was the idea !.
| IF you touch me-" came the hoarse
voice Of the inexorsble youth. Il won't
tell sis nuthn'." Then, coldly. DO
get dollarT
| He did.
| And it was not until tho engagement
had been announced, some time later,
that John Henry Smith got square.
| What was the verse on the comic val
entine?" inquired the Observer.
| This" replied the poet, and chanted ::
I ''You paint your face with lots Of stun.
| II looks like thunder. Say.
| Lay OF that cream and powder gun.
| And wash II every day
| after receiving a message like that
! from a supposed admirer," remarked
Evening star., 1915-02-07

value lies in the fact that It does give
a day-by day report of the progress of
the deliberations at Ghent. 1t has, be-
side this. a highly picturesque value. 1t
Is a stage across which many notable
personality passes. many q celebrated
event shapes and dissolves. One
catches glimpse of Napoleon and
Wellington. Of Lafayette and Mime. de
Stael, of Chateaubriand and Nine. Re-
camier. of George " and many other
notable celebrities of the early nine
teenth century. The diary gives also
all sorts of intimate Off hand glimpses
into the private life of the Gallatins,
revealing in this manner the lovable
qualities of Albert Gallatin. qualities
which were more or less concealed in
the activities of his public career An
introduction by James Bryce sketches
a background against which the en-
gaging motley of this diary melts into
something like unity OF effect. In many
respects this Is a valuable publication.
In every respect 1t is an engaging and
delightful one.
REED. By Samuel w. Mccall. IL
lustrated Boston: Houghton Mif-
fin Company.
The public career of Thomas Brack-
EFT Reed is interviewer with a period
of the political history of the United
States, as 1t Is also a calculable force
in the making of that period Of his
tory. And, very fittingly. it Is this as
Evening star., 1915-02-07

by him to the hall rack, where he set
his burden down.
1t happened that OH this particular
engagements. The Chamber of Com
merce was giving a dinner. Naturally
he was expected to get into his evening
clothes. AS he dressed he hummed lit
tie snatches of song. for he intended
dining with his wife and passing up
the meal that he might face later.
Surety is better than speculation.
He came downstairs all dressed I'D
like a tango dancer and saw that his
Evening star., 1915-02-07
I lHllE

~ T. VALENTINES day tales?
Where in the world did one
m find them? Yet the order had
~ gone forth that St. Valentines
day tales were in order. and the de-
n1and had been made in peremptory
fashion.
St. Valentines day tales; stories in
terwoven with lace and lavender,
wherein d sanity old lady rehearses
to her granddaughter sweet romances
of youth-something like that. Huh
As the Observer stood on the street
corner. wondering in bewi1dered
way exactly how one found St Valen-
tine and extracted an interview with
HIM. his eyes happened upon g. short,
nervous man who was hurrying down
The street. This man is a poet. He
proves the fact by his tremendous up
sweeping brush of black hair and his
tremendous down-swooping- black
bow tic Invariably he is in {. hurry
Though where he goes is a matter of
mystery and invariably he can pro-
duce ideas.
As he parallcled the Observers sta
tior the latter reached out and grabbed
h.nl, forcefully.
II must talk with you." said the OBJ
kerver, earnestly.
Hurry. then" ordered the poet.
rtor I've an engagement"
" want q few sweet sentimental
sto-tes on St Valentines day"
The Observer got no farther. In
etantly the poets face became an
spoplectic red. and his whole frame
1uivered. He uttered a low, animal
snarl.
You--> he gulped. "You- He
had tried again and failed.
The Observer gazed at him as one
might gaze at a rabbit suddenly
turned ferooious
IT I have offended" began tho
Observer The poet put him on
'You-' This business of the sec-
ond personal pronoun was becoming
his feelings in a single terrific blast.
have written 26S valentine senti-
nents,' he cried. wildly. II have done
this. and now you come and try TO
sur me up. ST Valcntine's day-
bosh' It's a chance to earn q little
money pot-boiling. that's what il is.
30 YOU think that I'm really writing
that trash because I think it's rood %
clearly II was time to call all bets
on and make new book.
never suspected that you wrote
st Valentines day poem in your
life, said the Observer. Indignantly
You needn't come charging at me like
this when / merely asked you a ques.
ton
The poets mouth opened in fshlike
astOnishment
You didn't?' He repeated
Certainly not" replied the Observer
Then, said the poet, in milder
voice IF you will go with me ! will
tell you a few little stories that I have
heard. They may be true or they may
not ] do not vouch for them"
Forthwith he led the Observer to q
quick lunchroom and purchased coffee
And these are the tales he told. 1t is
needless to quote him:
Young John Henry Smith met Miss
Arabel Jones at one Of those functions
Evening star., 1915-02-07

wife was looking at something. He
smiled fatuously. His smile much re-
sembled that of the young man l de-
scribed when he called upon his young
lady.
Like it?' he asked of his wife. She
continued to gaze stonily at the gaudy
offering without speaking. Ultimately
her feelings overcame her.
ITO what woman" she demanded, In
harsh accents. ARE you taking this
this-present?
The husband, cocksure of his evening
clothes, decided that this was the mo-