The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-08-22
How an Artist Hero
Served George
Washington
By MARY MARSHALL.

About a century and a half ago three
Young boys were wandering idly along
a country lane in New England. 1t
was early summer and now that school
was over for the day. the great out
doors offered a hundred interesting
things to do.
Come on. let's go swimming" said
one Of the. boys.
oh. yes" chimed n the second.
tossing his little homespun cap into
the air. Come on. John. don't you
want to come along"
John Trumbull-now a boy of eight
or nine-puckered his brow in uncer-
tanty Swimming is fun he offered.
by way Of comment. but I think I'll
be going on home" He looked out at
the gently running waters of the river
at the side of the lane. Yes. he
thought. if il weren't for 1T he'd like
to go along But the great secret-the
secret that he had lately discovered in
his own mothers parlor-was even more
enticin- than the cool river on a warm
day
So with a faltering excuse that he
had some sums to do a home-whch
was true enough. though he didn't in
tend to spend much time in doing them
and that he had to pile up some wood
before supper. he left his companions
and ran eagerly home.
Once inside the spacious walls Of the
old farm house he crept stealthily to-
ward the Iarlor-a rather plain room.
Used only on occasions Of great import
ance When he was sure that no one
was watching him. he raised the latch
Of the door and stepped boldly in.
John now stood in the presence of the
great secret. the newly discovered treas
ure Let US look into this room and see
whether We can see what II was that
held the hoy's attention. Over the clean !
nhite floor of the room there was spread
fresh white sand. which served very we'll
for a carpet There was a fireplace at
one end of the room few stiff chairs. !!
a ia BILE with one or two sheepskin books |
living on il. and two silver Candlesticks.
This was all the furnishing there was
IN the room. hut on the wall at one end
we're two very poor oil paintings. One
vas supposed to be a picture of trees and
hills. and the other of a pompous gentle
man in Uniform. They had been painted
h> Johns big sister the year she was
away at boarding school. and had been
hung on the parlor wall as a sample of !
her accomplishments
But to John they were the most Won !
derful things he had ever seen in all his .
life In those DAYS. you know. people
didn't have photographs. or pictures in ,
the papers or ma gaines or books. and
in all hLo life John had probably never
seen hut one or two pictures. and those
Of the poorest sort. Those two paint
ings opened up a new and enticing
world. He had heard Of the great paint
crs Of Europe who made with paints on
canvas the likeness of living beings
4 nd real scenery To think that Il could
he done-that his own sister had actu-
ally done it. and that he himself might
some time have a chance to do it. too
Then and there the boy threw himself
down on the floor before the pictures
and with his stubby finger in the sand
tried to copy the lines of the face above
him. This stroke in the sand for the
nose. another for the mouth. here two
marks for the eyes. and he had made
something that actually looked like a
face.
This was the beginning of John Trur1-
"ulls career as an artist. Soon his
onging was no longer secret. For al