The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-12-11

The artist extended to them an ivory box containing. little yellow wrapped cigarettes. Helen Cumberly smilingly refused, but Denise Ryland took one of the cigarettes, sniffed at it super ciliously and then replaced it in the box.
 "It has a most egregiously horrible odor," she commented.
 '"They are a special brand" explain cd Olaf van Noord distractedly, which I have imported for me from Smyrna. They contai0 small percentage of opium"
 "Opium!'' exclaimed Denise Ryland, glaring at the speaker and then at He.en Cumberly, as though the latter were responsible in some way for the vices of the painter.
 "Yes,v he said, reclosing the box and pacing somberly to the door to gTSctt a new arrival
 "Did you ever in all your life," said Denise Ryland, glancing about her, "see such an exhibition of night mares?"
 Certainly the criticism was not with out justification The dauby looking oil paintings, incompreh onsible water colors and riotous charcoal sketches which formed the mural decoration of the studio were distinctly "advanced;" but, since the center of interest seem ed to be the large canvas on the easel, the two moved to the edges of the group of spectators and began to ex- anime this masterpiece. A very pug zled newspaper man joined them, bend ing and whispering to Helen Cum berly:
 .'Are you going to notice the thing seriously? Personally, I am writing it up as practical joke. We are giving him half 2 column. Lord knows what for. But can't see how to handle 1t except as funny stuff"
 "But, for heavens sake, what does he call it2' muttered Denise Ryland, holding a pair of gold trimmed pince- ,nez before her eyes and shifting them to and fro in an yendeavor to focus the canvas.
 !" Our Lady of the Poppies,' 7 replied the journalist Do you think it's in tended to mean anything in particu- lar?'
 The question was no light one. 1t embodied problem not readily solved. The scene depicted, and depicted with . skill, with a technical mastery of the bizarre that had in it something horrible, was a long narrow room pr, properly, cavern. The walls apparent ly were hewn from black rock. and at regular intervals. placed some three feet from these gleaming walls, up- rose slender golden pillars, supporting a kind of network arch which entire ly masked the ceiling. The point of sight adopted by the painter was pe- culiar. One apparently looked down into this apartment from some spot elevated fourteen feet or moro above the floor level The floor, which was black and polished, was strewn with tiger skins, and little inlaid tables and garishly colored cushions were spread about In confusion, while cushioned divans occupied the visible corners of the place. The lighting was very lad vanced," A lamp having a kaleido- scopic shade swung from the center of the roof low into the room and fur nished all the illumination.
 ' Three doors were visible-one, di- rectly in line at the farther end of the place, apparently of carved ebony in- laid with ivory; another, on the right, of lemon wood or something allied to it and inlaid with a design in some emerald hued material, with a third, corresponding door, on the left, just barely visible to the spectator.
 lTo ke Continued)