The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-11-30

kfroh eyed -dccoptlNe,
korner was fool. Besides that.
he WIS an artist and my good friend.
Now, n there h. one thing on earth
utterly deapicahlo 10 another IL IL
an artist IN the eyes OF an author
whose story he has Illustrated. Just
try II once. Write a story about a
mining camp In idaho. Sell Il. spend
the money. and then. six months
later, borrow "a quarter Tor "a dimel.
and buy the magazine containing IL.
You find full page wash drawing
OF your hero. Black Hill, tho COW.
boy, Somewhere in your story you
employed the word horse" Ahni
the artist has rraspcd the idea.
Black nill has ON the regulation
trousers OF the NJ =. II. Of the West.
chester County Hunt lie carries a
parior rifle. and wears monoclc
In tho distance In "A section OF 42nd
It, during a search for "A lost gas,
pipe. and tho Tai Mahai. the famous
mausolcum In India.
Enoughl hated Kerner. and one
day met him ana We became
friends, iie was young and glorious.
~ melancholy because his Spirits
were no high and life had 40 much In
store FOR him. Yes, he was almost
riotoualy sad. That was his youth
When a man begins 20 be hilarious
In sorrowful way you can bet
million that no IL dycing his hair
kerncr'a hair wna plentiful and
carefully matted ~ an artists
thatch should be. lie was a cigaret
teur. and ho audited his dinners with
red wine. but most % MI. no was
fool And. wisely. cnvlrd him.
and listened patiently while he
knocked Nelaaqucz and Tintorrtto
once he told me that he liked a
story OF mine that be had come
across In an anthology. Iie dcscrib.
ed u 20 mo. and | was sorry that Mr
tltzJamen o'Br.cn was dead and
could not learn Of tho culoEy Of his
work. But mostly Kcrner mnde few
breaks and was consistent fool.
ia better explain wha, I mean By
that, There was a girl Now. a giri.
M far M ! am concerned. IL thing
that belongs In a seminary or an al
hum. hut ! conceded tho existence 81
the animal in order To retain Kern.
cr's friendship. lie showed me her
picture In "a iockct--nhe was blonde
or brunette have forgotten
which. She worked in a factory for
oight dollars a week. Lest faefories
quote this wage by way OF v.ndica.
ton. VIII add that the Eiri had
worked for five years TO reach that
supreme elevation OF remuneration,
beginning az $50 per week.
kerncrs father was worth a couplc
OF millions. iic was willing 20 stand
for art. hu, he drew the limo AZ the
factory girl 40 kcrner diainherltcd
hla father and walked gu, to a cheap
studio and lived on aausaecs for
breakfast and on Farroni for dinner.
Faroni had tho artistic snul and a
line OF credit for painters and poets.
nicely adjusted. Sometimes Kerner
sold a picture and bought aorne new
tapestry. a ring and DOZEN niik
cravata. and paid Farroni two dol.
lars on account.
Ono evening Kern~r had me 20
dinner with himself and the factory
giri. They were To be married aa
soon az kcrner could niosh paint
probably. As for tho ex.father'a
two millions poufi
She was a wonder. Email and half.
way pretty. and as much ne Der ease
In tina, cheap cafe as though she
were only In the Palmer House. Chi.
caKo. with n souvenir spoon already
safely hidden In her shirt waist. She
was natural Two things I noticed
about her especially. Her belt buckle
was eraesiy In tho middle OF her
back. and nhe didn', tell us that a
large man with a ruby stick pin had
followed her up all the way from
Fourteenth street Was Kerner such
a fool7 wondered. And then /
thought Of tho quantity Of striped
cuffs and blue glass beads that two
million dollars can buy for tho heath.
en-, and said TO myself that he was.
And the Eiiac--ceralniy that was
her name-told us. merriiy. that the
brown spot ON her waist was caused
by her landlady knocking at the door
while she che giri--confound the
English iangtiage) was heating an
iron over the gas get. and she hid
the iron under the bcdciothcs uniil
the coast was clear. and there was
tho piece Of chewing gum stuck 10
u when ahe began TO iron tho waist.
Rnd-~weil. I wondered how In the
world the chewing gum came TO be
thcre--don't they ever stop chewing
it7
A while after that-don't be inpa.
tient. the absinthe drip Is coming
now--kcrncr and I were dining at
Farronfs. A mandolin and n guitar
were being attacked: the room was
full OF smoke In nice. long. crinkiy
layers just like the artists draw the
steam from plum pudding on
Christmas posters. and n lady in a
blue silk and gasoiined Eaunticts was
beginning 10 hum an air from the
''Korncr." said I. you arc n fool"
"Of course" said Kerner. Il
wouldn't let her go on working. Not
my wife. what's the use to waltz
she's willing. sold that water color
OF tho Paiiandcs yesterday. We could
cook on n two-hole burner gas stove.