The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-03-03

ror ten cents 1t was going to be
.assible to see all OF the greatest
SS'ssterpieces of the art galleries Of
M world This announcement was
.,srling enough, but failed to pro-
Snce anywhere the same sensation
Md the bargain price been made, in
g4renCe to circus or even to a dog
nony show. Nevertheless enthus-
!, was stirred by the announcement
there would be no lessons one
arnoon in the week, and everyone
nid visit the art gallery. 1t was
I, he in the Estes house, in the same
NM where each week end the trip
,ars OF the light fantastic. had been
Ibolding forth. 1t meant walk more
. Of less orderly, down town. II would
moi be hard, perhaps, to sacrifice an
hour or two to art, for the sake OF
RESPITE from. grammar, spelling and
simnar bores.
qhere was always more or less ex-
cite.nent in getting started on expe-
rs of this character. Some one
tlways falling out of line, lest he
| ,e first of the flock for the sacri-
Likewise the line of demarcation
EN- sexes was so pronounced that
deemed advisable by the male
.lsion at least, to walk several
behind the pig-tailed contingent
ii. 1t would never do to be seen
Walking too close to certain people.
That could be reserved for the return
trip when there would be no such
military order and one could mingle
with the fair sex with little fear OF
iibes and taunts.
The procession down to the hall was
really quite imposing. Teachers walk
ed Importantly along a good deal ike
ones conscience, a spur to Tagging
morale. Through some canny OF I'M
canny intuition there was always a
teacher at the rear of the column.
Such an arrangement promptly fore
stalled any sudden laid plans for
mutiny and made impossible likewise
any side-trips to the little candy store
on the corner. Once on Main strest
the procession was halted by the on
rush Of a newspaper reporter, demand
ing to know whats all this" This
was quite thrill in the days proceed
ings and perhaps augured well for the
success of the remainder of the after
noon. The power of the press is rec,
ognized even in grade school, and 1t
would be quite an important moment
to hear the family commenting on the
fact that ''it's in the paper about your
going down to the art exhibit"
With the knowledge acquired
through numerous visits to the hall
during dancing school days, you were
prepared, no doubt, to pilot some kim
bred spirits who didn't care nothin'
at all about their old pictures" to that
work of art, Andersonville prison
But this JOY was not to be. A picture
Of Madame LIE Brun and her daughter,
or the famous Gainesborough hat had
been hung right smack" over the
gruesome reminder of the civil war.
1t was not hard to secure bets OF
million dollars" that those old
things were hung there just SOS as
you couldn't have any fun" Any how
the lecture on the now obscured Ia
vorite was Enthusiastically genuine and
would hardly have found a, place in
any of the catalogues Of the art"
'zibit."
As a matter of fact the covering up
of this masterpiece was provocative
of mutiny, and it was found before
very long that the floor, tolera'bly
slick from past dancing classes could
be utilized as a slide even now. The
discovery was made when one of the
coored boys took sudden tumble
and clattered noisily to the floor, to
the accompaniment Of = giggles and
outlaws. Even the reproofs of the at
tendant teachers failed to dampen the
ardor of the crowd at such scene;
Necessity may be the mother of in
vention, but accident is the STEP
mother so far as boys are concerned,
A minute later a dozen husky boys,
ana no less bold spirits among the
lair sex, were gliding noisily across
this slippery floor. the collections OF
the Louvre forgotten in the joy OF
the slide.
But the joy was short lived. Teach
ers were bearing down from all sides,
charging right into the midst of the
coasters. Admonitions were brief but
70 the point, and there was nothing to
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