The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-11-08

OF 'em will play caliph TO tho tune
OF a top sirioin. but every one OF
em will stand over YOU iii they
screw your autobiography out OF
you with foot notes. appendix and
unpublished fragments, Oh. ! know
what Go do when ! see victualn com
ing towurd me IN little old Bagdhd-
on.the.Subwsy. strike tho asphalt
three times with my forehead and
get ready 10 spiel yarns for my sup.
per. claim descent from the late
Tommy Tucker. who was forced 10
hand out vocal harmony for his pr~-
digested wheatcrina and spooju."
Il do not ask your story" said
Chalmers. Il tell you frankly that II
was a sudden within that prompted
me 90 send for some stranger 10
dine with me. I assure you you will
not suffer thru any curiosity Of
mine
'oh. FUDGE exclaimed the giiess.
enthusiastically tackiinx his soup. Il
don't mind II n bit. I'm a regular
Oriental magazine with red cover
and the leaves cut when the caiiph
walks abroad. In fact. We fellows
in the bed limo have u sort OF union
rate for things Of this sort. Some.
body'p always stopping and wanting
TO know what brought US down 40
low In the world. For a sandwich
and a glass Of beer I tell 'em that
drink did n. For corned beef and
cabbage and a cup OF coffee give
EN- tho hard -heartsdiandlord-
fnor,haln.ihe -hospiial-iost-job story.
A ririoln steak and n quarter for a
bed gets the Wall st. tragedy OF the
swrp, away fortune and tho grad.
Nai descent This IL IN. first spread
Of this kind I've stumbled against. I
haven't got a story 90 nj H. III tell
you what. Mr. Chalmers. I'm going
10 tell you tho truth for this. II
,ou1l listen 20 II. It'll be harder for
you 20 believe than the made-up
ones
An hour later the Arabian ruest
lay back with SIGH Of satisfaction
whiio Phillips brought the coffee and
cigars and cleared the table.
did you ever hear % shorrnrd
piumerf' no aSked. with . strange
smile.
4 remember the name said Chsi.
n@rs. -Hs was q painter. think.
Of a good deal Of promsnsnes . few
years ago.
-FSvs years. said the rusSs- Then
I went down IKE . chunk OF Lad
I'm sherrard Piumcr. soid the
last portrait painted for $1,000
After that couidn't have found .
sitter for q grusis picture E
what was the trvuble,-' chafsn@S
could not resist asking. Z.
Funny thing answered p1umes.
xyimiy. Newer quifa underrsocd n
myself. For . while I swam like .
cork broke into the sweli crowd
and got commissions right and left
Tho newspapers called me . fashion
able painter. Then tho funny things
began 20 happen Whenever I FIN.
!shcd a picture people would come
TO sec II. and whisper and look
auecriy AZ one another.
Il soon found out what the trouble
was. I had a knaek of bringing out
in the face Of portrait tho hidden
character Of tho original don't
know how did it'll painted what
saw-bus know II did ma Some
Of my sstters were fearfuliy enraxed
and refused their pictures. painted
tho portrait OF very beautiful and
popular society dame. when Il wan
finished her husband looked at II
with n peculiar expression on his
face. and the pcxs week he sued for
divorce.
Il remember one case cf 4 promi.
mont banker who sat TO me. while
had his portrait on exhibition In my
studio an acquaintance of his came
In TO look Mt a. Hess me- says he.
docs he really look like THAR I
told him Il was considered q faithful
likeness. 7 never noticed that ex-
precision about his eyes before said
he: I think III drop downtown and
change my bank account He did
drop down. but the bank account
was Tonc and 30 was Mr.. Banker.
1T wasn't long til they put me out
Of business. People don't want their
secret meannerscs shown up In q
picture They can smile and twist
their own faces and deceive you. but
the picture can't. I couldn't get an
order for another picture. and ! had
20 give up. I worked ms n news
paper artist for a while, and then
for n photographer. but my work with
them got me into the same trouble
II ! drew from a photograph my
drawing showed up characteristics
and expressions that you couldn't
find In the photo. but I guess they
were In the original. all right. The
customers raised lively rows. cs-
pecIally the women. and I never
could hold a job long. SO / began
TO rest my weary head upon the
breast OF Old Booze for comfort. And
pretty soon was in the frce-bed line
and doing oral fiction for handouts
among the food bazaars. Does the
truthful statement weary thee. o
Caliph7 I can turn on the Wall ut.
disaster stop II you prefer but that
requires tear. and I'm afraid I
can't hustle one up after that good
dinner
mo. no." said Chalmers. earnestly.
you interest mo very much. Did all
OF your portraits reveal some I'M
pleasant trait. or were thcre some
that did not suffer from the ordeal
of your peculiar brush?"
"Somc7 Yes" said Plumer. chill
dren generally. n good many women
and n sufficient number OF men. All
people aren't bad. you know. when
they we're all right. the pictures were
all right As ! said. ] don't explain
II. but I'm telling you facts"
On Chalmers writing table lay the
photograph that he had received
that day in the foreign mail. Ten
minutes later he had Plumer at work
making n sketch from II In pastcis.
At tho end of an hour the artist rose
n -.