The Washington herald., 1921-10-16

I'VE have something common In names
and you paint, too?''
81 won't ask you to accept that as a vital
point When l mention my painting to
friends have noticed a curiously universal
tendency to speak about the weather.
Friends are like that" said Mignon
when mention my latest effort, the con-
versation invariably starts right away on
Cousin Hetty's babies. Cousin Hetty is
prodigal in the matter of babies The topic
can be guaranteed to last out any visit to
tn. exclusion of all other topics" Mignon
walked toward the easel. But l don't
trust the verdict Of friends. l judge for
myself. May look?''
'tft is not forbidden, but not advised. -
Mignon looked.
81 adore seascapes," she breathed.
Il knew from the very first moment that
you were you,'' he cried. Don't you like
my charging and tempestuous waves That $
one over to the right. He's a fine fellow,
I'm very proud of him.
MIGNoN thought that perhaps she had
NA hurt him by her dullness in not see
ing the things she was expected to see on
the canvas. But he did not seem to mind.
He exhibited a quiet good humor all the
while. She began to suspect that the real
artist was actually rather sensible about
! things. The real artists did not expect
people to rave about their work, or to under
stand it, or to concentrate their entire con-
versation on it. Real artists appreciated
the fact that there are other people and
other things in the world. This one, in
deed, seemed rather bored when she tried to
prolong the discussion of Fishing Boats
Drifting Before Gale" He said, "why
bother about that? I'm sure your work is
much more interesting
The one satisfactory thing about my
type Of work, y she told him, sis that can
eat my models when I'm done"
On, Jolly" he cried. Fruit OF, eggs?"
Both," she told him, and she liked him
and his quickness more and more "And
sometimes flowers and sometimes quartz, but
l rarely, If ever, eat the quartz.
de came in and viewed Pomegranates.
he was splendid man. He said all that
could be said about the Pomegranates from
al angles. He seemed even to get behind
.nem and praise the other side. In the end
II was Mignon who said, "Why bother about
thats and they started talking of books and
plays, and somewhow they found that they
had even more to talk about in those spheres
than in the spheres of art.
1t was quite delightful. The days that
followed bettered the best short stories.
Mignon refused to intrude on John Botticelli
-ridicuious name, a non de plume surely
until the time of tea. Work was work,
one had ones living to earn, and some of
the ends of life had to be meat, certainly
But at tea-well Mignon cooked for him. and
talked with him, and all was bright in the
world. They compared notes of progress,
discussed the merits of method-and talked
Of quite interesting things. Curious how
broad he was. Art hadn't narrowed him.
He knew that life occasionally sat in stalls
where music and brightness abounded, and
that certain places were notorious for the
good meals they gave one. And he'd heard
OF polo and tennis and that the world was
an oblate spheroid with many other people
on it. oh, they lived Bohemian, and stroye.
and arted, and now and then crushed the
Philistine with the jawbones Of the elect,
but it was glowing, jolly, intimate and en-
dearing life
But work and progress had some place.