Omaha daily bee., 1922-04-02

1t was Edner's moment Of supreme triumph
He is gwine paint my pitcher!' she exulted.
Five minutes later a suspiciously fearful
Prissilla Wattles confronted Lymus in the par
lor Of the Flukers' home.
us 1t true you is gwine make an artment OF
Edner Torring?"
"Uh-huh."
"How come that to be?"
"She come an ast me would l. An she
paid cash money in advance"
Prissilla dabbed at her green tinted eyes.
"An' with all the 'wimmin in Bummin ham
to pick fun, you went an puck the good
looknest"
"But, honey"
Prissila Strengthened. ''They's on'y one way
you en- make things right with me, Lynus."
what that is. sweetness? I'd do anythin'
TO- you"
paint my pitcher fust befo' you does hers u
"Sho'ly-" Then Lymus choked short his
acquiescence and shook his head sadly.
CANT"
''How come not?"
II done signed a writin' that her'n would
he my fust pitcher in Bumminham
Prissilla stamped and flung herself from
the room. That night, meandering mourn
fully down Eighteenth street, after three curt
refusals on the part Of Prssila in answer to
his supplication to call upon her, he met her
face to face.
But she was not alone. Towering beside
her was the massive figure Of Noah Lee.
Lymus had heard Of Noah-heard much
and frequently since he had commenced ap
proprlating a majority Of Prissilla's spare
time to himself. Gossip was that Noah and
Prissilla for years had been on the verge Of
an engagement and that the failure of the
God Of love was due entirely to Prissillas cap.
tious instability. Noah, SO they told Lymus,
was wildly, nadly fatuously in love with the
girl-And now--in her moment Of pique-she
had returned to his ponderous protection.
Alone in his room. the world appeared to
Lymus as a place dread and desoate. Even
the fifty dollars were ashes to the flame Of
his desire. He had sold himself to art for
mess Of porridge-and he was discovering that
the porridge promised to prove indisestible.
1t was past midnight before he SUNK of
into a htful, dreamful slumber. After a pale
and languid breakfast, a temporary fit of
elation was squashed by the receipt Of q
note from Edner Torring announcing that she
would appear at his studio at o'clock that
afternoon for her initial sitting.
He sailed from the house, forehead fur
rowed headachy thought. He turned lag
gng footsteps downward and eventually found
himself rambling disconsolately through the
shopping district of Nineteenth street And
suddenly he to an abrupt halt before the
dusty windows of dilapidated little shop.
There was not much to attract about the
instituton-as such. IT was filled with dirty,
battered books, weird chromos. second d-hand
one corner was a muchly torn sign rudely in
scribed
OIL COPIES OF FAMOUS PAINTINGS.
FIVE DOLLARS EACH.
He stepped inside. apd the ancient proprie-
tor sidled forward crapwise.
"Boss man, Graves to look at some OF them
paintin's."
Il have only one left. 1t is the work Of
student artist-a copy OF a famous painting
which is hung at the Metropolitan Museum A
fine picture. Can't be told from the original
for five dollars"
"Tain't paintin' Of a lady, is it now. Boss
MANI"
"Of course. 1t represents Venus"
"I amt keerin bout which 1t represents
Cap'n. I'm Venus is lady, tha's all what
asks"
This painting" He removed large
crayon portrait representing a genial patri-
arch surrounded by the enormous family he
had patriarched and disclosed to view the
coveted art treasure.
The eyes Of Lymus johnson popped open.