t, so it never come
to nothin'. He done two or three places, though, and I swan 'twas nice
work! He painted Sam Cahoon's old ramshackle house and barn, and you'd
hardly know it, 'twas so fixed up and fine, in the picture. White paint
and green grass and everything just like real. He left out the places
where the pickets was off the fence and the blinds hangin' on one hinge.
I told Abbie, I says, 'Abbie, that painter's made Sam's place look
almost respectable, and if that ain't a miracle, I don't know what is.
I would think Sam would blush every time he sees that picture.' Ho, ho!
Abbie seemed to cal'late that Sam Cahoon's blushin' would be the biggest
miracle of the two. Ho! ho! You'd like Abbie; she's got lots of common
sense."

He chuckled at the reminiscence and rubbed his knee. His niece made no
reply. Captain Elisha glanced at the Corot once more and asked another
question.

"I presume likely," he said, "that that picture cost consider'ble more
than fifteen, hey?"

"Father paid twenty-two thousand dollars for it," was the crushing
answer.

The captain looked at her, opened his mouth to speak, shut it again,
and, rising, walked across the room. Adjusting his glasses, he inspected
the Corot in silence for a few minutes. Then he drew a long breath.

"Well!" he sighed. "_Well_." Then, after an interval, "Was this the only
one he ever painted?"

"The only one? The only picture Corot painted? Of course not! There are
many more."

"Did--did this Corot feller get as much for every job as he did for
this?"

"I presume so. I know father considered this one a bargain."

"Did, hey? Humph! I ought to know enough by this time not to believe all
I hear, but I kind of had an idea that picture paintin' was starvation
work. I've read about artists committin' suicide, and livin' in attics,
and such. Whew! About two such bargain sale jobs as this, and
I'd guarantee not to starve--and to live as nigh the ground as a
second-floor bedroom anyhow. How about this next one? This feller in a
dory--coddin', I guess he is. Did--did Mr. Corot do him?"

"No. That is by a well-known American artist. It is a good piece of
work, but not like the other. It is worth much less. Perhaps five
thousand."

"So? Well, even for that I'd undertake to buy consider'ble many dories,
and hire fellers to fish from 'em, too. Humph! I guess I'm out of
soundin's. When I thought fifteen dollars was a high price for paintin'
a view of a house I was sli