Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 July 1916 — PARKER, CRAYON ARTIST, GIVES OPINION OF SELF. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

PARKER, CRAYON ARTIS T, GIVES OPINION OF SELF.

Says, "I Go Away From His Performances Always Thinking | Could Do Better,”

Mr. Pitt Parker, Chautauqua crayon artist, has written the following concerning himself: My opinion concerning Pitt Parker’s programs, being entirely unsolicited, ought to prove very valuable to the uninformed. Here it is: I have been present at every performance given by Mr. Parker during the past twelve years and at many previous to that time. To say that I took the keenest delight in them all would hardly be true. Speaking frankly, I have never attended one of his performances without going away thinking I could do much better, and frequently l have succeeded in doing it. He seems confined to no particular line, for he draws all conceivable kinds, leaving it for the audience to draw conclusions. Some might think-his work rather superficial because so much of it appears only on the surface, yet the large number 'of towns in wh!*h he has appeared but once proves that his work is not forgotten. Possibly he shows the best form in his clay modeling, in which he features clay faces while he faces clay Personally I am quite fond of Mr. Parker and anticipate the pleasure of being present at many more entertainments given by him. Confidentially yours, PITT PARKER. Rensselaer Chautauqua August 10 to 15, inclusive.

My mother died when 1 was a little girl and my' father when I was twenty. I understood frbni my lawyers that the estate left by my father would give me a comfortable income, and, since I had no ties at home, 1 concluded to travel. Hearing of friends about to sail for Europe, I secured an invitation to be one of their party. Before going 1 set my house in order and did what I had been long averse to doing, looked over family papers that had been accumulating for years. There was a trunk full of them, and I set about examining them with a view to destroying such as could be of no further use. Many of them needed but a hasty glance, and some scarcely needed that. I found one envelope marked "Harriet Gray" and, opening it, took out a number of miscellaneous papers, consisting mostly of receipted bills. There was a deed to a lot on one of the business streets in the city in which I lived, the maker of the deed having transferred the property “In consideration of sl,” I didn’t think the paper of much importance, the lot being of so little value. The envelope also contained a will drawn by Edward Oglesby in favor of Harriet Gray. I had no knowledge of business matters, and if I had I doubt if 1 should have considered these documents of any importance. They were yellow with age and had probably been in the trunk for many years. Had they not

been obsolete futher would doubtless have removed them long ago. Probably every one who had once been Interested in them was dead. However. I concluded to put these papers, together with a few others I thought it best not to destroy, in a tin box. The other papers I burned. Having made all necessary arrangements, I went abroad. During my absence I fell In with various persons, among others a young man named Schuyler. Ned Schuyler was seeing Europe on SOOO. My first sight of him was one evening when sitting on the porch of an Inn located on the bank of one of the Swiss lakes. I saw him coming up the road with the springy step of youth and evidently as light hearted as If he had had a letter of credit in his pocket for 100.000 francs. He ate supper at the inn and in the evening made the acquaintance of our party. The place being attractive as well ns inexpensive, we all remained there for some time, boating on the lake, climbing the mountains bordering on It and. visiting the sights in the neighborhood. Somehow in all these excursions Ned Schuyler fell to me. Americans meeting abroad often become intimate, and there are more matches made while traveling for pleasure than under any other conditions. At any rate, such was the case with us; not that we made a match, but we wanted to make one. The reason we failed was the pride of the man. He had educated himself, and it had made him independent. A wife with an income of her own would not be a drag on him, but he was too proud to ask a woman to marry him while not able to support her. it seemed to him like saying to her. “Marry me and spend your own money.” We met at several places white abroad, the persons I was with thinking it to be by accident, but there was no accident. We arranged meetings. The last of these meetings abroad was at Genoa, from whence I sailed for home. We lived in cities in America not far distant from each other, and 1 exacted a promise from him that he would come to see me after his return. My iover set out on a tramp to Nice the day before my steamer sailed. 1 Was very disconsolate at having parted with him and while wandering about the hotel took up the register and turned the pages to the name he had written in it. He had signed his name Edward Gray Schuyler. Something in the name was familiar

“I KEPT MY EYES FIXED ON HIS FACE WHILE HE HEAD.”