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Show FAME WON BY ACCIDENT. flastlcn Lepage's First Successful Picture Was an Advertisement. The great French painter, Bastien Lepage, was pursued by unmerciful disaster dis-aster through his youth in his efforts to study art. His mother worked in the fields to keep that sickly boy at school. At 15 he went to Paris alone, starved for seven years, painted without sucoess, but still painted. Ho had just finished a picture to send to the salon when Paris was besieged, and he rushed with his oomrades to tho trenches. On the first day a shell fell into his studio and destroyed his pioture, and another shell fell at his feet, wounding-him. wounding-him. He was carried home and lay ill and idle for two years. Then he returned re-turned to Paris, and, reduced to absolute abso-lute want, painted cheap fans for a living. liv-ing. One day a manufacturer of som6 patent medicine ordered a picture from him to illustrate itn virtues. Lepage, Who was sincere, gave his best work to the advertisement He painted a landscape land-scape in the April sunlight. Tho leaves of tender groen quivered in the breeze; a group of beautiful girls gathered around o fountain from which the elixir of youth sprang in a bubbling stream. Lepage believed there was real merit in It "Lat mo offer it at the salon, " he asked his patron. The manufacturer was dolighted. 'sBut first paint a rainbow arching over the fountain," ho said, "with the name of my medicine upon it" Lepage refused. re-fused. "Then I will not pay you a sou for the picture 1" Tho price of this pioture pio-ture meant bread for months, and the painter had long needed bread. The ohance of admission to the salon was email. He hesitated. Thon ho silenced his huuger and carried the canvas to tho salon. It was admitted. Its greas success insured Lepage a place in public recognition and his later work a plaoo among the groatest c living artista |