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Show FIRST PORTRAIT OF OPIE'3. Accepted a Beating In Order to Insure In-sure Its Success. John Ople, tho English painter, Is described as a man of humble origin, who achieved success wholly by his own genlti.4 and perseverance The story of his first effort in that lino of art .vhlcli prtorward brought him fame ho r-'ated lo Coko, first carl of Leicester Leices-ter of Holk'ham, as follows: When a small boy of ten or twelve ho was left "at homo one Sunday afternoon after-noon with his fathor, whilo his mother moth-er went to church. Tho father established estab-lished himself In tho parlor with his Bible, and told tho boy to be quiet and omuso himself. Young Ople, who had procured some paints, took up a position unobserved In tho kitchen, directly opposite tho parlor door. Very quietly ho drew a portrait of the old man bonding over his Dlble, until he had finished everything every-thing except tho head, when he began running backward and forward to study his father's face. The old gentleman grew vcy angry at these apparently sensoless Interruptions Interrup-tions and threatened to punish his son If they continued. This was exactly what the boy wanted, want-ed, ns he wished to paint his father's eye lit up and sparkling with anger. So he continued his Irritating behavior behav-ior until It met with the desired result, re-sult, and his father, Justly wrathful, administered a sound thrashing. This achloved. the boy resumed his task eagerly, and transferred to his picture tho expression which ho had JiiBt seen upon tho fnco of his Indignant Indig-nant parent. When his mother teturned from church, ho placed tho plcttuo triumphantly tri-umphantly beforo her; but although astonished and delighted with It, she thought It her duty to scold her son severely for painting on, a Sunday. Young Ople, however, cared no more for tho scalding than for tho beating he had received in accomplishing his wdrk, and only hugged his mother delightedly de-lightedly In his excitement at Its success. suc-cess. His father, coming Into tho room at this Juncturo, and spying tho portrait of himself, was so surprised and pleased at It that ho told the mother not to scold tho boy any nioro. Subsequently, whenevor tho picture was shown, he used to toll with great relish the story of young Ople's plucky acceptance of a beating In order to Insure In-sure Its success. Youth's Companion |