A TALE FOR PESSIMISTS

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 3713, 5 October 1926, Page 7

A TALE FOR PESSIMISTS

Here is ii /French allegory that points a moral worth remembeiing. A portrait painter sat in his favorite calc sipping his wine. His hrst small bottle limished, lie was about to order another, when Ids eye ielt on a headline in the ‘Figaro’ “Hard Times are Coming,” so instead of ordering Ids second usual bottle he called for his check. "is there anything wrung with the wine! - '” asked tilt* landlord. “The wine is good, but 1 did not order a second bottle because bard times are coming, and we must economise,” explained the artist. " Hard times,” said the landlord. Then my wife must not order the silk dress we planned, but must take one of cotton.” Hard limes,” repeated the dressmaker, when the order was cancelled. “ This is no time to expand I must not make the improvement 1 had planned in tiiis place,” " Hard times, eh Y ” said the builder, when the dressmaker cancelled the building plans. “ Then 1 cannot have mv wife’s portrait painted.” So he wrote the artist and cancelled Ids order.

Alter receiving the letter, the artist went again to Ids favorite cafe, and ordered a small bottle of wine, to soothe him. Gp a nearby chair was Hie paper in which he had read of lined times two days before. He picked it |||> olid read more closely, and found it was two vears old!