I never liked 'em--they wuzn't likely.
But the picter is a sight--dretful big and skairful.
And in that section is a beautiful picter by Fritz Uhele, whose figgers, folks say, are the best in the world.
"The Angels Appearing to the Shepherds." Oh, what glowin' faces the angels had! You read in 'em what the shepherds did: "Love, Good Will to Man." There wuz some little picters there about six inches square, and marked: "Little Picters for a Child's Album." And Josiah sez to me, "I believe I'll buy one of 'em for Babe's album that I got her last Christmas." Sez he, "I've got ten cents in change, but probable," sez he, "it won't be over eight cents." Sez I, "Don't be too sanguine, Josiah Allen." Sez he, "I am never sanguinary without good horse sense to back it up.
They throwed in a chromo three feet square with the last calico dress you bought at Jonesville, and this hain't over five or six inches big." "Wall," sez I, "buy it if you want to." "Wall," sez he, "that's what I lay out to do, mom." So he accosted a Columbus Guard that stood nigh, and sez he-- "I'm a-goin' to buy that little picter, and I want to know if I can take it home now in my vest pocket ?" [Illustration: "I'm a-goin' to buy that little picter, and I want to know if I can take it home now in my vest pocket ?"] "That picter," sez he, "is twenty thousand dollars.

It is owned by the German National Gallery, and is loaned by them," and sez he, with a ready flow of knowledge inherent to them Guards, "the artist, Adolph Menzel, is to German art what Meissonier is to the French.

His picters are all bought by the National Gallery, and bring enormous sums." Josiah almost swooned away.

Nothin' but pride kep him up-- I didn't say nothin' to add to his mortification.

Only I simply said-- "Babe will prize that picter, Josiah Allen." And he sez, "Be a fool if you want to; I'm a-goin' to git sunthin' to eat." [Illustration: "Be a fool if you want to."] And he hurried me along at almost a dog-trot, but I would stop to look at a "Spring Day in Bavaria," and the "Fish Market in Amsterdam," and the "Nun," and some others, I would--they wuz all beautiful in the extreme.
Wall, after we come back into the gallery agin, the first picter we went to see wuz "Christ Before Pilate," by Mr.Muncaxey.
There He stood, the Man of Sorrows, with His tall figure full of patient dignity, and His face full of love, and pity, and anguish, all bent into a indescribable majesty and power.
His hands wuz bound, He stood there the centre of that sneering, murderous crowd of priests and pharisees.