Mark Twain

Is he living or is he dead?

 

The writer got acquainted with a rich man Smith, who told him this story:

 

A long time ago he was a young artist. He and his friends – artists too wondered about the France. They made sketches. They all were poor. Then they met a young artist Francois Millet. He was poor too. Millet saved them from starvation. They all become a great friends. They very many painted together.

After two years a situation was very bad. They had no money. The young artists decided to do something. Carl said that these pictures are good. Then Carl proposed his idea: ,,I believe my project will make us all rich’’. He proposed to die one of them. Millet was elected to die. He shall paint three months. But other three friends during three months made Millet famous. They sold Millet’s pictures and sketches. Boom was very high. After six weeks artists meet in Paris and decided to stop.

At the funeral all four friends carried the coffin, because in the coffin was only vax figure. Millet carried his own coffin.

,,Well, you remember how the pictures went up. Money? We didn't know what to do with it. there's a man in Paris to-day who owns seventy Millet pictures. He paid us two million francs for them. And as for the bushels of sketches and studies which Millet shovelled out during the six weeks that we were on the road, well, it would astonish you to know the figure we sell them at nowadays--that is, when we consent to let one go!’’

,,It is a wonderful history, perfectly wonderful!’’