and a different mechanic standing watch in each, the thing gets to be

funny.

"Explain--explain these aberrations," said Tracy.

Well, they are not the achievement of a single intellect, a single

talent--it takes two to do these miracles. They are collaborations;

the one artist does the figure, the other the accessories. The

figure-artist is a German shoemaker with an untaught passion for art,

the other is a simple hearted old Yankee sailor-man whose possibilities

are strictly limited to his ship, his cannon and his patch of petrified

sea. They work these things up from twenty-five-cent tintypes; they get

six dollars apiece for them, and they can grind out a couple a day when

they strike what they call a boost--that is, an inspiration."

People actually pay money for these calumnies?"

They actually do--and quite willingly, too. And these abortionists

could double their trade and work the women in, if Capt. Saltmarsh could

whirl a horse in, or a piano, or a guitar, in place of his cannon. The

fact is, he fatigues the market with that cannon. Even the male market,

I mean. These fourteen in the procession are not all satisfied. One is

an old 'independent' fireman, and he wants an engine in place of the

cannon; another is a mate of a tug, and wants a tug in place of the ship

-and so on, and so on. But the captain can't make a tug that is

deceptive, and a fire engine is many flights beyond his power."

The American Claimant