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Story
October 9, 1886
The Asheville Citizen
Asheville, Buncombe County, North Carolina
What is this article about?
A young California woman studying painting in Paris falls gravely ill and must return home to recover but lacks funds. Miraculously, Mrs. John W. Mackay buys her sketches for $1000 instead of $100, enabling her journey back to California.
Clipping
OCR Quality
95%
Excellent
Full Text
Mrs. Mackay and the Sick Artist.
A young woman from California had gone to Paris to take lessons in painting. She had great capacity, boundless ambition and great hope. She was poor, but her people gave her up to art, and looked forward with pride and expectation when she would return to honor and delight them. But alas! and alas! death is in the world.
Her doctor told her that there was but one thing she could do to save her life—return to California. "Return to California? Why, I have not a dollar left. All my people have already spent all they had to help me to get on here."
The doctor said no more, but took his hat and went away, promising to call the next afternoon.
The poor California invalid met him at the door and caught his hand in both of hers, while tears of delight ran down her face and fell on his hand.
"Doctor! doctor! I can go home. I will see California again. And I know I shall then get well. Come sit down and I will tell you all about my good luck. Why, it is just like a fairy tale. Yes, it is. You see, you had not been gone an hour when in stepped a modest, sweet little lady and said she was making up a sketch book of California drawings and wanted to buy all I had. And she bought them—bought all I had. Wanted $100 for them, and look here: here is the check. It is for $1,000! And the name on the bottom of the check is Mrs. John W. Mackay!"
—Joaquin Miller's California Letter.
A young woman from California had gone to Paris to take lessons in painting. She had great capacity, boundless ambition and great hope. She was poor, but her people gave her up to art, and looked forward with pride and expectation when she would return to honor and delight them. But alas! and alas! death is in the world.
Her doctor told her that there was but one thing she could do to save her life—return to California. "Return to California? Why, I have not a dollar left. All my people have already spent all they had to help me to get on here."
The doctor said no more, but took his hat and went away, promising to call the next afternoon.
The poor California invalid met him at the door and caught his hand in both of hers, while tears of delight ran down her face and fell on his hand.
"Doctor! doctor! I can go home. I will see California again. And I know I shall then get well. Come sit down and I will tell you all about my good luck. Why, it is just like a fairy tale. Yes, it is. You see, you had not been gone an hour when in stepped a modest, sweet little lady and said she was making up a sketch book of California drawings and wanted to buy all I had. And she bought them—bought all I had. Wanted $100 for them, and look here: here is the check. It is for $1,000! And the name on the bottom of the check is Mrs. John W. Mackay!"
—Joaquin Miller's California Letter.
What sub-type of article is it?
Personal Triumph
Biography
What themes does it cover?
Fortune Reversal
Triumph
Recovery
What keywords are associated?
Sick Artist
Generous Purchase
Return To California
Paris Studies
Fairy Tale Luck
What entities or persons were involved?
Young Woman From California
Mrs. John W. Mackay
Doctor
Where did it happen?
Paris, California
Story Details
Key Persons
Young Woman From California
Mrs. John W. Mackay
Doctor
Location
Paris, California
Story Details
A poor, ambitious young artist from California in Paris learns she must return home to survive her illness but has no money. Shortly after her doctor leaves, Mrs. John W. Mackay buys all her California sketches for $1000, far more than the $100 offered, allowing her to go home and recover.