Telegrams of the Soul

Celebrity

We were once a large group of artists in a champagne pavilion at “Venice in Vienna” in a summer wine garden. Three sweet young girls immediately joined us. Someone in our group told them: “Girls, don’t you know in whose company you have the honor of being seated today? That gentleman over there happens to be the famous painter Gustav Klimt!”—“You don’t say—,” the girls replied nonchalantly. Then a fourth girl joined them and said: “Girls, do you know who that is?! It’s him, no doubt about it—.” “Aw, what’s the big deal, who could care less whoever he is—.” —“But that’s the guy who paid for twelve bottles of Charles Heidsieck champagne at the Casino de Paris last winter!”—“No kidding, is that really him?! Right! Now I recognize him! Hey, Mr. famous painter, here’s lookin’ at you!”

P.S. The local representative of Charles Heidsieck champagne once said to me at a late hour: “Say, Peter, I was just wondering if you could ever include my company in one of your sketches? In which case, Peter, you can swig as much as you like!”

Now I hope with some justification to drink my fill. By the way, that time with Klimt & company, it wasn’t Charles Heidsieck we were drinking, it was Pommery. But since the one is just as good as the other, and besides, we still get to drink on it, who cares?!