George Dury, Artist

http://www.durys.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?display=action&emptyoverr...

George Dury and Augustin Gattinger left Munich together

Look upon a little clique of students from the University of Munich. They are talking in low, excited voices. Trouble is afoot. They held a celebration in February, on George Washington's birthday. They'd quoted from his Farewell Address, and from Jefferson, Franklin - and the Bavarian Government could not overlook such a thing.

As they talked, a young medical student hurried past them. Perhaps his face was a trifle pale. He was one of their leaders, Augustin Gattinger. They greeted him with admiration, but all looked shaken. Poor Augustin!

He was hurrying on, preoccupied. He was turning in a prosperous house, the house of the court artist. He was hammering franitically on the door.

It was also the home of Josphine Dury, the artist's sister. She was Augustin's sweetheart - but did she love him enough? Enough to share his fate?

Augustin was to be exiled. He must leave Bavaria forever. He had seven days in which to chose the country which he would go. And would Josephine go with him?

The door came open, Josephine heard, and wept. But she answered, "Yes".

Her artist brother, would he protest? Would he scold and rant?

No. That night George Dury hastily took his finest canvases from their frames. (They would be mounted one day, at 707 Woodland Street in Nashville).

For George Dury too was highly capable of independent thought. He was a lover as well affianced to lovely, brown-eyed Catherine Sheafer, 19. Would she also share what was ahead?

Catherine's answer was the same as Josephine's. They would leave together, the four of them. They would go to America, the land of the men they had quoted.