Proctor Cronk At Syracuse, parts 1775 1778

1775. That is how it is with the possessions of the deceased, covered with dust in the back seats and trunks of their old cars. I care about all that and the new owners did not. So why should I apologize.

1776. When a man who appears to everyone to be ‘just a junk man,’ recognizes that an old painting is a Rembrandt, even though it is improperly framed and had been left to mold in a space under the eves in an attic, should he feel beholden to the owners who have asked him to remove it with all their other junk for five dollars.

1777. No, ultimately a thing will belong to whomever recognizes its value. A rejected masterpiece will, all on its own perhaps, seek out a new owner, just as an abandoned cat will fall asleep on a new and more accommodating doorstep.

1778. But, about the icons I started to tell you about. These two old ones I found in the trunk of a car belonging to the Chairman of the Art History Department of the university. He died and his wife could not wait to get rid of his old car. It was years ago but I remember it distinctly. The old Chairman had driven the same car for twenty years and he would not consider parting with it.