Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1854-07-22
AN ARKANSAS STORY.

When Edward Washbourne was painting in
this town, his studio was visited by not only
all the citizens of this vicjpity, but by many
from the neighboring counties. A young gen.
tleman from War Eagle one day found his way
into the artists room, and was delighted with
the portraits displayed on the walls and on the
other hand, Washbourne was somewhat taken
with the young gentleman's appearance. He
was tall, unshaven, and partly undressed, for
his copperas breeches lacked several inches Of
reaching down to his shoes. He had on no
socks, and had worn out his breeches, as he said,
"a settin on logs in the punkin PATCH" His
hair looked as if attempts had been made to spin
it at several places, and the brimless hat that
covered it, had new top of wild cat skin. He
had "funcked the wild cat out of tree in the
bottom, not more nor week ago, and he fell
| sock into old Rings mouth, and old Ring bit
hole clean through him and went out on t'other
side." He wore no coat, and but one suspen-
der of dressed buckskin, over shirt that in
days Of yore might have been of some light
color.
Washbourne asked him if he wouldn't like TO
have his portrait painted.
Il dunno what portrait is stranger!'
"A likeness-that's portrait hanging there
oh, picter you mean. DO folks pay you
to make pcters for 'em, or do you make 'em
for funY
'They pay me little
Stranger, that ar picter is lookin right strait
at me wherever git. How on yeth do you
make their eyes woll so!
Its very easily DONE
'Stanger, do you reckon you could fix my
picter so il would look right at body jest like
that oner
oh, very easily
'Stanger, I'm ridin' the old roam mares filly,
and she's mighty skeery nag, and them ar
picters would be mighty onhandy to pack, 'spe-
cially on wild nag, and daddy gin bit to buy
a new lookin'. glass, and I've got to pack it home
don't you reckon you'll be over on Wa%
Eagle some of these times, stranger!'
II don't know; do you think could get any
painting over therep
I'm bonnd you'd get lots of it-Squire Car
naham, and Jake Todd, and Ebenezer Hender-
son, and Pete Ball, and Reuben Slater, and
every body clean down on the creek to main
White River. Stranger, can you paint q gal
lookin' right strait at feller!"
'Just as easily as can man.
well, I'll git you to paint Becky Boyd's pic.
ter lookin' right at me, and then you must pic
ter me lookin' right at Beck, and I'll fix the
picters so they'll look right smack at one an
you make picter of man and woman hug~
gin'!'
'Yes, can paint them doing almost any
thing
Il mout knowd that Daddy was a telIin'
how he seed Teller, in Van Buren,, maxim
pcters on pure silver That was how daddy
come to break the lookin' glass. He axed the
feller how he made the picters, and the feller
said he polished the silver till it looked like
lookin' glass. Daddy said the feller had a NOR
tai big razor strap, as long as mans arm, and
the feller rubbed it across the pure silver jest
like he was a sawin off the end of log; and
daddy sed he seed man set down and look
right at the pure silver, and he hadn't sot mi>
nit when the feller jerked up the pure silver
and run behind piece of cloth hung up, and
when he was behind thar daddy axed him what
he was doin, and the feler told him he was
smokin the picter to make it stick. Daddy
axed him if smokin it made it stick, and the fel.
Ter told him yes. Then when my daddy come
home he took his Shawn glass, and said he was
gwine to make pcter like the feller in Van
Buren, made 'em. He said thar was no sense
in gwine to the expense Of maxim lookin glass
out of pure silver, and then daddy tuck his sha.
vim glass. and fixed it on char and looked right
at it a mint and then jerked it up and run into
the smoke house, and held it over terrible big
smoke-but some how or other daddy let the
glass git too hot, and it cracked all into flinders
and when he fotched it out of the smoke house
thar warn't sign of pcter on it. Do you
smoke your picters, stranger!
NO, never smoke them
well, stranger, how much do you ak for ma.
kin picterr
Fifty dolloars! Fifty dollars in specie
stranger
Yes, fifty dollars in specie
Good gracious, stranger! Fifty dollars in
cool simons! Good for forty acres of land in
The land office! Daddy only axes fifty dollars
for the young 6lly rid to town!
DO you think the price unreasonsblev
'Onreas enable! l feel jest like tree was
about to fall down on me! Daddy sed the fell
er in Van Buren only axed three dollars for his
picters on the pure silver, and the pure silver
vas as big as my hand!
Those pictures are very different from paint
ngs; perhaps, sir, you are not much acquainted
with paintings! r -s~ I'D
4 reckon know too much about painting,
'tranger, to be sucked in as easy as you think
or. Fifty dollars! Why daddy only Civ two
lollars for the paint to paint our big wagio, sud
was tho clur red, and thar war enough left
o paint more nor the whole shoot Of your pic.
ers. reckon you needn't come over to War
Eagle, stranger-don't reckon you could git,
ny picters to paint over thar. Good day, stran.
.er, the filly's about to slip the bride, and II
he gits loose she'll never stop till she gifts sock
p to daddy's corn cribs w. Independent.
uThe agricultural reports from oil prats
E o,est Rr;fain are of a cheering character