The Shasta courier., 1872-08-03
he could while it was going"


He was sole proprietor ofa little attic room,
while the black wash. sinking into his skin,
stained it so deeply that frequent applics-
tious were unnecessary. Indeed his com
plexion began to St EN- such un falt sccompli,
that he gave up wondering what would be
done when the bottle gave out aud the
Ethie plan began to change his skin.
At the end of ten days the animal part
Of. .Tate's nature was appeased, aud the es-
thetic began to be manifest You need not
sneer Little steeet boys may lie and chest.
and consume like Egyptian locusts, but
give them chance at -methipg better aud
they e. joy it. Tate grew to think carpets
and pictures essential t, real happiness. -
lie did not relish the idea of ever return
ing to life among the Comeskys; and he
liked the old doctor. lie had every day to
pull and tug to get him into his boots, for
those unseen pedal extr. mites were very
troublesome to DR.. Swnbourne-always at
ter ate had accomplished the task. he re
ceived lat on the head and three cent
piece. The first time that three cents drop
ped into Tate's hand, with the words, "ht-
tie fellows ought to have money of their
own, so they won't be taking snybody's
else. from that time Tates attempt at hon.
esty began ln the meantime he had fall
en- in love with Madam Swinbourne-posi-
lively in love What else could you call
the desperate admiration he felt tor the gen
tie little dame. He thought her beautiful
as he watched her through the crack in the
office door If he had known of the race
called angels. be woull have tancied them
all old ladies with pink bows in their caps
Once, when Lucy kissed Phiauder, Tate
felt himself enviously bushing under the
black wash knew what is meant by unat
tainable bliss; wondered had such thing
happened to him, if he should have come
cut from under it just as much Tate Come
sky az ever. One evening the doctor left
him alone in the Office, sitting, drowsily hap
py, hidden in the twilight Lucy was in
the parlor at the old-time harpschord. =
Her sweet, quivering voice, though crack
ed with age, was tender aud soul full, as
she sang the tunes that took Philander
captive half century before. Tate, fat
tening his body against the door, listened
10 rapture. He trembled and cried little
in the dark You would have said he had
a sensitive temperament if he had been
your child-being what he was, he endan-
gered his borrowed complexion fy crying
over it. By and-by the old lady heard
rustic and, remembering Tate, she came in
to the Office.
"Do you like singing. little boy? My
mother taught me that old song."
She sat down awhile and cbatted about
her music, her childhood long past. She
had no idea of greatly enlightening Tate's
intelect-hau only kindly impulse to
please him if he Glanced to be lonesome 10
the twilight. She left him with new halt
thoughts of truth and beauty somewhere
outside aud beyond-with the feeling a
child would have who, once contented in a
dungeon, should push down a stone aud see
the stars without. Tate was that night
half tempted to confess his Africanism a
humbug; but he went to sleep before his
resolution was carried into effect The next
day found him qr.te uncomfortable. If
the truth Was told, Tate made too tree with
the "sights and sehtso' wittols." The doc
tors wife would have groaned in spirit had
she known how near was he to fit OF sick
ness Just here, let it be remarked, that
Tat met with no difficulty in car ying out
his role as Lemuel johnson but this morn
ing, as he sat pensiveIy on the office door
steps. vicious butcher-boy appeared and,
after shouting Iii hii made the un
founded assertion that "niggers never die, F"
followed up with rythmical allusion to
the white of his eye"
"Shut up," said Tate; but the unpleas-
antly poetical boy went on, and there was
a fight second after. Doctor Swiubourne's s
step was heard-the butchers boy gave
Tate push and fed. He fell against the
step. cut his scalp, and tainted Catherine
and the doctor dragged him into tie hall,
and the little madame wrung her hands
now plying Tate-now recklessly declaring
thai every Office boy they had ever had
.'went and killed himself the first thing"
But Tate sas far from bcipg dead; he only
discovered he was going TO be sick. His
bones ached, | is head throbbed, and fe:
yer came on. The doctors wife was resign
ed. The doctor dosed him, Catherine was
appointed nurse, and Tate had more atten
tion than in all his life before. The second
day his head panied him SO badly Cath
crime kept ice on his forebead-kept it
there until afternoon-then rushing down
into the Office and finpinp open the door,
she exclaimed: ''Dot thur! Dncthur! The
lsyll black boy been peellnout ov bis
skin! Howy Mother. an he bees that p
The doctor started-also his wife-also
Catherine; the latter vociferous with hor-
rror. all the way repeating, "The face ov
him is that speckled an blotched he'd
shatter the wits ov a saint p
Tate. knowing when Catherine fed that
the Philistines we're upon him. or would be
in a moment, spent that moment in vigor-
ons scrubbing. The diluted wash came
of on his towel, and Dr. Swinboorne found
a small down east Yankee in the. "black
boys" bed. Who can tell the end if the
docfor had grown angry; but Tate over
come with the run oftheir gaping couoten
snces, went of into paroxysm of laughter
The doctor looked until he laughed laugh
ed unril it hurt him, for he had pounds o
Palsisfssn fat to agitate during the process