The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-11-26

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Letting my pals. from theSfoilowing
classes: small actors, showmen,
pedestrians, and clever disconten-
ted mechanics, one lot / never
would have at any price, and that
was the stupid ones, that could
only booze, and could not tell me
anything / didnot know about
pleasure, business, and life.
This was a bright existnece; so
it came to a full stop.
at one and the same time Miss
Paley. came home, and he fiddle
trade took one of those chills all
fancy trades are subject to
No, work-no lodging without
paying for it-nO wherewithal.
CHAPTER II.
John Beard, q friend of mine,
was a painter and grainer. His
art was to initiate oak, maple, wal.
nut, satin wood, etc., ETC., upon
vulgar deal, beech, or what not.
This business works thus: first,
coat of oil-color is put on with a
brush, and this color initiates
what may be called the back
ground of the wood that is aimed
at; on this oil-background the
champ, the fibre, the grain and
figure, and all the incidents of the
superior wood, are initiated by
various maneuvres in water.col
ors, or, rather, in beer colors, for
beer is the approved medium. A
coat of varnish over all gives a
unity to the work.
Beard was out of employ; so
was I: bitter against London; so
was l. He sounded me about
going to the country, and /
agreed and this was the first
step of my many travels.
We started the next day,-he
with his brushes, and a few col
ors. and one or two thin panels
painted by way Of advertisement,
and with hope, inexperiencc, and
threepence. On the road we spent
this and his fivepence, and enter
ed the town of Brentford toward
nightfall as empty as drums and
as hungry as wolves.
What was to be done? After Il
long discussion, we agreed to go
to the mayor of the town and tell
him our case, and offer to paint
his street door in the morning if
he would save our lives for the
night.
We went to the mayor; luckily
for US, he had risen from nothing,
as we were going to do, and so he
knew exactly what we meant when
we looked up in his face and laid
our hands on our sausage-grinders.
He gave US eighteen-pence and an
order on q clearinghouse, and
put bounds to our gratitude by
making US promise to let his
street door alone. We thanked
him from our hearts, supped and
went to bed, and agreed the coun-
try Gas we two cockneys called
Brentford) was chock-tull of good
fellows.
The next day up early in the
morning, and away to Hounslow.
Here Beard sought work all
through the town, and just when
we were in despair he got one
door. We dined and slept on
this door, but we could not sup
off it; we had twopence over,
though, for the morning, and
walked on a penny roll each, to
Maidenhead.
Here, as we entered the town,
we passed little house with the
door painted oak, and a brass
plate announcing q plumber and
glazier, and house painter.
Beard pulled up before this door
in sorrowful contempt.
"NoW look here, John" says he,
"here is fellow living among the
woods, and you would swear he
never saw an oak plank in his
life to look at this work"
Before so very long we came to
another specimen: this was maple,
and further from nature than a
lawyer from heaven, as the saying
is.
"There, that will do" says Beard
"I'll tell you what. it is, we must
try different move; it is no use
looking for work, folks will only
employ their own tradesmen. We
must teach the professors of the
art at so much a panel"
"Will they stomach that " said l.
81 think so, as we are stran-
gers and from London. You go
and see if there is a fiddle to be
tdoctored in the town, and meet
me again in the market place al
twelve o'clock"
did meet him, and forlorn
enough / was. Ny trade had
broke down in Maidenhend; not a
LOB of any sort.
"Come to the public-house y
vas his first word. That sounded
we'll, thought,
We sat down to bread and
cheese and beer, and he told his
tale.
! It seems he went into shop,
told the master ne was painter
aud grainer from great estab-
Ilishment in London, and was in
the habit of travelling and instruc-
ting provincial artists in the bu-
siness. The man was q pompOus
sort of a customer, and told Beard
he knew the. business as well as
he did, better perhaps.
Beard answered: ''then you are
the only one here that does; for
I've been all through the town, and
anything wider from the mark
than their oak and maple 1 never
saw" Then he. quietly took
down his. panels and spread them
out, and, looking out sharp, he no.
ticed a change come over the
mans face.
"Wellp says the man, 1--WE reck-
ON ourselves pretty good at it in
this town. However, L should MT
mind seeing how you London
chaps do it: what do you charge
for a specimen"
l'My charge is two shillings a
panel. Wlas wood should you