Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1879-01-02
House Painting.
TIE EXPERIENCE OF JENKINS.

There are number of thiugs concern
IN. which | avn possessed OF profound
ignorance. Among these may be number
ed ths iiue arts. With regard 10 the cour-
ser arts, such as house painting, | have
rccemly learned 4 few lessons from exper-
Ienoc. | consider experience thorough
teacher; but his charges for tuition are
perhaps rather high.
Maria Ann said we must have the house
rep1inted. and what Maria Ann SAYS
mus; DE generally j., | at once went aud
made a bargain with il house painter. lie
said he would send his painters round
The next morning | got my breakfast aud
started out to earn my bread by the per
spiratiou OF my classic brow. | opened
the door and put my foot into tin pail
full of paint. Then took it out aud set It
on the hall door mat. Maria Ann assisted
me from there, and | took a flying leap
over the painter 10 the sidewalk The
painters painted the tense and the front
steps that forenoon. All who came TO see
us either painted their hands on the gate
and LEFT prints thereof on the chairs, or
else painted their soles on the steps, and
made tracks all over the parior carpet.
The cat lay down on the steps TO sleep In
the sun, and the paint dried so fast that
when she got up one side OF her was bald
headed.
The next morning the men came before
any one was up aud began to take out all
the windows. During the entire day
they We're working around the window
castings. One of them would stand by the
open kitchen window, and another by the
open parlor window, aud then they
would talk about the Painters Union
about the picnic, about the price
OF flower about the girs-abou all the
while. The retirement which is among the
charms Of domestic lie did nor character
ize our house that day.
The next morning, about five o'clock,
| heard some one walking into our bed
room. sprang boldly from the bed,
grasped boot IN one hand and picher
in the other, and determined to sell my
lite as d.arly as possible unless | got a
chance to run down stairs. Said |, 'Who
is therei" "Oh," replied the intruder,
Its me the painter. | aIa taking down the
blinds. felt much relieved; but Maria
rather seemed TO be out of patience. She
told the man what she thought about him
and made pointed comments upon his
manner, his appearance and the probabi-
tiles be evef enjoyed OF common school
education.
The painter was welded to his art, aud
paid no attention TO the prattle of Maria
Ann. With the windows and blinds both
out the interior OF the house was some
what exposed, and the task of getting
! dressed was attended with some emsar-
rassment. esr"c!-.. - the painters seemed
| to be at Work at all the windows. While
| We we're eating breakfast one of the paint
ers came in with an armful OF towels and
remarked that he found them hanging on
the clothes line, and he supposed Maria
would have no objections to his using them
to wipe of the doors before he grained
them. Maria stated her objections in de-
| tail and the man withdrew.
The next morning was up early. When
the painters came in l volunteered to help
them. Come right along" | shouted,
lets take of the clapbosrds and paint
them. Let's take up the cellar and paint
that inside and out Let's paint the cistern.
Let's take down the chimney and paint the
| bricks. Let's paint the hole the cellar
leaves. Let's" They assured me that
was planning more work than was neces-
sary, and as they did not act as though
they needed my help went back to break
| fast.
The next time the house wants painting
| will move into the back yard, and send
the house down to their shop, where the
painters can swarm around it at their pleas
| ure.