The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1883-05-22

"See here, you coon, you get out Of
here" said the grocery man to the
bad boy, as he came into the store
with his face black and shining. II
don't want any colored boys around
here. White boys break me up bad
enou h."
20, philopene," said the bad boy, as
he put his hands on his knees and
laughed so the candy jars ratified on
the shelves. "You didn't know me.
I am the same boy that comes in here
and talks your arm off," and the boy
opened the cheese box and cut off
piece Of cheese so natural that the
grocery man had no difficulty in rec
ognizing him.
"What in the name of the seven
sleeping sisters have you got on your
hands and face,'' said the goocery
man, as he took the boy by the ear
and turned him around. "You
would pass In colored prayer meet
ing, and no one would think you
were galvanized. What you got on
such an outlandish rig for''
"Well, I'll tell you, If you will keep
watch at the door. Ifyou see bald
headed colored man coming along the
street with Il club, you whistle, and |
will fall down cellar. The bald
headed colored man will be pa. You
see, we moved yesterday. Pa told
me to get vacation from the livery
stable, and we would have fun NOV
ing. But don't want any more fun.
know when have got enough fun.
Pa carried all the light things, and
when 1t came to lifting, he had a
crick in the back. Gosh, never was
so tired as | was last night, and |
hope we have got settled, only some
of the goods haven't turned up yet.
A drayman took one load over on the
west side, and delivered them to a
house that seemed to be expecting a
load of household furniture. He
thought II was all right. if everybody
that was moving got load Of goods.
Well, after we got moved pa said we
must make garden, and he said we
would 20 ont and spade up the
ground and sow peas, and radishes,
and beets. There was some neigh
bors lived in the next house to our
new one, that was all wimmen, and
pa didn't like to have them think he
had to work, so he said it would be a
good joke to disguise ourselves as
tramps, and the neighbors would
think we had hired some tramps to
dig in the garden. / told pa Of a
boss scheme to fool them. suggest
cd that we take some of this shoe
backing that is put up with sponge,
and black our faces, and the neigh
bors would think we had hired an
old colored man and his boy to work
in the garden. Pa said it was i'm
mcnse, and he told me to 60 and
black up, and il it worked he would
black hisself. So / went and put this
burnt cork on my face, cause il
would wash of, aud pa looked at me
and said it was whack, and for me
to fix him up too. So ] got the bot
tie of shoe backing and painted pa
so he looked like colored coal heav.
er. Actually when ma saw him she
ordered him off the premises, ant
when he laffcd at her and talked sas
sy, she was going to throw billing
water on pa, but | told her thu
scheme and she let up on pa. o
you'd a didc to see us OIL. in the gar
den. Pa looked like Uncle Tom, an(
! / looked like Topsy, only l amt tina
kind of colored person. We WORKED
till a boy throwed some tomato can
/. over the alley fence and hit me, AM
/ piled over the fence after him, ant
left pa. 1t was my chum, and whel
/ had caught him we put up a job t
get pa to chase us. We throwe'
: some more cans, and pa come ou
: and my chum started and after hin
and pa after both of us. He chase
. us two blocks and then we got bt
hind policeman, and my chum tol
the policeman it was crazy cid co
ored man that wanted to kidnap u
e and the policeman took pa by th
u neck and was going to club him, br
: pa said he would 60 home and b'
: have. He was offhl mad, and !
went home and we looked throug
r. the alley fence saw pa trying to was
in off the blacking. You see that blacl
ing won't wash off. You have
wear it of, Pa would wash his fa
/ with soap suds, and then look in Il
=. \. glass, and he was blacker every tin
he washed, and when ma laffed
him he said the offnlest words, som
thing like sweet spirit her my pra
err then he washed himself again.
am going to leave my burnt cork o
cause II I washed it off pa won
know there had been some smouglil
somewhere. l asked the shoe sto
man how long it would take t
backing to wear of, and he said
ought to wear off in a week. l gut
pa won't go out of doors much, u
less it is in the night. am going
get him to let me go off in the cou
try fishing, till mine wears of, a
- 1..A - 4.xx,,, II will xxyo