Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1883-05-26


''See hero, you coon, you get out Of
here" said the grocery man to the bad
boy, as he came in the store with his face
black and shining. al don't want any
colored boys around here. White boys
break me up bad enough"
90, philopsne, 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. am the same
boy that comes in here and talks your
arm on" and the boy opened the cheese
box and cut off piece of cheese so nat
ural that the grocery man had no diff
Guilty In recognizing him.
"What in the name Of the seven sleep
Ing sisters have you got on your hands
and face" said the grocery man, as he
took the boy by the ear and turned him
around. "You would pass in colorsd
prayer meeting, and no one would think
you were galvanized. What are you got
up in such an outlandish rig for?"
"well, I'll tell you, If you will keep
watch at the door. If you see bald
headed colored man coming along the
street with a club, you whistle, and will
fall dow n the cellar. The bald-hsaded
eolored man will be pa. You see, we
moved yesterday. Pa carried all the lit
tie things, and when it come to lifting he
had crick in his back. Gosh, never
was 80 tired as l 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 house that seemed to
be expecting a load Of household furni-
lure. Well, after we got moved pa said
we must make garden, and he said no
would 90 out and spade up the ground
aud sow peas and radisheS and beets.
Thore was some neighbors lived in the
next house to our new enc, that was all
wimmen, and pasdidn't like to have them
think he had TO work, so he said 1t would
be good joke to disguise ourselves as
tramps, and the neighSors would think
we had hired some tramps to work In the
garden. told pa of boss scheme to fool
them. / suggested that we take some OF
this shoe backing that is put on with a
sponge and black our faces, and the
neighbors would think we had hired an
old colored man and his boy to work in
the garden. Pa SAID it was immense, and
he told me to go and black up, and II
il worked he would black hisself. So
went and put this burnt cork on my face,
cause it would wash of, and pa looked at
me and said it was whack, and to Tx
him up too. So got the bottle Of shoe
blacking, and painted pa so he looked like
q colered coal HEAVIER. Actually, when
ma saw him she ordered him off the prem
Uses, and when he laffed at her and acted
sassy she was going to throw billing wa
ter on pa, but told her the scheme and
she let up on him. o, you'd dide to see
us ont ia the garden. Pa looked like
Uncle Tom, and looked like Topsy. We
worked until boy throwed some tomato
cans over the alley fence and hit me, and
piled over the fence after him and left
pa. 1t was my chum, and when L had
caught him we put up job to get pa to
chase us. We throwed some more cans,
and pa come out and my chum started
and after him, and pa after both Of US.
He chased US two blocks and then we got
behind a policeman, and my chum told
the policeman it was crazy old colored
man that wanted to kidnap us, and the
policeman took pa by the neck and was
going to club him, but pa said he would
70 home and behave. He was offul mad,
and he went homo and..we looked through
the alley fence and saw pa trying to wash
of the backing. You see that backing
won't wash off. You have to wear it OIL
Pa would wash his face with soap suds,
and then look in the glass, and he was
blacker every time he washed, and when
ma LATED at him, he said the of1ulest
words, something like sweet spirit hear
my prayer then he washed himself
again. 1 am going to leave my burnt cork
on, cause if L washed it off pa would know
there had been some smouging somewhere.
I asked the shoe store man how long it
would take the backing to wear off, and
he said it ought to wear of in week.
guess pa won't 60 out doors much. unless
1t is in the night. am going to get him
to let me 20 of in the country fishing, till
mine wears off, and when 1 get out Of
town / will wash up. Say, you don't
think little backing hurts mans COM
plexion do you, and you don'tthink IMAM
ought to get mad because 1t won't wash
Of, do your"
80, probably it don't hurt the complex
ion," said the grocery man, as he sprink-
led some fresh water on the wilted lettuce,
30 1t would look fresh while the hired girl
was buying some, "and yet it is mighty
unpleasant, where a man has got an en-
gagement to go to card party, as | know
your pa has tonight. As to getting mad
about it, if was your pa would take
barrel s.avo and shatter your castle scan
dalous."
A little girl recently went to visit her
grandfather in the country. She is fond
Of milk, but firmly refused to drink any
while there, without giving any reason.
When she returned she was asked: "You
had nice milk there to drink, didn't your"
81 nness didn u oil rink any of that milk