The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-09-04
n TRAMP Painters Peril.


Baltimore drug house, and had pretty
well plastered the rocksa and the fences
along that line with liver pills, electric
pads, etc. Of course, | would make
big Jumps now and then, when
thought the scenery was too tame to
be painting, or never would have got
to the end Of the road.
81 branched off at Benson, in Ari-
IONA, and took run up the San Pedro
river as far as Tombstone. meaning tC
lay the paint OH that town pretty
thick, because it's name makes it sort
OF conspicuous, you Know, and
Thought the boss would like it.
but the first pot Of paint was tho
last. started in about 10 O'clock ono
morning to decorate Il little shanty that
was not fit to keep Il billy goat in. 1t
was made Of about three dozen rough
planks nailed to four posts, with IL lot
OF three branches as Il roof.
81 swung black paint all over one
side pretty lively rs a ground work for
the white lettering; hut | no sooner
started i'll with the white, when Il big
fellow slouchcd across to where | was
and says he:
"That's mighty pretty. Paint the
other side now.'
"Wait' till get done this side, will
you, my friend? says /, making the
outline of big l., in white paint,
Just scratch that out, If you please.
My name don't begin with in H.
lie said that mighty soft; but when
looked at llim | had to look into the
muZzc of big seven-shootcr navy.
"rye had plenty Of trouble with men
who didn't want their barns and fences
painted up with signs; but that fellow
made more fuss over his little Shanty
than | ever saw before or since. lie
said he was paying $40 Il month rent
for that place Il wouldn't give him
forty cents for the whole thing), and he
made me paint all four sides, from top
to bottom, with good black paint,
while the whole town stood around
and criticized the way slung Il brush
"Ihey let me go, after l got that
shanty painted; but the sheriff of the
town walked piece with me, and told
NE ia better get. lie said the men
could stand a little swearing, and a
little shooting and Il little gambling;
but when it came to making Sign boards
of the houses. he was afraid lawlessncss
was going too far, and he wouldn't an
swcr for the consequences if stayed
in town.
81 was determined that would not
60 out of that Tombstone district
without leaving my mark any how.
So just bunkcd on the hillside that
night and in the morning | made !,
bee inc for the Whnistnne Mountains
which are IN sight or the clty;and after
a little skirmishing around found Il
canon with Il precipice on one side OF
it rs clean straight up and down rs Il
knife.
"When I looked over the edge
could see the water in the little creek
down below dancing and singing along
through the powders. 1t wasn't such
Il Iarnation piece down thcre-only
two Or three hundred fect--but it was
IA little furth er than | cared to jump.
81 had a coil Of silk rope among my
tools, and after fastening one end to /,
cottonwood tree | swung the other
end, with Il loop in it for Il seat, over
board, and climbed down hand under
hand
"What did do with my paint
bucket and brush? put the brush into
the bucket and carried the bucket han
die in my mouth. Oh, assure you,
this kind OF thing was common with
me. The next time you go among the
mountains, if you will examine the
painted rocks pretty close, you will find
that my way is really the only way to
get at them.
''Givc me a good silk ropc-silk be-
cause very small silk rope will carry
Il man, and Il painter don't want to
lug Il heavy rope around with him
and III paint your name on the steep
est precipice that ever was.
when Pm sitting down my brush
has got Il seven-foot swing, and set out
to paint the words Loves Lung Loz-
engcs' in Seven-fo0t letters. didn't
care if it took me a week.. wasn't
going to be blu1rcd by them Tomb
stOnerS.
"Well, sir, | was brushing away and
singing to myself like mocking bird,
when stone came down and lit fair
in the paint-pot, splashng paint all
over my sign, | looked up maddcr'n
a hornet, and there | soc two dirty
Apache heads grinning at ne.
~ didn't say anything; but The sight
of them took the life out of me SO that
| dropped my brush, and could hear
it bounding along from rock to rock un.
til finally it struck bottom. ! swear
| it seemed to me ten minutes from the
: time that brush left my hand until it
struck the ground. Every time il
bounced from one rock to another |
seemed to say to myself: "you'll strike
there, and there, and there
u knew the Indians were Apachcs
the minute l saw their heads, and |
knew, too, that the Apache is the
blood-thirtiest animal on earth.
'"They grinned at me, with their
heads stuck over the prccipice, and
then one of them swung out his right
arm and began making passes at the
taut rope with a butcher knife in his
hand. You won't find them fcllers
carrying tomahawks any more; they
carry guns and knives instead.
~ watched the knife flying around
up there, with its sharp edge always
turned toward the rope, until it made
me sick, and looked down for relief.
Below me there was nothing but a lit
tie mesquit bush growing out of the
precipice about half way down, and
under that powders.
"Suddcnly thought of something
and whipping my whisky flask out of
my breast pocket, l held it up toward
them. They stopped grinning. the
knife stOnNn1 Nybnalino orn,,rb o,,I