The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-05-18
HELPING HIS PA TO MOVE.
THE BAD BOY MAKES HIMSELF Elk
C~EEDINGLY USEFUL.
Aiding His PatcrnaI ProRcnitor to Disguise
Himself With Backing that Wouldn't
Wash on in Less Than n Week.

Wash on in Less Than n Week.
"See here, you coon, get out of here
said the grocery mar 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"
"Oh, philopene," said the bad boy,
as heput his hands on his knees and
laughed so the candy jars ratified on
the shelves. "You didn't know me. l
am the same boy that comes in here
and talks your arm off," and the boy
opened the cheese box and cut off a
piece of cheese 81 natural that the gro
Gerry man had no difficulty in recogniz-
ing him.
What in the name of the seven
sleeping sisters have you got on your
hands and face said the grocery man,
as he took the boy by the a and
turned him around. "What you got up
in such an outlandish rig for?"
"Well, Ill tell you, if you will keep
watch at the door. If you see a bald
headed colorel man coming along the
street with a club, you whistle, and [
will fall down cellar. The bald-headed
colored man will be pa. You see, we
moved yesterday. Pa told mt to get a
vacation from the livery stable, and we
would have fun moving. But L don't
want any more fun. l know when l
have got enough fun. Pa carried all
the light things, and when it came to
lifting, he had a crick in the back.
Gosh, | never was so tired as l was
last night, and l 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 deliv-
cred them to a house that seemed to
be expecting a load of household furni-
ture. He thought it vas all right, if
everybody that was moving got a
load of goods. Well. after we got
moved pa said we must make garden,
and he said we would go out and spade
up the ground and sow peas and rad
ishes and beets. There was some
neighborS 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
Il good joke to disguise ourselves as
tramps, an the neighbors would think
we had hired some tramps to dig in
the garden. l told pa Of aboss scheme
to fool them. Isuggestedt 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 if it worked he would
LACK his eff. So l went and put this
burnt cork on my face, cause it would
wash off, and pa lookel at me and said
it was a whack, and for me to fix him
up too. So l got the shoe backing
and painted pa 80 he looked like a coal
HEAVIER. Actually, when ma saw him
she ordered him off the premises, and
when he LATED at her and acted sassy,
she was going to throw billing
water On pa, but 1 told her the scheme
and she let up on pa. Oh, you'd dide
to see us out in the garden. Pa
looked like Uncle Tom, ami L looked
like Topsy, only | amt that kind of a
colored person. We worked till a boy
throwed some tomato cans over the
alley fence and hit me, and l piled
over the fence after him, and left pa.
1t was my chum, and when l had
caught him we put up a 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 a crazy old colored nan that
wanted to kidnap us. and the police
mar took pa by the neck and was 60
ing to club him, but pa said he would
go home and behave. He was offul
mad, and he went home and we looked
through tie alley fence and saw pa
trying to wash off the backing. You
see that backing wont wash off. You
have to wear it off. Pa would wash
his face with soapsuds, and then
every time he washed, and when ma
lated at him he said the offulest words,
something like sweet spirit hear my
prayer then he washed himself again.
L am going to leave my burnt
cork on, cause if l washed it
off pa would know there had been
some smouging somewhere. asked
the shoe store man how long it would
take the backing to wear off, and he
said it ought to wear off in Il week. l
guess pa won't g out doors much, I'M
less it is in the night. am going to
get him to let me 60 off inthe country
fishing, TIL mine wears off, IN when
1 get out of town l will wash up. Say,
you don't think a little backing hurts
a mans complexion do you, and you
don't think IA man ought to get mad
because it won't wash off, do yOu?"
"Oh, probably it don't hurt the COM
pleXion,' said the grocery man, as he
s~prinkled some fresh water on the
wilted lettuce, so it would look fresh
while the hired girl was buying some,
land yet it is mighty unpleasant
where a man has got an engagement
to go to a card party, as l know your