Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1883-07-05
The Bad Boys Pa
Is WORKED OVER INTO AN AMATEUR BALD
HEADED CoLoRHD MAN

"What in the name of the seven sleeping
sisters have you got on your hands and face p
said the grocery man. as he took the boy by
the ear and turned him around. "You would
pass in a colored prayer meeting, and one
would think you were galvanized. What
YOU got up in such an outandish rig for ?"
"Well, III tell you, if you will keep watch
at the door. If YOU see bald headed col
ored man coming along the street with a
club, YOU whistle, and | will fall down eel
lar. The bald headed man will be pa. You
see, we moved Yesterday Pa told me to get
vacation from the livery stable, and we
would have fun moving. But don't want
any more fun. | know when | have got
enough fun. Pa carried all the light things,
and when it came to lifting, he had crlck
IN the back. Gosh, never was so tired as
was last night, and hope we have got set
tied only some of the goods haven't turned
up yet. A dravman took one load over on
the west side. and delivered them to house
that seemed to be expecting load of house
hold furniture. He thought il 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
peas and radshes, 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 good Joke to
disguise ourselves AS tramps, and the neigh
bors would think we had hired some tramps
to dig in the garden. told pa of a boss
scheme to fool them. | suggested that We
take some of this shoe blacking that is put
on with 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 il was immense. and he
told me 10 20 and black up, and if it worked
he would black hisself 50 | went and put
this burnt cork on my face, cause it would
wash off. and pa looked at me and said it
was a whack, and for me to fix him up too.
So | got the bottle of shoe blacking and
painted pa so he looked like colored coal
HEAVIER Actually. when ma saw him she or
dered HIM of the premises, and when he
LATED at her and acted sassy, she was going
TO throw billing water on pa, but told her
the scheme, and she let up on pa. o, YOU'D
ddr 10 see us out in the garden. Pa
looked like Uncle Tom. and looked like
lop~y, only | amt thut kind Of colored
person. We worked till 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 had
caught him We put up a job to get pa Ia
chase us. We throwed some more cans. and
pa come out and my chum started and al
ter him. and pa after both of us He chased
Us two blocks and then We got behind po-
lceman, and my chum told the policeman il
was a crazy old colored man that wanted 10
kldnap us, and the policeman took pa by the
neck and was going 10 club him, but pa said
he would 60 home and behave He was Of
full mad, and he went home and we looked
through the alley fence and saw pa trying
to wash Oft the blackiug. You see that
blacklng won't wash off, You have to wear
II off. 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
latfed al him he said the offulest words,
something like sweet spirit hear my prayer,
then he washed himself. again. am going
TO leave my burnt cork on. cause if washed
Il off pa would know there had been some
smCurging somewhere. asked the shoe
store man how long il would take the black
ing to wear of, and be said it ought to wear
of in week. ! guess pa won't 60 out
doors much, unless il is in the night am
going TO get him to let mt 90 off in the coun-
try f,hing. till mine wears off, and when
get out Of town will wash up. Say. YOU
don't think little backing hurts mans
complexion, do you, and YOU don't think
man ought TO get mad because it won't wash
OFT, do you ?"