The Black range. (Robinson, Socorro County, N.M.) 1882-1897, 1883-06-08


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 black hisself. So | went and
put this burnt cork on my face, cause
it would wash of, and pa looked at me
to Tx him up too. So l got the bottle
of shoe backing and painted pa so he
looked like a colored coal beaver. Act
ually, when ma saw him she ordered
him off the premises, and when be
lated at her and acted sassy, she was
going to throw boiling water on pa, but
| told her the scheme, and she let up on
pa. o, you'd died to see us out in the
garden. Pa looked like Uncle Tom and
looked like Topsy, only amt that kind
of a colored person. We worked
till boy threw some tomato cans
over the alley fence and hit me, l
piled over the fence after him.
and left pa. 1t was my chum, and
when 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 l after him. and
pa after both of us. He chased us two
blocks and then we got behind police
man, and my chun told the policeman
it was a crazy colored man who wanted
to kidnap US, and the policeman took
pa by the neck and was going to club
him, but he said he would go home and
behave. He was offul mad, and he
went home and we looked through the
alley fence and saw pa trying to wash
of the blacking. You see that black
ing won't wash off. You have to wear
it 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 laffed 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 |
wash it off pa would know there had
been some smouging somewhere. l
asked the shoe store man how long it
would take the backing to wear off, and
he said it ought to wear off in a week.
guess pa won't go out of doors much,
unless it is in the night. l am going to
get him to let me go off in the country
fishing, till mine wears off, and when
get out of town l will wash up. Say,
you don't think little backing hurts a
mans complexion do you, and you
don't think a man ought to get mad be-
cause it won't wash off, do youP"
20, probably it don't hurt the CON-
plexion," said the groceryman. as he
sprinkled some fresh salt on the wilted
lettuce, so 1t would look fresh while
the hired girl was buying some, "and
yet it is mighty unpleasant. where q
man has got an engagement to go to a
card party as l know your pa has to-
night. AS to getting mad about it, If
were your pa, l would take barre
stave and shatter your castle scandal
GUS. What kind of a fate do you think
awaits you when you die, anyway"
well, I am mixed on the fact thai
awaits me when die. If l should &c
off sudden, with all Of my sins on my
: head, and this burnt cork on my face
l should probably be a neighbOr to you
way down below, and they would give
me a job as fireman, and | should fee
; bad for you every time | chucked il
another chunk of birthstone, an(
thought of you trying to swim dog
fashion in the lake of fire, and strain
. ing your eyes to find an iceberg thai
you could crawl up on to cool YOU
parched hind legs. If don't die slow
so will not have time to repent, an(
: be saved, shall be toasted brown. Tha
is what the minister says. and they
wouldn't pay him two thousand dol
lars a year and give him vacation t.
tell anything that was not so. | tel
you it is painful to think of that plac'
that so many pretty fair average peo
pie here are going to when they die
Just think of it, a man that swears jus
once, If he dent hedge, and take i
. back, he will go to the bad place, If ;
person steals a pin, just small, no &C
, count pin. he is as bad as if he stole al
there was in a bank, and he stands tn
best chance of going to the bad place
} You see. if a fellow steals little thin
like pin, he forgets to repent, 'caus
it don't seem to be worth while to max
so much fuss about. But if a fellow
y rObs bank. or steals whole lot o
money from orphans, he knows it is
mighty serious matter, and he gets il
his work repenting, too quick, and h
" is liable to get to the good place, whil
you. who have only stole few potatoe
out of bushel that you sold to the or
phan asylum, will forget to repent, an
you will sizzle. I tell you, the more
: read about being good. and gong t
5 Heaven, the more think feller can
be too careful, and flom this out yo
q wont find. better boy than | an
! WheS | come il here after this an