Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-11-26
MONEY IN A BLACK EYE
HOW AN ARTIST IN CHICAGO SAYS
NE MAKES A LIVING.

IOW SV ~ SSfiS<NSSS SS
he MAKES A LIVING
Paasstsg D.n.g-A Opttss Isssssd - LAsA-
s.ap<.-A Remedy Thss Il Bsstsr rAas
Raw Bs~naeak ssr sAs Follow W.
Ran Against DssrA
"Beass yoar raw b-efSseak all noltowr
aid man In s<run voice and . iocd neck
de to his nesghtor in Lincoln avenue car.
Well. viii it make il possible for me Q
run around in the street with this thing on
--pointing 10 black bAndage over his ieft
eye-and yet look rzpsetableT
Bet eherlife-I been there-know how Il
feels myself
This last axertion did not ssefn 70 Afford tbs
man ~ith the black bulge over his eye any
alarming amount Of satisfaction But be
took the address Of an artist highly recon-
unended by the grun voice. which sounded -
If IL belonged 10 professional bruiser, just the
same. IL was the old story-hir bis eye
against the door IN the dark, and couldn't get
ANYBODY % believe him So be finished bis
ride and got Oh the car q soon - 1t bad
emerged from the tunnel He found the
address furnished him without much trouble.
IL war III q Ddlsculfut o1 keoAA'Af'A ~ V7ss
almost within . stones throw Of the court
house and next to . Chinese laundry
HOW He BEGAN.
Yes sail the black eye artist. very seri-
o,isiy. lit Is rather a queer trade to follow.
You se. I'm really landscape painter by
profession But when | struck Chicago .
wear ago, out Of pocset and without anybody
To say a good word for me. found that there
wasn't much landscape to paint here anyway,
and for another thing soon became aware
tnst what Landscape there was had been col
Jared by other painters, who held a sort OF
frst lien on il, so to speak. Anyway, there
va, nothing for to do, and soon got
down at the heel One day, while in the
Sherman house a fellow raised n row and
gave the man who stood next to him q bat in
the eve The man who got slngged, a re-
sr,ectable fellow. apparently, neatly dressed,
felt awfully mortified at his black eye
What in thunder shall dof he said. i am
q solicitor, AMI have got 10 hustle around
ON the street and In the Offices Of business men
every day of my life | can't show myself
the way | am Come with me-, | said, III
soon fix you out all right.
And | took him To the studio Of an &C
quaintance over on State street, borrowed
little bit of sienna, some white lead and drop
OF cinnabar, mixed it TO suit the mans
natural complexion, and then | put it on
pretty thick under the eye. That made him
look like his own self. excepting a trine baggy
near the nose The man was delighted l
told him to come back next morning and have
a new LAYER put on, and | thus treated him
with oil paint for a week. He paid me s.,
which lust made me solid for a week with my
boarding house friend, and I've stuck to the
calling Of Black Eye Artist ever since. My
first patient, the solicitor, brought me lots
OF custom. He sent all his business friends
and acquaintance 10 me, whenever they
happened to have a discolored optic, and they
in turn spread the glad tidings, and thus I've
made comfortable living ever since-more,
at least, than ever made at landscape paint
ing"
THE WAY IT Is DONE.
Here the artist interrupted his flow of Ian
guage for a moment to attend to the optical
needs of his patient" He used palette and
a score of little oil paint tubes, just like the
other brethren Of his craft, and he skillfully
and quickly prepared his mixture, keeping
the face exposed to the light, and comparing
notes with it a few times. Then he began to
paint At first he laid on a sub-coating of
color about the hue of sunset in fog Then,
As that had dried. he began to rub in the
light brown and paint, and he varied the
shades so as to correspond exactly with the
original subsoil beneath 1t was highly
creditable effort worthy Of the brush of
Michael Angelo and with fidelity to nature
which was truly amazing. After he had put
on the finishing touches he put the mans hat
on that its shadow cast the mourning eye
into additional gloom, and thus attired the
patient looked just as he had before he ran
against that door in the dark.
Fifty cents pleasei" he; said, and his pa
tent gave him the money with great haste,
reniarking that it was . very reasonable
charge. Then the artist cautioned him
Don't smile any more than you have to, he
said, in warning voice, land above all, don't
laugh. The paint as it dries slightly con-
tracts the skin, and it will peel of in little
layers if you laugh. Come back tomorrow
or the day after, if you find it necessary, and
be necessary, provided, Of course, you don't
wash the paint on You mustn't put any
soap or water near the eye, and il it begins
to itch you mustn't scratch. That's all
ia tai"
And the patient left, slightly muddled be-
cause of this glittering array of Instructions.
Then this first coat of paint won't stay on
until the eye assumes its normal color againf'
queried the reporter
No, of course not answered the artist,
with chuckle That's how increase my
revenues. II | had to live just on the first
coat Of paint I'd have taken to something
else long ago But it generally takes two or
three renewals before | get through with a
patient, and that's how get in my work and
my dollars. You see. the average duration
of black eye is almost ten days. With some
men it lasts over a fortnight, with some only
q week In any case make from l.5O to
81 out of every black eye that's brought to
me-
How many is that Year,.
Let's seel never kept tab on them ex-
actly, but can tell pretty nearly from my
earnings The last six months. e., since
got my trade fairly established-Ive taken in
an average of s. per day. That means six
teen black eyes. at the rate Of fifty cents each.
It's funny, though, to listen to the explana-
tons men make when they come in here OF
course. it's all the same to me. black eve
is black eye to me. 1t means money. and
never stop to inquire into its antecedents.'
Chicago Herald.