The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-08-24
CHAPTER XVI.
GARDENING UNDER DIFFICULTIES.


"See here, you coon, you get out OF
herew said the grocery mf- to the bad
boy as he came In the store with his face
black and shining. 81 don't want any col
ored boys around here. White boys
break me up bad enough"
"Oh, philopene." said the bad boy as he
put his hands on his knees and laughed
90 the candy jars ratified on the shelves.
s'You didn't know me. am the same boy
Ghat comes in here and talks your arm
off," and the boy opened tho cheesebox
and cut of piece of cheese so natural
that the grocery man had no difficulty in
recognizing him.
"What IN the name of the seven sleep
ing sisters have you got on your hands
and faceT said the grocery man as he
took the boy by the ear and turned him
around. "You would pass in colored
prayer meeting, and no one would think
you were galvanized. What you got up
IN such an outlandish rig fort"
"Well, I'll tell you if you keep watch
at the door. II you see baldheaded
colored man coming along the street
with club, you whistle, and will fall
down cellar. The baldheaded colored
man will be Pa. You see, we moved
yesterday. Pa told me to geta vacation
from tho 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 q crick in the back. Gosh, never
was 30 tired as 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
oide and delivered them to a house that
eDmed to be expecting q load Of house
hold furniture. He thought it was all
right II everybody that was moving got
= load Of goods. Well, after we got
moved Pa said we must make garden,
and we said we would 60 out and spade
mp the ground and sow peas and radishes
and beets. There was some neighbors
lived in the next house to our new one
that was all wimmen, and Pa don't like
80 have them think he had to work, so he
naid IL would be good joke to disguise
ourselves as tramps, and the neighbors
would think we had hired some tramps
70 dig In the garden. told Pa Of boss
scheme to fool them.
II suggested that we take some of his
6hoe bvacking 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 II it worked he would black his
oelf. So wentup and put TINS burnt
cork on my face, cause it would wash
OF, and Pa looked at me and said it was
wack and for me to fix him up too. So
] got the bottle Of shoe blncking and
painted Pa 20 he looked like a colored
coal HEAVIER. Actually when Ma saw
him she ordered him OF the premises,
and when no laughed at her and acted
easy she was going to throw billing
water on Pa. But told her the scheme,
and she let up ON Pa. Oh, you'd "a died
10 see us out in the garden. Pa looked
like Uncle Tom, and l looked like Topsy,
only amt that kind Of cblored per-
aou. We worked till q 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 to chase us. We throwed
some moro cans, and Pa come out, and
my chum started, and after him, and
Pa after both of us.
ssTI rhc col =, q <xx,<> 1,lo.1~e oxJ <t,ax, xv,a
got behind policeman, and my chum
told the policeman it was crazy old
colored maI that wanted to kidnap us,
and the policeman took Pa by tho neck
and was gong to club him, but Pa said
ne 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 off the blacking. You
see that blacking won't wash off. You
have TO wear it off. Pa would wash
his face with soapsuds and then look
in the glass, and he was blaclSer every
time he washed, and when Ma LATED at
him he said the offulest words, some
thing like Sweet spirit, hear my prayer
then he washed himself again. lam go
Aux W ttaNc hiy buihb Coih Ou, SouSc IA
wash it of Pa would know there had
been some smouging somewhere. asked
the shoe store man how long it would
take the blacking to wear off, and he said
Il ought 10 wear off in q week. Iguess
Pa won't 90 out doors much unless it is
In the night. / am going to get him TO let
me go of in the country fishing till mifss
wears off. and when get out of town
win wash up. Say, you don't think
little backing hurts mans complexion,
10 you. and you don't think man ought
b get mad because it won't wash off, do
FOUR
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