The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1894-03-02
RILEY AS A SIGN PAINTER.
The Famous Poet Relates an Experience
of His Youthful Days.

of His Youthful Days.
"Well, now, want to know about that
patent medicine peddling, T." said to James
Whitcomb Riley.
Something in my tone made him reply
quickly:
That has been distorted. 1t was really
very simple matter and followed the
sign painting naturally After the trade
episode had tried to read law with my
father, but didn't seem to get anywhere.
Forgot as diligently as l read So far as
school equipment was concerned, was an
advertised idiot, so what was the use?
had a trade, but it was hardly what
wanted to do always, and my health was
bad-very bad-bad as | was
IA doctor here in Greenfield advised me
to travel. But how the suffering Moses
was to travel without money! 1t was
just at this time that the patent medicine
man came along. He needed a man, and
argued in this way, This man is a doctor,
and if l must travel, better travel with a
DOCTOR He had fine team and nice
looking lot of fellows with him, so pluck
ed up courage to ask if couldn't go along
and paint his advertisements for him."
Riley smiled with retrospective amuse-
ment. 81 rode out of town behind those
horses without saying goodby to any one
And though my patron wasn't diplo-
maed doctor, as l found out, he was a
mighty fine man and kind to his horses,
which was a recommendation. He was a
man of good habits, and the whole compa-
ny was made up of good, straight boys"
"Ilow long were you with him?"
about year. Went home with him
and was made same rs one of his own fam
lily. He lived at Lima, o. My experience
with him put an idea into my head-a
business idea, for a wonderland the next
year | went down to Anderson and went
into partnership with young fellow to
travel, organizing a scheme of advertising
with paint, which we called THE Graphic
company We had five or six young fell
lows, all musicians as well as handy paint
ers, and we used to capture the towns with
our music. One fellow could whistle like
a nightingale, another sang like an angel,
and another played the banjo. | scuffled
with the violin and guitar.
"Our only dissipation was clothes. We
dressed loud You could hear our clothes
an incalculable distance. We had an idea
it helped business Our plan was to take
OllC IA III Vi CdII DuSIuCSb III a JO"h pulllO
ing its advertisements on every road lead
ing into the town, GO to Moneys and
things like that, you understand. We
made good thing at it,.
"How long did you do business?"
"Three or four years, and we had more
fun than anybody" He turned another
coniical look on me over his pinch nose
eyeglasses. "You've heard this story about
my travelling all over the states az blind
sign painter. Well, that started this way:
One day we were in small town some
where, and a great crowd watching us in
breathless wonder and curiosity, and one
of our party said, Riley, let me introduce
you as q blind sign painter So just for
devilment put on crazy look in the eyes
and pretended to be blind. They led me
carefully to the ladder and handed me my
brush and paints. 1t was great fun. I'd
hear them saying as l worked, That Teller
amt blind. Yes, he is. See his eyes.
NO, he amt, tell you-he's playin off. ;
Il tell you he is blind. Didn't you see him
fall over a box there and spill all his
paints!'
Riley rose here and laughingly re-enact-
ed the scene, and l don't wonder that the
villagers were deceived, so perfect was his
assumption of the patient, weary look of a
blind person.-Hamlin Garland in Nc
Clures Magazine.