The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-21
A NERvY SIGN PAINTER.
How lie Managed the watch at Fort
sumter.
From the New York World.

From the New York World.
The experience Of a sign painter at
Fort sumter makes a diyerting story:
you see, 1 got a darkey to take me over
from Charleston in one of those little
boats that they sail down there. closer to
the wind than anything ever saw before
The fort was unoccupied except by an old
soldier, who showed me all over the place
Have drink, corporal?' said / to him af-
ter a while. No objections said he, and
we walked and talked a little further
Pretty lonesome here. en- sergeant?
Very, indeed answered the old duck
warming to me as brevetted him grade
higher every two or three minutes. An,
said !. ITS a tough old biz, the army
amt 1t, lieutenant?' Faith, an IL is, up
on my life, said he. Well / brought my
flask out again. and pressed il upon him.
Now, look here. captain, said /, you don't
mind me painting a sign around the old
fort do YOU? Not a bit, my son; paint
as much as We place he answered quite
willingly, and away | went to work. finish
ing the lettering before sun down. That
little business nearly got me into trouble;
it raised an awful dust, and left Charles
ton in a hurry Nearly as bad as the time
when ! was painting DR.. Didler's Elixir
of L!fe' on a bee hive. l was walking
along the railway track with my pots
and brushes. and saw the hive
which was in an a No. l posi-
ton bound to be seen by everybody
in the trains. l stole up to it and slath-
cred on the paint, taking care not to make
much noise Buz-z-z one little fellow
came TO look at me, then another, then
another. and then a score or more at once.
They didn't seem TO object; in fact, SEEM
ed to admire the richness of the coloring
Of
hive ] upset my can Of turpentine, and
not one bee in the crowd would listen to
a word of reason ] was laid up for a
week or two after that; but / can't be
quietl long: it amt in me TO be still; I'm
an out and out yankee. and it warns
my heart to be off with the paints-and
1t amt incumbent upon me now"
He added this with a complacent and
pregnant glance at his massive watch
chain and jeweled sleeve buttons, which
indicated no little prosperity.
When anybody gets his back up at me
] just let him blow his steam of, and then
I talk to him." he continued. Down in
Maryland one day l was painting sign
on a fence and a fellow working in a field
nearby hollered out: Hi! Get away from
that var fencer / let on not to hear him
You git now the old man shouted once
more, but I dabbed and dabbed away az
industriously as ever. You won't. WON
Nels Edll ne anu Aiitii At came LOT me
with a pitchfork in his hands. Folks in
Maryland are generally pretty much in
earnest when they are mad, but | didn't
move an inch; he'd have lifted me like a
piece of toast If had and instead of toast
IL would have been a roast for me ] look
ed as mild and innocent as / could: shaped
out the letters and held my head back
now and then, as if to study the effect
Don't YOU like it2' said l.
as he got up to me. Well he
met me with some highly seasoned ex-
postulations but, as ! told you, / never
interfere with a man when he's blowing
off steam-it isn't safe. The pitchfork did
not look salubrious. but / held to nv work
and as l was finishing 1t he began to cool
off. and at the sanetime to take an inter
est in the sign. Got a family? said l.
Yes said he. Young uns, too, may be?'
Yes said he, again. Well, now, said |.
amt you ashamed of yourself TO let your
temper get the better Of YOU in this way?
Think Of the bad effect on the children
But I'll paint 1t out No; leave il on.
stranger; like it. he answered and we
went over to the house together, which
proves that, when a mans blowing off it's
best not to sit on his safety-valve. / went
up the Mississippi with old Capt. Leathers
I'm the Natchez, with her smokestack paint
ed crimson to signify that they should be
burned red hot before she should be pass
ed: and at the first landing / set to work
on all.the rocks. The old captain was i'm
mensely tiekled with the idea Look at
that darned Yankr he cried TO the pas
sencers How long before you start
cap?' shouted I. Well wait till you get
through he answered, and he did the
same thing at every other landing. But
the newspapers have made such an out
cry against the dissertation Of nature, as
they call II, that a law forbidding It has
been passed in some Of the states. and on
the whole rockpainting is OBSCURE eed nv
oar patrons. who think Il s3oils the sale
Of their articles.