The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-06-04
A Merry SIGN PAINTER.
How He Managed the watch ut Eort
SuUater.


How He Managed the watch Mt Fort
The experience of a sign painter at
Fort Sumter makes a diverting storys
You see, / 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 I
saw before. The fort was unoccupied.
except by an old soldier, who showed
me all over the place Have drink,
corporal?' said to him, after awhile.
No objections said he, and we walked
and talked little further. Pretty
lonesome here, Ell. sergeant? Very,
indeed answered the old duck, warm
ing to me as 1 brevetted him a grade
higher every two or three minutes.
An said I, it's a tough old biz, the
army, amt it, lieutenant% Faith, an
it is, upon me ife,' said he. Well,
brought my flask out again and pressed
it upon him Now look here, captain
said I, you don't mind me painting a
sign around the old fort, do your Not
bit, my son; paint as much as ye
Place he answered, quite willingly,
and away l went to work, finish
ing the lettering before shutdown
That little business nearly got
me into trouble; it raised an awful
dust, and l left Charleston in a hurry.
Nearly as bad as the time when was
painting DIR. Didler's Elixir of Life on
beehive. was walking along the
railway track with my pots and
brushes, and saw the hive, which was
in an No. l position, bound to be
seen by every body in the trains. I
stole up to it and shattered 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 score or more all at once. They
didn' seem to object-in fact, seemed to
admire the richness of the coloring,
but in singing my leg over the top OF
the hive upset my can of turpentine,
and not one bee in the crowd would
listen to word of reason. 1 was laid
up for week or two after that; but
can't be quiet 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 it amt incumbent upon
me now"
He added this with 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 off
and then l talk to him. he continued
Down in Maryland one day.I was paint
ing a sign on a fence, fellow working
in a field near by hollered out: Hill
Get away from that var fenceP 1 let
on not to hear him. You git now!' the
old man shouted once more, but
dabbed and dabbed away as indus
triously as ever. You won't, won't
yer?' said he, and then he came for me
with pitchfork in his hands. Folks
in Maryland are generally pretty much
in earnest when they are mad, but I
didn't move an inch; he'd have lifted
me like piece of toast if had and in
stead of toast it would have been
roast for me. 1 looked as mild and in
nocent as 1 could; shaped out the let
tiers, and held my head back now and
then. as if to study the effect. Don't
you like it? said 1, as he got up to me.
Well, he met me with some highly
seasoned expo Oscillations, but. as L told
you, 1 never interfere with man when
| he's blowing off steam-it isn't safe.
| The pitchfork did not look salu brious,
but L held to my work, and as 1 was
finishing it he began to cool off,
and at the same time to take an in
terest in the sign. Got family?' said
L Yes said he. Young uns, too,
may be% Yes said he, again. Well,
now,' said I, 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 it out No; leave it on strangerj
| 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. l went up the Mississippi with
| old Capt. feathers in the Natchez
with her smokestacks painted crimson
to signify that they would be burned
red hot before she should be passed;
and at the first landing set to work
on all the rocks. The old captain was
immensely ticlxled with the idea. LooA
at that darned Yankr he cried to the
| passengers. How long before you
start, cap?' shouted L Well wait till
you get through, he answered, and he
did the same thing at every other land
ing. But the newspapers have made
such an cutlery against the Dissertation
of nature, as they call it, that a law
forbidding it has been passed in some
of the states, and on the whole rock.
painting is discouraged by our patrons,
who think II spoils the sale of their
articles. detroit Free Press.
The Queen Anne Comb.
The very broad Queen Anne com b
has come back to favor. There is nc
more dignified ornament for the haiI
than a broad tortoise she'll comb, either
plain or handsomely carved. Middle
aged women who have preserved their
hair look most stately in combs of this
kind, and they make an admirable sup
port for the smart little arrangements
of lace and ribbon termed leaps. .
Young girls look very quaint with
their shining tresses dressed around
the wide, demure Queen Anne comb
that bears little resemblance to the
lowering, irregularly shaped comb OF