The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-07
TOPICS OF THE TOWN
Gilbert Rhodes First Job as a
Sign Painter.
THE CHINAMAN OBJECTED
Baseball Paul Pays Mlssoula Visit-An
Indian in Hack Aroused the
Interest OF the Early
Ones.


him?' replied Rhodes. II should say 1
did He was my partner there for 4
long time. We whipsaWed lumber to-
gether. He had the UPPER end and
the under. That was the year that I
painted my first sign. I'id 1 ever tell
you about that? Well, it happened in
this way: After winter set in Tague
ana L had amused ourselves by decor
rating some of the immense trees that
were near the camp. He 'scalped' them
and after he had the bark removed I
ornamented them with charcoal. Some
of the men who were there will remam-
per the pictures that We put on those
Dig trees-they amused the boys so
that they talked good deal about
them 1t was these pictures on the trees
that got me my first job as sign paint
er. l mad been doing this in an anna
teuf sort of way, as amusement, and
mad no thought of making a business
OF 1t, when a Chinaman came to the
camp and opened a wash house. He
wanted a sign, and he came to me one
day with long board and wanted me
70 paint him sign. The board was
neavy one, about an inch and half
thick, and he wanted his name on it
and the words Washing and Ironing
1t was dull season anyway, and I
hadn't much to do. so l took the job.
I hadn't a bit of paint and no brushes,
but l mixed up a lot of charcoal and
sunpowder with water and had good
black paste. Then l chewed a stick to
make brush and went to work
remember just how that sign looked.
l painted in one upper corner the word
Washing and in the other Ironing.
In the lower corners l painted the
two words that comprised the name of
;,,
the middle of the board 1 drew the Jig
ure of Chinaman bending over q
wash tub, with his queue rising above
his head in graceful curves that formed
the word and, which made the first
lines of the sign complete. All of the
boys had watched the progress of the
work with interest and thought that
the job was a good one. Tague was
particularly pleased with it, but when
the Chinaman came for it he didn't like
it at all. He wanted the queue arrange
ment wiped off. That was toog much
for him and he wouldn't stand for it.
But we had been getting our shirts
washed on the strength of having the
sign to pay for them with, and Tague
told the heather that the sign was all
right and had to go. Tague organized
a committee on sign hanging and we
went up to the log cabin that was the
wash house and nailed up the sign.
Tague had four big spikes, fully six
inches long, and he carried an axe to
drive them with. A fellow named
Frazer helped US. Tague drove in the
nails. pausing once in a while to threat
en- to brain the Chinaman with the
axe when he protested against hav-
ing the sign nailed up. Frazer held
the Chinaman and held the sign while
Tague drove the nails. When we fin
ished the job it would have been neces-
sary to pull down the cabin to get the
sign off, and it stayed there. Our wash
bill was paid and I had done my first
work as a professional sign painter.
Among the numerous Indians who
have been in town this week is Cap
tain Paul, the leader of the reserva-
ton baseball team that played with The
Mlssoula nine couple of years ago.
Paul Is called Baseball Paul. by his
friends on the reserve. and still main
tains his interest in the national game.
He had a medicine talk with Dougal
Mccormick and Hughey Campbell the
other day, but did not succeed in ar
ranging another game. as he says his
men are not in good training. He
wanted to see "a game, however, and
was much disappointed when he was
told that the Missoula baseball players
are back numbers and that all the play
ing that they do is with their chins,
when the papers come containing the
scores of the national league games.
Those who get up and down town be-
fore o'clock in the morning had an
opportunity the other morning to wit
ness an interesting sight. full
blooded Indian. who had all the appear
ances of having been out with the boys
all night, was winding up his celebra-
ton by taking a ride in a hack. He
had the thrown hack and
ing back on the rear seat with all the
assumption of luxury and enjoyment
that he could muster. He directed the
driver to steer his team through the
principal streets of the city and gazed
complacently at the people who, at
tracted by the unusual sight, turned
to watch him. He rode with all the
grace and composure of one who has
had a coachman all his life, and when
he had ridden enough he paid the hack
man and went off to his camp to sleep
it all off.
Dutch Harry is emphatic in his opin-
ion regarding the Cuban peasantry. He
says that they are no good. According
to his opinion the lower classes of
Cubans are not as well qualified TO
take care of themselves as are the In
dams of the local reservation. He
cites numerous incidents to prove his
that Harry has had "a good deal of eX-
perience with the Indians and the
Cubans are a, new mixture for him.
But he is positive in one statement
that he has left Montna for the last
time. He is back now for keeps. and
it will take more than a war to in
duce him to leave the state again. He
says that ne witnessed the Dewey pa
rade in New York on his way home
from Cuba, but that even that was not
in it with Montana
These midnight fires frequently cause
startling revelations. Men rush to the
fire so clad as to leave no doubt re-
garding the fact that they have not
| been in bed and they resent the in
| quiries of their friends as to what keeps
| them up so late at night. A Standard
| reporter, on his way to the fire at the
| railway shops last night. overlook one
| of these fellows who was carefully re-
| moving his collar and cravat and so
| fixing himself as to give the impress
sion that he was just out of bed He
! had had experience before.