The evening times., 1899-04-22
UNCLE TOMS SACRIFICE.
4 Sad story of Small Boys and
Grease Paint.

(From the Cleveland Plain Dcaler.)
Uncle Tom had gone over to see his lit
tie nephews-three small boys of whom he
is distinctly fond-and he was having some
trouble in entertaining them.
But suddenly one appeared upon the
scene with all inch or two of sticky black
stuff which he had found in his uncle's
for chewing gum.
Look he cried excitedly. Just look
a-here. boys il comes OFF! Look "a my
fingers, WHAT is il, Uncle Tom
Uncle Tom. immersed in the con;empla-
ton OF q large COB of taffy on the right
knee of his new gray trousers. looked up
absent -mindedly and forgot to tell a lie.
That he queIied. "Oh. that's grease
paint" and he hauled out his knife 10
scrape the taffy off
Grease paint. What's grease paint?
Is it good to eat? What do you use it for?
Why doesn't it come out of little tin
tube all squishy, like sisters?
Uncle Tom sighed. and then began to
answer. NO. Arty, it is not good to cat.
and don't you put it SO near that tongue
OF yours II is what people use when they
have amateur theatricals. like those l was
in last week. you know. l used that to
make M eyebrows black. but sometimes
people use It to put all over their faces.
when they want to make believe that they
are darkies, you know and Uncle Tom
scraped sereneIy away. quite unconscious
of the awful things that would come from
that innocent remark
"AIl over their faces-to be darkies-oh.
Uncle Tom. how awful nice. Say. Uncle
Tom. won't you Just show us how 1t works
lust a little? Oh. please.
With the reflection that the stuff rubbed
off easily, Uncle Tom took hold CT the
stick and dabbed it gingerly across his
cheek. leaving a long and sooty mark
which elected strieks of delight from his
admiring Eephews.
.'Oh, Uncle Tom. do it again-just once
please. 1t does look just gorgeous. On
Uncle Tom, if you only would make all
that cheek quite black. Just to show us
-orh-h-h!" and their voices traiied
away into speechless delight as their un-
Gle carried away as too many OF US are
by such open and honest admiration. pro-
ceeded to daub away till that side of his
face was as black and shiny as the newest
of stovepipes, while the children gazed
upon him with delighted awe.
might as we'll be killed for sheep as
a lamb he muttered. land then the
blamed stuff does wash off easy. you
know" and in ten seconds more the i'm
maculate young gentleman in spotless lin
en- was changed to a grinning creature
with a sooty skin, against which his blonde
hair and eyes stood out in startling con-
trast, hands that showed a beautiful col
lection of spots and dashes. and collar
that would have brought woe to the soul
of any laundryman.
For exactly fifteen minutes 1t was fun.
The wild capers Of his nephews were en-
tertaining. and then there was the self
satisfied feeling of having done deed Of
kindness. and sacrificed himself to please
his fellow beings.
But at the end of that time the paint
began to be uncomfortable. and he wished
that 1t was off. and from that moment his
troubles commenced.
The first came when he caught sight of
himself in glass. How he had thought
he could smear himself in that fashion,
and get none on his collar cannot be, told,
but certain 1t Is that he was remarkably
astonished when he saw the condition of
that article. Then the door bell rang and
after precipitate retreat, in which he
scraped his shins over a too obtrusive
chair, and upset a dish of candies on the
floor, he had the pleasure of listening, be-
tween scrubs, to the voices of two Of his
sisters friends. girls to whom he had
longed for weeks to be introduced.
His sister called him, but he could re-