The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1905-10-03
Lem Browns Dilemma

tohtSu carpenter, painter and gen
eral Jobber, stared cruel and relentless
deth in the face, while brave men
and weeping wimmen and delighted
children looked on horrible and help
less. 1t was awful experients and
viii go down in the annals of our town
as one of the worst that ever han
pened.
Some time ago the Ladies' Aid of
our church deslded that the church
steeple needed a new coat of paint.
The ladies held meeting and past a
vote to purchase paint sufficient to
paint the steeple. Being as they was
no money in the treasury of the aid
the ladies' went out with subscripshion
papers soliciting money. The mem
bers of the church didn't seem to be
any too keen for giving up good money
TO buy paint but after two weeks beg
gin 1t was desided that they had
enough to buy the paint, perviding
someone could be secured to put
same onto the steeple. Lem Brown
was approached and askt how much he
would charge to paint the steeple.
Lem said he thought it ought to be
worth about rs cts. to him, but as
the ladies didn't want to spend any
or their paint money they told Lem,
being as he was a member In good
standing of the church, it was his
Christian duty to paint the steeple
for nothing. 1t took Lem a good
while to see this the way they saw,
1t, but after they had pestered him
for several days he said: "Oh, well,
dod-durn it, if you think it's my christ.
chan duty to do it for nothing l reck-
on I'll haft to do it, but that's the last
job I'll do at them figgers."
The paint was bought at the Co
seat. 1t was white paint, and they
was two gals of same. They was also
l at. Of green paint for trimming. Lem
started in on the job bright and airly
last Tuesday morning. He borrowed
.Cy Hoskins' apple ladder and elm up
to the ridge pole of the church beside
the steepfe, and then hauled up the
ladder and set 1t straddle of the ridge
pole on the roof and leaned the upper
end against the top of the steeple.
Lem then took pail of white paint in
one hand and a brush in the other
and started up the ladder They was
considerable of a crowd standing
around on the ground in front of
the church to watch Lem do the job,
witch was tickelish one as you
might say. When Lem started up the
ladder Gideon Smalley holIered at
him, saying:
Lem, you had ort to build a stagin'
around that steeple to paint from.
Suppose that ladder would fall down
with you up to the top end of it
then, where would you be, hey?"
1--WE painted and carpentered man
and boy for more'n 30 years" says
Lem, pausing in his tracks about han.
way up the ladder and lookin' down at
Gid 81 call1ilate | know a thing or
two about the bizness. I'm a purity
good hand to tend to my own business,
and I hope other folks will do the
same"
Lem then perceeded on up the ladder
and Gid he got mad and started off
home and said if Lem Brown fell and
broke his neck, leaving his wife moth,
ing but a wilder, Lem couldn't blame
him, ano he hoped he would fall.
The crowd on the ground increased
until almost the entire populashion OF
brave painter with horrible eyes and
baited breaths. Before Lem started
in to paint he filled up his pipe and
lit it jest as keerless as If he had
of been sitting before his fire on a
coolish like night.
He was jest as unconcerned as you
please and hummed a tune jest tc
show them below that he felt per
feckIy at home and him durn neal
40 #. above the ground
Lem had jest hung his paint pal
over the top of the steeple and begin
to sling paint like a expert when the
ladder suddenly slipped on the roo
and fell with a crash end over enc
clean to the ground.
They was deep groan went VI
from them below.
Wimmen turned away their eyes an6
begin to scream. The men helt theii
breaths.
All expedited to see Lem drop from
that dizzy height to the ground below
with a dull sickening thud a lifeless
corpse. Then they would throwa sheei
over him and gether him up tenderly
and carry his dead lifeless ant
smashed remains home to his expect
ant wife.
But Lem did not fall as anticipated
When he felt the ladder slippin from
under him he throwd the paint brush
into the air and Rugged the steeplt
with both arms, also rapping his legs
around same The paint brush which
he let go of so suddint fell swiftly
striking Deacon Butterworth smack IL
the eye who was standing with his
mouth open looking up at Lem wher
the catastrofee happened Lem alst
upset the paint in the struggle, some
of it falling on Mrs. Rufe Green, wht
come out in her bare head and got i
all MKT up in her hair and she hasn'
got it out yet, Lem also bit off Tho
stem of his pipe which fell striking
clio Peters and some of the sparks