A CLEVER TRICK.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5646, 25 March 1880, Page 3

A CLEVER TRICK.

Jri rt western city of America there lived two young Mlotf3 who painted signs for a livelihood. On a fief iain occasion one of the painters had some other business to attend to, and left the studio in ahfirge of his partner and a boy who was employed to grind paints. During his absence, tho partner, to gratify a whim, painted the boy so aa to represent a large gash upon his forehead and a cut over his eytJ. He bespattered the floor with red paint, clotted the boy's ftaty and made him lie down in a «ofner ■• he then painted a great gaslv on his own cheek.- bared hi« bosom, disordered his dress, dipped a long-bladed knife iii- the red paint pot, and patiently awaited the coming of his _ partner. Directly afterwards ho 1 heard him knock at the door, and then thd performance commenced. The partner looked ift at tho door, and saw the boy prostrate on the floor groaning and crying " Murder !" chairs, tables, benches, jugs, and paint pots, being strewed around the room in dire confusion while the murderouslooking partner with the red knife in his uplifted had, was running about the room, uttering wild and incoherent expressions* It was evident to the artist at the cfoor that his partner had killed the boy. Swift as lightning he fled to obtain assistance, and a number of friends were apeedily mustered, and repaired to the scene of the supposed terrible tragedy. The* crowd augmented as it neared the shop, and in walked the whole " posse ;" but in the meantime everything had been set to rights — the boy was without a mark of any kind, the room wa3 in perfect order, no marks of blood were perceptible, and the artist who had been left at home yvas engaged in painting a sign. On hearing what he was charged with, the latter declared his utter ignorance of the whole matter, but took the opportunity of distributing business cards amongst the crowd, and the result was a great influx of fine art orders.