Fulfilling a bargain.
--Some time since, two employing painters of this city, exempts from military service, finding their business slacking off, in their hours of idleness made a bargain that each should exercise his professional skill upon the features of the other whenever he was caught drunk.
Since the arrangement, both of the contracting parties have taken particular pains to shun each other whenever they would go to take a drink; but, finally, in an unguarded moment, one of them got rather too much on board, and being caught in this condition by his friend, he was painted as black as paint of that color could make him. Upon sobering off, and finding that the bargain had been fulfilled as far as he was concerned, the unfortunate victim determined that the advantage should not always be against him, so he set to work keeping a stricter watch upon his colleague in business, that he might find him in a similar situation, when he would perform the same operation upon him. He had not long to wait either; for, in less than three days afterwards, the second party to the bargain got drunker than the other, and was thereupon subjected to a thicker coat of paint, and blacker, too, if possible.
Nor was this all, in the case of the latter; when night came on, he ventured out in the street in his disguised condition, was gobbled up by the guard, and taken to the guard-house, where he remained all night, locked up in the cell, and, being too drunk to make the explanation, was registered as a negro, whose name was unknown.--The next morning he gave his name, related the story, and was permitted to depart without any further publicity being given to the affair.
