INTRODUCTORY. 13 



At the time when the chemicals we all made, 



I did not work at that long, I did not hke that trade. 



For many reasons, of them I will give you a few; 



They all wanted me to make handsome pictures, that I could not do. 



There always would be a lot standing or sitting a^ound: 



Find fault with these pictures they would, or the background. 



They all wanted a handsome picture, all the same, young and old. 

 A good likeness of themselves was quite hard to be sold. 

 Ko matter how dark the sitter was, they all must be white; 

 To suit them they must be nearly burned up with the light. 



Then they must all be painted, and colored up, too; 

 Unless they were daubed in this way they would not do. 

 I got tired of taking good pictures to spoil in this way, 

 About that kind of business I shall have qo more to say. 



A carriage I can make ; iron, pamt, stripe, and trim it, too. 

 Houses I have painted and worked on ; some I have built new. 

 The mason trade, I never did much of that kind. 

 To be a good mason, it wants some practice, I find. 



I have plastered and laid quite a good deal of stone wall ; 

 To build a chimney of brick, that stuck me the worst of alL 

 To build a nice chimney, it is quite a knack to do ; 

 To have the brick all lie level and carry it up true. 



To build only one brick chimney in my life did I try, 



And that was all daubed and winding before it was two feet high. 



I could not keep it true, do the best I could do, 



So I plastered it inside and out ; the smoke could get through. 



To know how to do this work has always been of use to mo. 

 There was always some work to do, no matter where I would bo. 

 It all kept me busy, and I was learning, too. 

 What does r. man amount to with nothing to do ? 



Nearly all of these trades I dropped oif, one by one ; 

 Some I dropped off many years ago, when I was quite young. 

 The horses' feet nearly all of my life I have worked ou, 

 And at that yet I have not got done. 



