Aunt Janes Nieces at Work | Page 7

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"Pshaw! Ten dollars a year for a rock as big as a barn!"
"But they rent thousands of such positions, and in the aggregate our
farmers get large sums from them."
"And ruin the appearance of their homes and farms."
Mr. Watson smiled.
"They're not artists, Ken. They can't realize on appearances, but they
can use the money the signs bring them."
"They need to be educated, that's all. These farmers seem very honest,
decent fellows."
"They are, Ken. I wish you knew them better."
"So do I, Mr. Watson. This campaign ought to bring us closer together,
for I mean to get them to help me."
"You'll have to buy them, I'm afraid."

"Not all of them. There must be some refinement among them."
But the lawyer was not convinced. However, it was not his desire to
stifle this new-born enthusiasm of Kenneth's, even though he believed
it misdirected. He wanted the young man to rouse himself and take an
interest in life, and if his antagonism to advertising signs would effect
this, the futile fight against them was to be welcomed. It would cost the
boy something, but he would gain his money's worth in experience.
After a few days the sign painter answered the letter. He would
relinquish the three signs in the glen for a payment of fifty dollars each,
with the understanding that no other competing signs were to take their
place. Kenneth promptly mailed a check for the amount demanded and
early next morning started for the glen with what he called his
"eliminators."
These "eliminators" consisted of two men with cans of turpentine and
gasoline and an equipment of scrubbing brushes. Parsons, the farmer,
came over to watch this novel proceeding, happy in the possession of
three crisp five-dollar notes given in accordance with the agreement
made with him. All day the two men scrubbed the rocks faithfully,
assisted at odd times by their impatient employer; but the thick splashes
of paint clung desperately to the rugged surface of the rock, and the
task was a hard one. When evening came the letters had almost
disappeared when viewed closely; but when Kenneth rode to the mouth
of the glen on his way home and paused to look back, he could see the
injunction "Take Smith's Liver Pills" staring at him, in grim defiance of
the scrubbing brushes.
But his energy was not exhausted. No one ever knew what it cost in
labor and material to erase those three signs; but after ten days they had
vanished completely, and the boy heaved a sigh of satisfaction and
turned his attention to extending the campaign.
On the farm nearest to Elmhurst at the north, which belonged to a man
named Webb, was a barn, facing the road, that displayed on its side a
tobacco sign. Kenneth interviewed Mr. Webb and found that he
received no money for the sign; but the man contended that the paint

preserved his barn from the weather on that side. So Kenneth agreed to
repaint the entire barn for him, and actually had the work done. As it
took many coats of paint to blot out the sign it was rather a expensive
operation.
By this time the campaign of the youthful proprietor of Elmhurst
against advertising signs began to be talked of throughout the county,
and was the subject of much merriment among the farmers. Some of
them were intelligent enough to admire the young Quixote, and
acknowledged frankly that it was a pity to decorate their premises with
signs of patent medicines and questionable soaps.
But the majority of them sneered at the champion, and many refused
point-blank to consider any proposition to discard the advertisements.
Indeed, some were proud of them, and believed it a mark of distinction
to have their fences and sheds announce an eye-remedy or several
varieties of pickles.
Mr. Watson, at first an amused observer of the campaign, soon became
indignant at the way that Kenneth was ridiculed and reviled; and he
took a hand in the fight himself. He decided to call a meeting of the
neighboring farmers at the district school-house on Saturday night,
where Kenneth could address them with logical arguments and
endeavor to win them over to his way of thinking.
The invitation was promptly accepted by the rural population; not so
much because they were interested in the novel ideas of the young artist
as because they expected to be amused by hearing the boyish master of
Elmhurst "lecture at 'em." So they filled the little room to overflowing,
and to add to the dignity of the proceedings the Hon. Erastus Hopkins,
State Representative for the district, lent his presence to the
assemblage.
Not that the Honorable Erastus cared a fig about this foolish talk of
exterminating advertising signs.