Turner's Public Spirit, August 5, 1922
A look back in time to a century ago
Transcribed By Bob Oliphant (2022)
Center. Miss Mary Carley and Mrs. Dorothy Carley Seamen, of Wilmington, Dela., have been recent guests of Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Knight.
Mrs. Carl Merrill [nee Hattie Evelyn Carter], son and daughter, of St. Johnsbury are guests of Mr. and Mrs. William E. Wright. They will be joined later by Mr. Merrill. Mrs. Merrill is a sister of Mrs. Wright [nee Ruby Winifred Carter].
A daughter, Jean Grant, was born to Mr. and Mrs. Harry E. Whiting last week Wednesday.
Peter Clement has been a recent guest of his parents.
Alfred Sutherland, of Lynn, spent the weekend in town.
Miss Dorothy Latham, of Waltham, was in town on last Sunday. Miss Latham, who has been a teacher at the academy the past year, is doing playground work in Waltham this summer.
Dr. C. A. Blaney and J. Herbert Fletcher are on a two-weeks’ camping trip at Lake Cobbosseecontee, Maine.
Miss Edna Hamlin, the little daughter of Mrs. Annie Hamlin, has been ill.
The John P. Wrights, of Cambridge, spent the weekend at their summer home on Depot street.
Mrs. Holton, of Westboro, has been a recent guest of Miss Eva Lord.
The lawn party held on Wednesday of last week at the home of Mrs. George Walker was well attended and about thirty dollars will be realized as proceeds. Mrs. Walker was in charge of the ice cream and lemonade. Mrs. Charles Wright, chips, while the Victrola which furnished the music for the evening was in charge of Miss Edith A. Wright.
The farm house and buildings, with the exception of a small barn, on the Henry Keyes place in the north part of the town, were totally destroyed by fire on last Sunday afternoon. The livestock and a small amount of furniture and clothing were saved. The origin of the fire was due to spontaneous combustion created by green hay being put in the barn. The place was partially covered by insurance. Mrs. Alice Lambert, who with her brother, Edward Keyes, [both younger siblings of Henry Keyes,] has been occupying the house, was badly burned while trying to remove some articles from the house, and was removed to the home of a nearby neighbor, Mr. Pickering. On Monday morning she was removed to the hospital in Lowell. Miss Amelia Lambert, of the Thomas hospital, Peabody, was called to town Sunday evening on account of the condition of her mother.
Mrs. Luther Lawton, of the north part of the town, went to Narragansett Pier [an unincorporated village in the town of Narragansett, R.I.] this week, and in the fall will take up their residence in Fall River.
Capt. Sherman Fletcher, who has been confined to his home by illness, is able to be about again.
Oscar Anderson and son Eric are on an auto trip to Montclair, N.J., where they will be the guests of the former’s sister. They expect to be gone about a week.
The Abbot Worsted Company band will furnish music in the afternoon of August 19 at the republican outing, and the Chelmsford band in the evening.
Mrs. James Kimball spent three days last week at Lake Pleasant [a village in Montague], where she attended the New England Society of Miami meeting [tear in paper]. The Lotus quartet of Boston furnished music and several speakers were greatly enjoyed.
Frank Blaisdell, of Portland, Me., who has been spending two weeks with his mother, Mrs. A. J. Blaisdell, has returned to Portland.
Lawrence Holbrook, who has been in a Lowell hospital for three weeks, owing to a serious operation, is now recuperating at the home of his mother on Hildreth road.
Mrs. Benjamin Prescott and son William have returned from an extended visit to Mayville, N.Y.
Miss Edith A. Wright is spending part of her vacation at Sagamore Beach [a village in Bourne, Mass., on Cape Cod Bay].
Mrs. Williams of Parkerville, who was operated upon last Monday at the Lowell General hospital is resting comfortably.
About twelve of the young friends of Miss Doris Davis tendered her a surprise party on Monday evening at her home at the Parker farm, and presented her with an umbrella. Miss Davis is soon to take up her residence in Fitzwilliam, N.H.
A number of children, mostly Italians, from the North End, Boston, accompanied by attendants, are enjoying camp life at Long-sought-for pond. Two Methodist missions are reported as affording this great pleasure to these children.
Little Everett Miller, son of Mr. and Mrs. Everett Miller, who recently underwent a painful operation on the mastoid bone, is reported as improving.
Master Richard Hildreth is spending part of his vacation with his grandparents in Westboro [George C. and Florence M. (Stebbins) Lawrence].
The many friends of Miss Gladys Ingalls, who was in an automobile accident in New Hampshire recently, will be pleased to learn that she was uninjured. Another young lady, who was one of the occupants of the car, was killed.
Mr. and Mrs. John Sears and Miss Koren [sic] Grant, of Rockport, and Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur Bruce, of Littleton, were Sunday visitors of Mr. and Mrs. H. E. Whiting.
Mr. and Mrs. George Lawrence, of Westboro, were in town on last Saturday.
The Ladies’ Auxiliary, assisted by members of the Legion, will hold a corn roast at Keyes pond on August 15.
Rev. John H. Blair, with his mother, Mrs. J. Howard Blair, returned this week to Philadelphia. Mr. Blair will return to Westford September first.
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Whitney of Littleton, formerly of this town, were baptized by Rev. John H. Blair at Baptist pond, South Chelmsford, last Sunday. There was a large attendance to witness the baptism.
Robert Elliott is driving a new Durant car.
William R. Carver, who is at the Somerville hospital, is improving slowly.
William Pollock, Cold Spring farm, and family, are on an auto trip to New Brunswick.
William Parfitt and family are on a visit in New Hampshire.
Miss Jennie Kimball, of Boston, spent the weekend with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. George Kimball.
Warren Sweetser is quite ill at his home in the south part of the town.
Little Richard Green, son of Mr. and Mrs. Edmund Green, celebrated his eighth birthday on Wednesday afternoon by giving a party to twelve of his little friends. A birthday cake and ice cream were served and all enjoyed a pleasant time.
One of the pair of horses belonging to Sidney B. Wright died recently.
Congregational Church Notes. Meetings will be held every Sunday evening during August at seven o’clock in the vestry. Miss Sarah W. Loker will lead this coming Sunday.
After a very successful season the cottage prayer meetings will be discontinued. The regular church prayer meetings will be resumed in September.
Whether you attend church or not you are likely to receive a personal letter from the Congregational pastor during this month.
Cavalry Association Reunion. The Spalding Light Cavalry association will hold their annual reunion at Westford Center on the afternoon and evening of Thursday, August 10 to which ladies may be invited. Each member making application to the secretary on or before August 7 will be entitled to one ticket on the payment of a small sum, and to invite a guest, male or female, at a small charge each. Remittance must be made at the time of making application. The association has been to heavy expense in the recent past in making repairs upon the building [20 Boston Road] and for that reason it becomes necessary to make a slight charge against each member as well as a charge for the guests in order not to draw too heavily on the finances. It is also very important that each member should make remittance and send notice to the secretary as above requested in order that it may be definitely known how many to make provision for.
The election of officers and transaction of other business will be held at the Cavalry building at two o’clock. At this time the association will vote upon the applications of new members in order that such members may be entitled to engage in the shooting contest, after which a motion will be in order to adjourn until 5:30.
The clay pigeon shoot will be held at the Whitney playground at 2:30 o’clock, and each contestant will be allowed to use a gun of 12 gauge or less. Ammunition, however, will be furnished only to contestants using a 12 gauge gun.
Dinner will be served at 6:30 in the town hall, followed by an entertainment at 7:30 o’clock.
Capt. Sherman Fletcher is president of the association and Edward Fisher, of Lowell [formerly of Westford], is secretary.
Interesting Demonstrations. In spite of dampness and lowering skies, farmers from far and near gathered in abundance for the field day at the market garden field station of the Massachusetts Agricultural college in Lexington on Wednesday. At the entrance at three o’clock 224 automobiles containing 689 people had been counted.
On the grounds were planted various kinds of vegetables for comparison of different strains and for effect of different fertilizers. Perhaps the most noted product of the station is the rust-proof variety of asparagus. Several small tractors for market garden work were demonstrated by their agents.
Demonstrations were given of home mixing of fertilizers and of preparation of Bordeaux mixtures for spraying for fungus troubles; also, of spraying with this mixture. Two varieties of hand-operated machines for dusting, instead of spraying, were exhibited.
A basket lunch at noon was enjoyed according to the disposition of individuals.
After lunch Prof. Parrott, of New York, talked to the company on dusting and spraying. At three o’clock talks were given by Sidney B. Haskell, experiment station director; John D. Willard, extension service director, and an explanation of field station projects by Harold F. Thompson. Treatment of seeds to prevent certain plant diseases was explained by W. S. Krout, who has been studying about apple scab for the Nashobah region fruit-growers. Other demonstrations were of bunch-plowing under green crops.
About Town. On last week Friday a party of young people under the direction of Miss McPherson and Mr. Erickson of the County Farm Bureau went to the Alfalfa Gem farm in Chelmsford and looked over the unusual crops of peanuts, almonds, sweet potatoes and alfalfa.
Norman Day has been at Amherst Agricultural college. He was among the members of the Middlesex Juvenile club chosen to go because of excellent work in agriculture.
Mr. and Mrs. John Fisher and two sons were in town last Sunday, calling upon friends. The oldest son [Alvan Fisher, who rose to the rank of Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy] has graduated from Annapolis with honors.
The Middlesex Farm Bureau will have a grand outing at the Middlesex school, Concord, on Wednesday, August 9. Ex-Gov. [Robert Perkins] Bass of New Hampshire [Governor 1911-1913] will be one of the principal speakers.
We prefer to interpret H. C. L. as Henry Cabot Lodge, rather than High Cost of Living.
Alfred Hartford, candidate for re-election as representative from the eleventh district, has over 800 signatures to his nomination papers. He has been getting signatures for the papers of Governor Cox; for Joseph E. Warner, lieutenant-governor; Frank K. Stearns, registrar of deeds; [state] senator, eighth district, Frank H. Putnam, Lowell. The papers have now all been filed with the town clerk.
Dr. C. E. Spaulding and daughter Miriam motored down from Fitchburg last Saturday afternoon in their car and were entertained by the two Snow families. As presiding elder for this district [of the New England Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church] Mr. Spaulding had charge of the service in the M. E. church in West Chelmsford, which was also his first pastorate.
Mrs. Sarah Drew and Miss Mabel Drew have returned from a week’s visit at the home of G. A. Drew in Greenwich, Conn. Mr. Drew came over in his new Packard car, got his mother and sister, motored on to Amherst and picked up his two oldest boys, who had been there for two weeks, and then went on to Greenwich. Mrs. Drew, although considerably over eighty years [she was 86], enjoyed her trip immensely and now has many happy memories to think about of places and people seen. She enjoyed especially going to Oyster Bay, seeing Sagamore Hill, where [Theodore] Roosevelt lived, and visiting his grave.
Mr. and Mrs. F. A. Snow took an auto trip to Worcester last week Wednesday to attend a meeting of the National Association of Cost Accountants. The meeting was held at the clubhouse of the Recreation and Rowing club at Lake Quinsigamond. A social time for the women was planned while the men attended the conference. In the evening there was a banquet.
Dr. and Mrs. C. C. [P.] Hiller, from Millbury, where Dr. Hiller is pastor of the Federated church, are visiting with Mrs. G. F. Snow in West Chelmsford.
Mr. and Mrs. Walter H. James, of Waltham, motored here on Sunday to see the town and call upon Mrs. James’ classmate at the academy, Mrs. George Howard [nee Martha Jane Taylor]. Mr. James is an instructor at Massachusetts Technology [sic] in Boston. He is building a camp in Dunstable on a wooded part of the Butterfield place.
The Taylor and Snow families motored to the beach at Seabrook between Salisbury and Hampton, and had a most enjoyable day last week Thursday. They report noticing memorials in nearly every town for soldiers of the world war. These memorials in nearly every case took the form of natural stones or boulders with a bronze tablet on it containing the roster of those who served. Why doesn’t Westford have such a memorial on the common? Rocks of sufficient size are natural and “indigenous” here and it would be very fitting to have such a memorial soon.
The West Chelmsford Benevolent society gave a band concert at Cameron Park. Chelmsford brass band furnished the music and ninety-five dollars was netted for the treasury from the various tables.
The North Chelmsford and West Chelmsford fire departments had a carnival at Nabnassett last Saturday afternoon and evening. Abbot Worsted band furnished the music. North won over West in the ball game by the score of 9 to 5.
Ernest Dane and Edgar Nutting have finished painting the residence of W. R. Taylor and shingling his Tadmuck Brook barn, and are now painting the Frost schoolhouse at the Center.
Old Landmark Burned. On last Sunday afternoon at three o’clock the fire alarm sounded and the fire department responded, but owing to the distance they had to go and lack of water they could not save the buildings. The call was for a fire at what is known as the place of the late H. O. Keyes, not far from Keyes pond. The fire was discovered in the barn, where thirty tons of hay had been placed this summer. It is believed that it was a case of spontaneous combustion. It was impossible to save the house, and both buildings were burned.
Mrs. Alice Keyes Lambert, who has been living with her mother on Providence road, had been there for a few days and endeavored to save [torn line] which had been in the family for years, and in doing so was so severely burned that she had to be taken to the hospital in Lowell.
There are two Keyes houses on that same road, which are very old, the one destroyed being one of the oldest houses in Westford. As far back as 1722 the town history gives a record of a house there built by Ensign Joseph Keyes. The Keyes family is a very ancient family in the history of Westford. The first permanent settler in the town of Westford was Solomon Keyes and his family is the oldest in town. In 1664 he settled on the north side of Frances hill and called it that for his wife Frances. Later, other members of the Keyes family settled in the north part of the town and one pond near them was called Keyes’ pond. Even before 1722 Ensign Joseph Keyes was in possession of land at Humhaw brook, a small affluent of Keyes pond, and ever since that time the land has been held in the place destroyed. The other Keyes place near by was known as the George Keyes place, the last Keyes to live there being Freeman Keyes.
Ice Underground. Those who are following the Ford-a-day contest in the Boston Post will be quite interested in the bringing into the limelight of the little town of Monson, Me. Hardly anyone knew of this place until the winner of a Ford car brought it into prominence. This is the place where H. E. Fletcher has an interest in a slate quarry and is the consulting engineer there. Briefly told, the Boston Post is giving a Ford car every day to the one who sends in the best news item for the day. Expert judges in journalism give the decision after reading the news sent in by amateurs. On last week Thursday the award went to T. J. Anderson, a boy of nineteen, from Monson, Me., who sent in this very concise report:
“When we want some ice, where do you suppose we get it? The answer would naturally be—from the iceman. No, we get it from under the ground 500 feet at the slate quarry here in Monson. There is ice all the year round down in this pit. The ice is free—all you have to do is go down and help yourself. It is rather an unusual [place to get ice].”
Friday’s Post [large hole] of the trip down [large hole] Ford and the big [large hole] hour trip in the [large hole] through Bru[nswick] [large hole] 220 miles [large hole] From Skow[hegan] [large hole] the joy in the small village of slate quarries. Pictures of the young man were taken and rushed back to Boston for Friday’s Post. Now all of this interests Westford because Mr. and Mrs. H. N. Hildreth and Mr. and Mrs. H. E. Fletcher were down there in Monson over the Fourth and have but recently returned. Mrs. Hazel Fletcher Pyle, of Maryland, was also in the party and was one of those who went down 350 feet into the quarry.
We all know that some mountains have ice and snow the year round, but it remained for Anderson to tell us that down in Mr. Fletcher’s quarries there is perpetual ice.
Attended Farmers’ Forum. Our former old-time Stony Brook schoolmate, Gilbert F. Wright, of Chelmsford, attended the entire session of the Farmers’ Week Forum at Amherst last week. We quote the following from his outing thoughts:
“There was something doing every minute from nine in the morning until nine or ten at night. There are over 800 acres and different every few acres. One afternoon was devoted to visiting the vineyards and of the 200 people who started only twenty-five finished the hike. One morning, at 93 degrees, our twenty-five autos went to the Connecticut valley asparagus, onion and tobacco fields. I told them if people did not use tobacco any more than I did they would all go out of the business quickly. They said from the observation tower on the mountain that more cultivated acres can be seen than from any other viewpoint in the world. This part of the valley is twenty-five miles long and five miles wide and most of it high enough not to be flooded by the river. The lower parts become flooded five to seven feet deep in the spring, and in years past had cut many ravines and channels, and at one point is still doing so. The highway had to be set over three times in the last few years, and the river flooded where the highway was and is building a bank on the opposite side that is cut almost to the present highway.
No Slight Error. We desire with permission of the editor to preach a short essay on “A slight error” as a sort of daylight knocking out of V. T. E. We have the goods and are ready to deliver them.
From official figures of the N.Y., N.H. & H. R.R. offered for wages since the cut and strike we quote 70, 63 and 47 cents per hour. This last is unskilled labor as helper to skilled labor. “Yours truly, H. E. Ashley, superintendent.”
There are plenty more demands at the same wages all over the United States railway system, besides a call for clerks, stenographers and telephone switchboard operators at similar starvation wages, as it looks now to our highbrow financial ideas. The above wages look big to some of us even now, for we recall when a boy we picked up apples off the ground at the old Zacheas Reed [sic Zaccheus Read] farm [164 Main St.] for fifty cents a day and our dinner, the day was from sun to sun and sometimes stretched the sun a little. But we found no fault then or now with the wages, the time or the dinner—it was a good, wholesome, rugged experience.
But listen, ye V. T. E. and others, to the mischief spirit of the age and the under-current of our industrial disturbance that has caught even the youth in the undertow. Boys no smarter at picking apples than the writer or smarter at collar and elbow were engaged to pick up apples at fifty cents per hour. This price ran the orchardists into debt and he was obliged to cut down to thirty-five cents per hour. Like dad, like son, there was a strike. They would not look at thirty-five cents an hour so they looked at nothing, which as per all strikes pays much better. We rejoice in modern youthful spirit. Stick to it—nothing is better than less than what you ask. Demand your price and see that you get it, even if the state militia has to be called out to force capital to give you your price.
Never mind if Old Hayseed cannot sell the apples for what it cost to pick them off the ground; never mind if the textile manufacturer who hires labor cannot sell the product of that labor for the labor cost. Keep right at it, you oppressors of labor, until you use up all your reserves and everybody else’s, and labor and capital alike go down in a grand national financial slump. It serves you right, you textilite, for haven’t you woke up enough to know that the law of supply and demand is of the hayseed past, and that we are now living by the law of demand, and if anybody dares to take less than the law of established demand, why, shoot him?
- T. E. says in substance, “Keep your ear to the ground and listen to H. C. L.” Well, now we don’t want to be saucy to our teacher, but we will not keep our ear to the ground, we will keep it skyward, heavenward to the inspirations of the sunlight, where long since H. C. L. “Hitched his wagon to the stars” as one of the brightest lights in American statesmanship, and ought to have a unanimous vote of thanks for having kept us out of that homogenous, heterogeneous conglomeration of all sorts from Emerson to cave man called league of nations, but truer to facts a league of idealists and jungle men.
Haying and Gardens Backward. As per prophecy the Old Oaken Bucket farm folks and other humble humans boarded an automobile for Hampton Beach. We were obliged to go over the route on the south side of the Merrimack river, the north route being under the doctor’s care with the state as nurse in attendance. We met with several agricultural surprises. Surprise No. 1 was that there was so much uncut hay. All of us having finished haying in the Stony Brook valley, we thought that of above valley farmers, but it seems that they are not and we are not to blow because they are not. They have our sympathy if that will get their hay in out of the unusual overhead irrigation this season. Besides the unusual amount to cut there was a large crowd of cocked up hay out that looked as if it had been out ever since it was cut.
Surprise No. 2 was the field corn, silo corn, sweet corn, popcorn and other corn, not including the corn on thy feet, were so small, backward and yellow. Yes, yellow is the word. It looked as if it had yellow jaundice.
Surprise No. 3 was that there were so few potatoes planted, and what were planted and pretended to act and look like a potato had apparently exhausted themselves in the effort and there was nothing left but feeble, spindling tops, and we did not see even one hill of strong, healthy, vigorous tops. All kinds of vegetables were in the same class as above.
We enjoyed to its full inspiration the ocean and its lashing, foamy waves, its sand bar, treeless beach and the invigorating inspirations of new friendships. It was a day of strong undertow for bathers and waders.
Republican Outing. Plans are under way for the third annual republican outing in Westford. The affair will be held this year on Saturday, August 19, and there will be something doing continuously from noon to midnight. Senator Henry Cabot Lodge has been secured as the principal speaker of the day and this alone will insure a record attendance. It is expected that last year’s attendance record of 3000 people will be far surpassed this year.
Attractions in addition to the speaking will include band concerts by the Abbot Worsted Company and the Chelmsford bands, a baseball game between the Chelmsford town team and some other strong outfit, as yet not selected, and a dance in the evening in the town hall with one of the best orchestras available doing the honors. The usual array of refreshments and amusement booths will hold forth where one may fill up to his heart’s content on “hot dogs,” etc., and then shake them down with a little exercise at “hitting the coon” for a cigar.
The same care that was given in previous years to parking and protecting the cars of visitors will again be in order. Admission to the grounds will be absolutely free to all and the Republican League of Massachusetts and the Republican State Committee, under whose joint auspices the outing is given, invite everyone to fill up the seats in their car and head it for Westford on August 19. A good time and a chance to meet many of the candidates will be waiting there for them.
Hunting Anecdotes. The Y.M.C.A. camp at Lake Nabnassett has opened its fifteenth season with eighty-five boys in camp. Already the first issue of their camp paper, called “The Skeeter,” has appeared. It is quite a creditable piece of journalism and is full of camp humor. The boys are very fond of Henry Fletcher, who has his permanent camp across the lake from them. They always beg him for stories about hunting, fishing and outdoor life in general. In this premier edition of this year’s Skeeter are some hunting anecdotes by Henry Fletcher, who writes under the name of Nimrod. They are so interesting that we begged leave to pass them on to our readers as follows:
Once in a while someone will say to me I don’t see what fun you get out of hunting. You go out every year and don’t get a fox. To the lover of hunting and the student of wild life to be out in the fields and woods is joy enough, but added to this is the excitement of the chase, sight-seeing and things that happen.
I will tell you of some of the sights I have seen and of some of the things that happened to myself and my companions of some of these hunts, so you will see that the fun of hunting is not measured by the amount of game that may be bagged.
The most beautiful and awe-inspiring sight I ever saw was one night, while coon hunting, when out of a black midnight sky came a meteor the size of the a full moon, with a great fan-shaped tail that passed overhead lighting the countryside to mid-day brightness and made an arc from horizon to horizon.
Going through the woods one misty night I saw the campfires of the fairies, a fire that burned without smoke caused by decaying wood.
Another night a ball of red, the size of a toy balloon, came dancing down a meadow, following the course of a brook until it came to a bridge, when it bounded thirty feet in the air, then descended and followed the brook out of sight in the woods. This was the seldom seen Will o’ the Wisp or Jack-o’-Lantern.
Nights of mystery and beauty have been spent in the marshes of the coast duck hunting when the moon would rise out of the ocean looking as large as a cartwheel and turning every wave and ripple to glistening silver.
Once a blood-thirsty pack of hounds, who in finding the track of a farmer with blood on his boots from a recent pig killing, left the fox track and forced the farmer to seek safety in a tree. Imagine the howls of merriment from the assembled hunters when the identity of the game was disclosed and the lurid remarks of the latter about hounds and fox hunters in general.
Another time I saw a fox hard pressed by the hounds in deep snow make a clean getaway on the end of a wood sled, leaving a pack of dogs angrily wondering where he had gone. Another time a fox not so fortunate, who on seeing the door of a house open, entered and went upstairs and hid under the bed. Picture the consternation of the lady of the house when she found her best bedroom full of a howling, fighting pack of hounds.
An old Scotch hunter, who with nerves on edge from a hot chase in the nearby woods, looked so long and intently for the fox to break cover that his eyes gave him the picture of the fox crossing the road near where I was standing. He came to me and asked why I didn’t shoot it and was I going to fight when told that the fox had not been there. He could only be calmed when an examination of the snow failed to show any tracks.
A companion stricken with buck-fever at the sight of a fox coming towards him in the road shot the top off a birch tree twenty feet over the fox.
Another companion, who the dogs being far away, leaned his gun against a tree some distance away, sat down with his back against a fallen tree and fell asleep. When he awoke some time later it was to see the fox standing on the other end of the log and before my friend could reach his gun the fox made his escape.
I could tell you of the great white shape that quietly arose in the dark to bar my progress and cause my hair to raise my cap from my head and turn my blood to ice for a moment. This proved upon examination to be an old horse whose slumbers I had disturbed.
Of the playful hound that seized the new derby hat worn by a companion as he stooped to examine a hole in which the game had disappeared and made into the brush with it—there was a wild race through the dark brush to catch the pup and retrieve the hat.
Of the narrow escape from drowning in the great gale of ’98 in which the Steamer Portland with all on board supposedly went down within a few miles of where I was staying. Driven from our cabin on a low line point by the highest tide ever known, we were forced to crawl on hands and knees to high ground several hundred yards away, the wind being so strong one could not stand up. Arriving there without a minute to spare, we saw the place where we had been so lately turned into a raging sea, and the cabin disappeared never to be seen again.
I could tell you of the shipwreck a few minutes later and how we helped to get the crew of fourteen ashore without losing a man and how, when the tide was low, we, like Robinson Crusoe, visited the wreck and got coal and food to keep us in comfort while we were marooned.
Thoughts of my many hunts and the noble sportsmen who have been my companions help me to pass many winter evenings, as with pipe lighted I sit by the fire. The contented sleeping around me are no doubt dreaming of by-gone days.