Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1852-07-01
futl lnla gauru, :
The Man That Knew Everything.

Page, who kept the grocery at the
fork of the road near Woodchuck
Creek, Scragg Hollow, in the village
Of Hornvillef No occurrence has
ever taken place, of all the particu-
lars of which Caleb did not possess
a I'll borough knowledge in the minu-
test detail. All matters in the pros
pective we're anticipated, discussed,
arranged, and satisfactorily disposed
of by Caleb, long before they took
place. If d neighbor rushed into a
store to communicate what he be-
lieyed to be b very recent piece Of
news, he would have the conceit la
ken out of him, by being told by Ca
leb that he 'had heard it week ago.
Events of the past, present, and fu-
ture, were all the SAN e to him; his
ubiquitous knowledge grasped and
covered them ALTO him they were
all stale news
A small bet was mad Z one evening
between 81 Stevens and Joe Stebbin,
81 bet that Joe couldn t nonplus Ca
leb with any piece Of intelligence,
real or imaginary. Joe took all
such bets as that The following
evening, 81 and Joe, accompanied by
two or thr ee more of the boys pro-
ceeded TO Caleb's store, After being
comfortably seated here and there,
on ba rreIs, boxes, SC, ST opened the
evenings amusements, by asking, in
manner that indicated he was con-
tinuihg a conversation commenced
before the y entered the store,
$50 you say, joe, that they caught
him last night
'Ye$, sir; about seventeen minutes
past eight \
lis it,
On careful consideration, | should
say it WAS about tire miles, or three
miles and a quarter, OF perhaps half,
up the said creek.
Caleb, who lad not lost a word of
the conversation, dropped the sugar
scoop with establishment, and iopeneds
his ears, for the boys were talking
about a matter in which he was not
posted up The conversation con-
tinued:
We'll says 81, I'll at couldn't been
far from Deacon Hunt's?'
Jest So answered Joe; lit was
about. eighty rods from Deacon
Hunts hog-pen, in . slanchWise di-
rection.
Did you hear, Joc,1 asked ST, with
face a solid as two gravestones; 4
hearn tell that they got nigh upon
sixty bar'ls of" lie
: The wags observed that Caleb was
getting exceedingly uneasy;and they
piled it on.
well, Silas, the in sect was about
eighty-two feet long, and twenty
eight feet odd inches broad, and thick
in proportion.
i thought, Joe, that there was
two on EN-
There was, but th qy only caught
the he one.
At this point in th ! dialogue, Ca
leb became 50 desperately excitedI
that he could contain himself mol
longer, and snappishly demanded toll
know what in the thunder they were
talking about?'
Why said Joe, with well-feignedI /
establishment, don't you know about
their catching that are /
That are. what?' peeyishly snarledB
Caleb.
why tnaGi are WHdle7 seIIotoly
answered Joe 'Stebbin. 4
"a whale! exclaimed the bewil-I
dered Caleb; shave they caught a
whale up the lcreek21
They haven't caught anything
else, said the impertnrable Joe. i
'And how much ila did they get?'
inquired Caleb, as h9 recovered hisi
wits.
'Ninety-two bar'lS,' replied Joe,
the amount be had previ-
ously mentioned. 4
well, said Caleb, with slow delib7
grafton and satisfied look, 1 am glad
they caught the whale, for l hearn
they were after himl
Joe paid the bet.