Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1860-07-12

I felt rather shaky above the kneejoints
I felt that l could not, must not, tell a
falsehood-and yet never before had l beer
SO fully impressed with the wisdom of the
saving that the truth is not at all times tt
be spoken"
"But something must be done, and that
quickly. Well, big boulder had slipped
through the foundation of the barn just
where I stood by the conclusion of that ex.
plosion; SO down stopped, and run my arm
and head through the hole as tight as could
and yelled murder three times; and then, as
heard the garden gate slam and hasty
footsteps approaching, deemed it expedi
ent to faint some; SO kicked out my legs
twice, and went off in a swoon. 1t proved
to be Deacon B., who lives next
neighbour, who pulled me out; and after
they threw bucket of water in my face,
kind of came to little, and was put to bed
Well, the neiglbors speculated and investi'
gated pretty much all that afternoon, and
finally they came to the unanimous conclu
sion that meteor had exploded from a
cloudless sky, and pronounced it the most
wonderful phenomenan of nature! The news
spread-the morning papers enlarged on it,
The next night the State Historical Socie-
ty held special meeting, and appointed
Professor -. of Cambridge, to come
down, gather the facts and make scientific
report"
"The next day came and with it the
Professor. He looked as sagacious as
Square Davis big mastiff watching ground
hog burrow, as he put on his specs and took
the dimensions of that hole. Next he ex-
amined Deacon B who testified that"
:" In consequence Of the biggest pig hav-
ing the measles, he staid home from the
meeting that day; that he had just put a
pou|tice of hot ashes on the pigs throat,
and rubbed his legs with a corn-cob and
hot water-an excellent remedy for the
measles said the deacon; when the PROBES
sor looked Indignant, and said he was not
hog doctor, but had come to eulighten his
fellow-men on the causes in nature that had
produced the wonderful effects we had
witnessed"
Exactly" said the Deacon; and as true
as am mortal, the Deacon continued;
AS said before having just returned
from the hogpen, stood on the end stoop
that you see yonder overlooking the valley.
observing the landscape when my eyes fell
upon this here wood pile, where / seed young
Samuel sitting; the next moment see a
bright flash, heard a e-men-di-ous report,
saw the wood pile turn clear inside out, like
an umbrella in hurry cane, and the next
instant dark substance through the air
towards the barn; in minute after, when l
arrived, I saw young Sam with head
and shoulders rammed so tight through
the hole in the foundation Of the barn, that
| ecn"most sprained my wrist in pull him out
by the legs"
Here the deacon stopped for breath, and
wiped his brow with his handkerchief The
Professor raised his hands, and exclaimed,
Wonderful ! and all eyes were turned on
me, OIL one that was about to do the cause
of science some service, and they knew it !;
while all the while felt that genuine
clap Of thunder from cloud!ess sky would
not have more surprised me than the Dea-
cons story The party now went to the
barn, and each run his head through the
hole, and saw the stone lying inside, about
as large as corn-basket"
81 next testified that the day was clear,
and ! observed nothing peculiar in the as
pect of nature. That l was sitting on that
wood pile, that the next thing knew was
going towards the barn in hurry, and the
next thing knew didn't know nothing. |
was commended for my brevity, and my
modest manner gave to all favorable i'm
preston of my testimony"
The testimony being concluded, the Pro-
fessor took long bean-pole, and running it
down the hole, began to probe rs a doctor
would wound, and then, striking hard
substance, he stopped, and looking at me,
said :"
Young man?'
Yes, sar," said I but didn't l feel
scary then was sartin that he had struck
the nail on the head at last, and made up
my mind that Deacon BIS, and my charac-
ter for veracity was blasted forever. The
Professor looked as wise as an owl, and
striking the pole again on the hard sub
stance, he continued:
Young man, in this age Of advance
ment, we have not to dig into the bowels Of
the earth to discover its hidden truths"
ooh, gracious the thing is all out now,
thought l, and felt as if, were that hole
little larger, I could slippery-elm right down
it. The Professor pointing across the val
ley to what we call Moscott Mountain
continued :"
You see the craggy rocks on yonder
summit That barren, rocky hill top stands
as an open book, from whose pages the tru-
ly scientific mind can read this lesson those
jatting rocks are but the broken fragments
of the upper strata of the earth's incrusta-
ton. Ages upon ages ago, by some inter-
nal commotion, was that hill upheaved, and
those rocks piled up as an everlasting mon
ument of their Creators power and now,
were it desirable or necessary, and you
should dig trench from yonder summit
across the valley, you would find the same
strata unbroken, stretching along beneath
our feet, and it is this that the bean pole
rests upon"
as it ?" says I.
eyes, sar," says he and, drawing on
his glove, added
cit was the meteor coming in contact
with this resistive body that caused the vi.
bration. shook the house loose Of its found
alton, and broke the sassers."
! Here he stopped-lucky for me-for felt
sure couldn't stand that talk any longer ;
but did repress my risibilities by giving
vent to long, low whistle, at which the
Professor smiled actually rubbed his hands,
and smiled at the effect his wisdom had pro-
duced IN nv nntntored mind