The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1860-09-21
State Fairs--Getting on the Committee.


Yorker, has been to State Fair, and thus
gives his experience thereat:
As it was not SO far but hat We could 90
with our own team, mother and concluded
we would hitch up and have week to see
/ the sights and some cousins We had not seen
for long time. Mother Qhat's wife, you
know,) thought We ought to take something
to the Fair. told her to take tub of her
butter. but she said she didn't :hink it was
good enough, but thought might take some
( of the stock. But thought it would be a
great bother. However, Sam was pretty
strong in the faith that we could beat every
body on horses, and wanted to take old
Nance. She's right smart beast, is that old
mare, you may depend.
TAKES THE MARE.
Well, we packed off Sam, for | was willing
to give the boy holiday. 1t does the boys
great good to attend these kind of fairs, do
believe, after seeing all l saw there.
| GoEsIN.
We got safely to town Mond,y night, ard
Tuesday went up early to the Fair grounds
to see what was going on. l got in and
hunted up Sam, and found he'd got the mare
entered, and had got his card on her head,
and good stall, and all things comfortable.
The animal arrangements were trst-rate gen
orally, and during all the time of the Fair
the fodder was good. think that Maj. Pat
rick, who was everybody in managing things,
a trump sort of a man.
HEARS SOMETHING.
As was standing up near the business Of
fee in the crowd, heard couple of men
talking about premiums. One said to the
other:
Are you an exhibitor ?'
"Yes."
$50 am l, and we had better look to the
committees"
"Why so ?"
"Iou see the committees are never all full.
and if you are On hand at the big tent when
they are called, it's easy to slip in friend,
which is mighty nice thing sometimes.-
Well, am showing a patent for making
cowcumbers, and if l Ican get the premium
it will make my fortune"
"And am showing new kind of bob
tailed hens, ard the premium won't set me
back"
"All right go in to win while you can. y
Thinks l, perhaps, if that's the way the
thing leans, | may as we'll take care Of my
self as anybody else-everybody for himself
: seems to be the rule on these occasions. So
off streaked it to the cattle pens to find
Smith, who is my neighbor, you know. -
Smith is in the patent bull line. Mr.. p. ev'
identity means "improved.'] Says !, Smith
you're showing bulls. and | am showing old
r Nance. and guess if merit counts We can
:. win. And that's talk here on paper" Thel
told him that had heard about the COM
D mittees.
SIS that so ."
i Exactly
e "WeIl, think old Nance is the best in the
yard"
"And you have got the best bull on th'
4 ground"
: Then told him We must hr up at the ten
> in time.
II Well, sure enough. when the committed
J. was made up was on Smiths bull commit
T tee, and he was On the mare committee.
. THE COMMITTEE GOES OUT.
J.. The head man took the books as he hat
), the things in it, and we were all introduced
y to each other, and went down to look at th
y bulls. We were on the red bulls. SO we wen
8 along and looked at them, and | didn't sa..
d much till we came to Smiths bull. and
looked at him pretty careful, pulled his tail
punched my fingers into his ribs, and wen
through the motions as had seen the 9th
ers. Says |, "tha.'s bull that looks like it.
Smith had combed him all over with fine
c. toothed comb, and brushed him with hair
{ brush, and he did look slick, for he was JUS
,e as fat as a hog. And from all think fat a
,e fairs, like what the lawyer said about Chart!
ID covers multitude of sins.
IN GETS THE HORNS POKED AT HIM.
Just as said that, the fellow who had
III II bull in the next stall, comes up to me prett
T. fierce, and says he:
T. "What do you know about bulls -
S. "Well," says |, ",hink know what the
IL are used for in my section"
sr (. "May be-" says he, "you are on the con
0r mittee ?"
20 "I have that honor says l.
;e "But," says he, ''that bull haint got an
IL II pedigree
n, n well" says l, she had father and mott
ia er, hadn't he ?"
d a' "Oh, yes, but then nobody knows wh
~ they were"
a well, then nobody knows, but they wei
Eo just as likely as your bulls parents"
On On but, sir, look at my bulls pedigree
~ There it is, sir, got by imported Short-ta
up out of Skim-milk, by Thunder" &c.-and
oe showed string of names as long as yo'
arm.
. Well" says to the committee, care v
'c- to Judge by the pedigree or the animal ~
on And they sad-"the animal, of course"
ed "Then," said the fellow, "my bulls got
d. pedigree and that bull haln't"
!, TO "Well," said ], "your bull has got someb
ne dy to brag for him, and the other hasn't, tn
ice is certain" And that sort O knocked hi
- But" says l, "l've seen heap of peop
re- who couldn't 20 further back than their
er. ther and mother that banged them all
OF pieces for smartness. Handsome is as han
nj some does," says l, "and, as the hymn-bo'
zee says, "a mans man for a that Pedigr
ne 20 to grass, 90 in for the animal"
.ad a SMITHS BULL WINS.
de- When we got through and looked at 0
hal marks, the other two had Smiths bull secor
Tot | had him first. So we talked it over, a
les finally, as they didn't care much about
at they altered the figures and gave Smith t
on first premium, which think was right.
nd AND THE OLD MARE.
Smith had great time over old Nance.
turned out that each of the two other co
n. mittee men had friends whose mares we're
p be judged, and they pretty soon picked {
" their favorites. So he kept still and let tn,
Il talk. and fhev soon got into q Quarrel q
'all then they appealed to Smith, and he kind