Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-09-15
From the Fairhaven Journal)
Stories of the Olden Time. No. I
INCIDENTS AT THE CELEBRATION OF
ST. JOHNS DAY IN FAIRHAvEN-THE
DATE PRIMEvAL.

Mrs. Dan Smith, member of our an
cient village society, was person of mas
culine intellect and remarkable wit. She
possessed no little public spirit, and was a
generous and disinterested leader in i'm
provement and progress. The arrange.
ments for the celebration of st. Johns
day comprehended a procession with mu-
sic. The wives of masons, two by two,
were to walk together from the church to
the dinner-table, where roast pigs and
turkies were laid out in apple pie order
On their way it occurred to Mrs. Smith
that lady at her side was an interloper
her husband not being a bona-fide mem
Der of the ancient fraternity. Accosting
Mrs. Trowbridge with all pohteness, Mrs
Smith remarked, 81 did not knows, Mrs
Trowbridge, that your husband was 6
Mason" "Yes," was the prompt reply, 81
believe Mr.. Trowbridge was partly taken
in once" This answer betrayed the simpli
CITY Of the victim, and at the dinner 6
singular maneuvre rounded up the vic
tory of the strong-minded over the weak
| While sitting side by side, the two hero
| ines of this historical excerpt were enjoy
ing the common feast, when Mrs. Trow
bridge casually remarked, 81 do wish my
poor children at home could have some o.
this nice pig to eat. In an instant it oc
cured to the misunderstanding Mrs Smith
to propose and urge laughable proceed
ure, " hich has immortalized that festival
in our traditions to the end of time. "Do
Mrs. TroWbridge, take some home
in your pocket 1t is all paid fol
and none can reasonably OBJ
iect" But how convey it? Easily sale
and quickly done. "Spread your pocket
handkerchief and will provide gener
GUS slice for conveyance. Make haste
| The people are about to rise from dinner.
Thus urged and hurried the fatal theft
was perpetrated, and sister Trowbridge
triumphantly fed her hungry children oE
provender brought home in mothers nose
rag. Glory to mischief! as Pat would say
An Interpolation to this veritable history
was afterwards made, to wit that Mrs
Smith poured gravy into the pocket OF
top of all CLIO.
| LAWYERS JUSTLY REBUKED.
At the far West, men keep extempore tavern
In hollow trees, or Natures caverns,
| But think it highest luxury. sad dogs,
To sell coarse fare within house of logs.
In such an inn, at some shire town,
| The lawyers sat around the fire,
/ Pouring bad whisky wholesale down
I To keep the cold from rising higher.
! 4 bitter breeze swept DER the prairie,
! Which sent chilled travellers in of ev'ry size,
! But to make room for such, the circle, chary
| OF their own seats, held it unwise.
Among tn arrivals, tall and gaunt,
| Steppd in Goliah's counterpart,
L)ok'd over, wishful and askant,
And shivered with well fegned ant.
a waggjsh limb of law halloes,
Where from, old stranger! you look sprus "
With leer waggish, cried the wight,
''I'm just Fl m Tophet, sudden, quite"
'And what asks Lex, sis doug there!
Trs best we know, If any care"
why, there, as here, the same transpires-
The lawyers all sit next the fires"
DICKENS FRIENDsHP.-M. Feyal tell
this story of Dickens: 1T was after q
London season when Fechter fou him
self indebted to the management three
thousand pounds. As he turned the cor
ner to his hotel he heard, how are you
Fechter, my dear fellow% 1t was thu
CHEEKY voice of Dickens. He told him
with some amount of feeling, how he wa
situated. Dickens expressed no com
Peea10T, mt sioux hands and wished him
good night. lie thought 1t hard, |bu
such is friendship Only the next morn
ing the manager looked Fechter up. The
matter was not so pressing as all that, my
dear sir, said he What do you mean ?
why about that three thousand pounds
Charles Dickens came and handed me the
cash on your behalf, at twelve o'clock last
night"