Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-12-07
EiCOnder0ga.

TiCOnderoga.
Ever sinCe the announcement was made
in THE HERALD that Enckes comet has
actually been discovered, a humble indi-
vjdual of this village has spent the long,
chilly hours of night, watching with up.
turned face the myriads of starry worlds
az they revolve and shine in the ethereal
blue above him. Last night was pecul-
iarly cold and oheerless; yet this humble
devotoa TO science enveloped himself in
the only overcoat his scsnty ward robe af-
fords, and bidding adieu to the cheerful
blrz4 of his fresi1e, he walked out to an
eminence near by, where, seating himself
upon hen coop, be looked straight up.
ward into the clear blue sky. Long, long
did he wait, surveying as it were, the
mysterious mechanism of the heavens,
ill his whole frame was in one convul-
sive shiver. till his fslse teeth fell rafting
to the ground, and till the hen-ooop, on
which he was still sitting, reeled and tip
oed worse, if possible, than did Mra.
Slocum's handicapped table when it
walked ont to meet the lady of cultiva-
ton and refinement. But the comet fail.
cd to put in an appearance
Returning benumbed in body and de-
eoted in spirit, he was about to give vent
tn his feelings by murmur against the
uualterable laws of nature by which he
hid teen deprived OF witnessing the great
object of his solicitude, when, far to-
ward the wastern horizon his eyes fell
upon a little diamopd-like cluster of stars,
the history of which, thought he, is
~orth all the comets that ever terrified
superstitious world.
The name of this little constellation az
he had learned in his school boy DAYS is
the Dolphin portion of which ia also
known in common parlance as Jobs Cot
dn.' It's history he obtained from an old
pedagogue who partly from his exalted
position in society, but more especi ,lly
from fear, was regarded az undoub ted
authority in all matters pertaining to the
ancients as he was in fact in every
thing els9. If therefore any of the read
era of THE HERALD take exceptions to
this brief history, the schoolmaster only
shou'd be blamed
The anoients were according to thi. old
pedago2uo, in some respects peculiar
people. II they wanted to immortalize
an object OF their affections, they were
very apt to place it among sho stars
Il appears that there once lived a maid.
en- namad Amphitrite. who was very fair
and thirty five or forty. She often vowed
her intention, her determination, even, to
forever lead life of single blessedness-
she would not marry the best man living
About this time. Neptune who was then
a rowing bachelor, rather past the prime
of lie, came along, fell in love with Am
phitrite at sight, proposed and was re-
ieoted. Whereupon a dolphin appeared
and by exerting some mysterious infiu-
enee over the maiden which neither she
nor Neptune ever could explain, she all at
once consented. Neptune was so over
joyed at this that be resolved to place
the dolphin among the stars, where he re-
mains to this day.
There are others. who, while they ad-
NIT that the dolphin has an indisputable
right TO place among the stars, deny the
above story, and maintain that he &C.
qnired bis present high position by very
means. They say that there
once lived Grooian poet and musician
n amed Arion, who went to Italy W here
he became immensely rich by his profess
by ship, the sailor resolved to murder him
and thus get possession of his wealth.
Arion begged the privilege of playing a
tune on his lute. The music attracted
a number of dolphins around the ship.
Aron lesped overheard and rode tri-
umphantly ashore on the back of one o
the humane dolphins,
Others say that famous poet named
Hesiod was murdered and thrown into
the sea, and that number of dolphins
carried the corpse of the murdered man to
the shore, the discovery of which led to
the capture of the assassins who were
afterwards put to death by being drowned
in the same sea.
The reader is here left to decide for
himself as to which of the above stories
is most likely to be true. 1t is sufficient
to say that the schoolmaster always ex-
press his belief on the first. ZERO.