The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-07-21
VIZ. COyiiic's Complicated HIisfOr-
tune.
From the Danbury News.G


There are men who dispute what they do
not understand. Mr. Coville is such man.
When he heard a carpenter say that there
were so many shingles on the roof of his
house because the roof contained so many
square feet, Covile doubted the figures,
and when the carpenter went away he de-
termined to test the matter by going on the
roof and counting them. And he went up
there. He squeezed through the scuttle-
Covillc weighs 230-and then sat down on
the roof and worked his way carefully and
deliberately toward the gutter.
When he got part way down, he heard a
sound between him and the shingles, and
became aware that there was an interfcr-
ence some way in his further locomotion.
lie tried to turn over and crawl back, but
the obstruction held him. Then he tried
to move along little, in hopes that the
trouble would prove but temporary; but an
increased sound convinced him that either
a nail or silver had hold of his cloth, and
that if he would save any of it he must use
caution. His folks were in the house, but
he could not make them hear, and besides
he did not want to attract the attention of
his neighbors. So he sat there until after
dark and thought.
1t would have been an excellent Oppor-
tunity TO have counted the shingles, but he
neglected to use it. His mind appeared to
run into other channels. He sat there an
hour after dark, seeing no one he could no.
tify of his position. Then he saw two boys
approach the gate from the house, and APP
preaching there stop. 1t was right enough
for him to see that one of the two was his
own son, and although he objected to have
the other boy know of his misfortune, he
had grown tired of holding on to the roof,
and concluded he could bfibe the strange
boy into silence
With this arrangement mapped out he
took out his knife and threw it so that it
would strike near the boys and attract
their attention. 1t struck nearer than he
anticipated. In fact it struck so close as
to hit the strange boy on the head and
nearly brain him. AS soon as he recovered
his equilibrium he turned on Coville's boy
who, he was confident, had attempted to
Kill him, and introduced some establishment
and bruises in his face. Then he threw
him down and kicked him in the side and
banged him on the head, and drew him
over into the gutter and pounded his legs,
and then hauled him back to the walk
again and knocked his head against the
gate.
And all the while the elder Coyile sat on
the roof and cried "police," but couldn't
get away. And then Mrs. Coville dashed
out with n broom, and contributed n few
novel features to the affair at the gate, and
one of the boarders dashed out with q
doubed-b arreled gun, and hearing the
cries from the roof, looked up there and
cspied figure which was undoubtedly a
burglar, drove a handful of shot into his
legs.
With II howl of agony Coville made a
plunge to dodge the missiles, freed himself
from the nail, lost his hold to the roof and
went sailing down the shingles with awful
velocity, both legs spread out, his hair on
end, and his hands making desperate but
fruitless efforts to save himself. He tried
to swear, but was so frightened that he lost
his power ofspeech, and when he passed
over the edge of the roof, with twenty feet
OF tin gutter hitchod to him, the boarder
gave him the contents of the other barrel,
and then drove into the house to load up
again. The unfortunate COvlle struck into
cherry tree, and thence bounded to the
ground, where he was recognized, picked
up by the assembled neighbors, and carried
into the house.
A new doctor is making good wages
picking the shot out of his legs The
boardcr has gone into the country to spend
the summer, and the junior Coville, hay
ing sequestered piece of brick In his
handkerchief, is laying low for that other
boy. lie says that before the calm of an
other Sabbath rests on New England there
Will be another boy in Danbury who can't
wear cap.