Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-08-01
Farm and FzreSlde.
COU.yTx.vG THE sIIING LES.

There are men who dispute what they do
not understand. Mr. Coville is such
man. When he heard q carpenter say that
there were so many shingles on the roof of
his house because the roof contained so
many square feet, Coville doubted the fig
ures, and when the carpenter went away
he determined TO test the matter by going
up on the roof and counting them. And
he went up there. He squeezed through
the scuttle-Covile weighs 230-and then
sat down on the roof and worked his way
carefully and deliberately toward the gut
ter. When he got part way down, he
heard sound between him and the shin
giles, and became aware that there was an
interference, some way, in his further loco
motion. He 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 tempo
rary, but an increased sound convinced
him that either nail or a 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 didn't want TO at
tract the attention of the neighbors. So he
sat there until after dark and thought. 1t
would have been an excellent opportunity
to have counted the shingles, but he neg
lected to use it. His mind appeared to run
into other channels. He sat there an hour
after dark, seeing no one he could notify of
his position. Then he saw two boys ap-
preaching the gate from the house, and
reaching there, stop. l: was light enough
for him to see that one of the two was his
son, and although he objected TO having
the other boy knowing of his misfortune,
yet he had grown tired of holding on TO the
roof, and concluded he could bride the
strange boy into silence. With this arrange
ment mapped out, he took out his knife,
and threw it so that it would strike near to
the boys and attract their attention. 1t
struck nearer than he anticipated. In fact
it struck 50 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 con-
fident, had attempted to kill him, and in
troduced 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 gut
ter, and pounded his legs, and then hauled
him back 10 the walk again and knocked
his head against the gate. And all the
while the elder Coville sat on the roof, and
screamed for the police, but couldn't get
away. And then Mrs. Coville dashed out
with a broom, and contributed few novel
to fl,o "; q, -,
the boarders dashed out with a double
barrel gun, and hearing the cries from TIC
roof, looked up there and espying figure
which was undoubtedly a burglar, drove a
handful of shot into its legs. With howl
of agony Coville made 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 the pow
er of speech, and when he passed over the
edge of the roof, with twenty feet of Tin
gutter hitched TO him, the boarder gave
him the contents of the other barrel, and
then drove into the house to load up again
The unfortunate Coville struck into a cher
>ry 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 day
wages picking the shot out of his legs
E The boarder has gone into the country te
spend the summer, and the junior Coville
having sequestered piece of brick in hi.
handkerchief, is laying low for that Other
boy. He says that before the calm of an.
other Sabbath rests on New England there
will be another boy in Danbury who cam
wear cap.-Ddnbury Ne,os.