The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-01-14
81. Adams correspondence.
A FEARFUL ACCIDENT


a good deal Of frequency. There may be
and doubtless are in town other streets
which in the winter season are resorted to
by children of both sexes and all ages,
from two to sevcnty-ilvc years, for pur-
poses OF coastihg, or in more expressive il
less elegant vernacular,,, sliding down hill,
but the popularity of all these other streets
and localities rolled into one, is as a cypher
beside the popularity of Bank street. This
is the one particular and altogether lovely
place where ,hc sled holds high carnival
and the happy owner is dominant. If we
may be permitted to measure time by the
care and anxiety experienced Gas why
should we not p we have been personally
and intimately acquainted with all the
phases and conditions of the coasting on
Bank street for something more than two
hundred years and never, in all that time,
have we known it to be as fine as it was
the week before last, and when we have
impressed upon the readers mind one more
stern fact, viz; that more than three
fourths of the sled cvolutons incident to
that blissfnl period were performed on the
sidewalk (only boys of more advanced age
and toughncss ycnturing into the street
and among the horses and vehicles thercon)
we have furnished the groundwork for an
idea of the deadly and exciting peril to
which we were exposed. BY some mystic
Vipttc trpgI f,vtttpn
scathed but our immunity was not, we
regret to say, shared by all of our neigh
bors.
Old Mr. Po,lgers is IA weighty and high
Y respected citizen who resided on High
street, and who in passing to and from his
place of business makes use of Bank street
as II thoroughfare. Mr.. Podgers was once
a boy himself and can perfectly understand
and sympathze with the fondness of latter
day youth for the antic sled and icy hill
side, so he, with great good nature, worked
himself into prop0 pcrspiration, morning,
noon and night for number of days by
his violent cXertons in dodging and jump
ing, first on one side and then the other,
and as often bcneYoently remarked on
gaining his office or house and hopping his
bald and glowing head with his large silk
handkerchief he invariably carries "Well
the boys air hayin' a grand time and no
mistake and his ruhicund face would
fairly beam with smiles as he gave utter
ance TO the kindly though homely words.
Thus the days passed until If we remem-
Der rightly, the Friday evening, when the
boy being temporarily absent, Mr.. Podgers
had occasion to go down town in the even
ing Ga thing the good man seldom does to
get his mail. The boys were out in aug
menlcd force, and Mr. Podgcrs. be-
Ing somewhat wcaricd by the day S
labor, it may be. lodged and
jumped and frisked around in ODE
dlcncc t. the shril warning, g Zip .
Zip. Take ca-;,-a-er,' with Il little less
than his usual checrfulncss of mind. But
there was no real outburst of feeling until
a boy, by name Johnny McFlinders, came
rapidly down the walk in direct line with
uhN JNhiiit WI ouSNIo' mummy Vas
sliding on 'traverse," and in that pecu-
liar style known in elegant language to
young gentlemen of his ill as ''bclly-gut, "
and Johnnys head was bent so low, in
pcnsiyc mood, perhaps, that he failed to
perceive Mr.. Podgers until he had well
nigh oyeitakcn that good gentleman, and
the admonitory "Iip! Yip!" was uttered
about three seconds too late. The unhap-
ply result was that Mr.. Podgers. 40 doubt,
suddenly concluded that the practice of
sliding after dark was a pernicious one,
which should be forthwith broken up, and
being an old gentlemen of great prompt
ness in execution when once his mind is
made up, he commenced at once to carry
this decision into effect by the first means
that suggested themselves to his mind, and
Hiram Podgers, Esq, father of family
and Il prominent merchant, sat down upon
little Johnny McFlinders, the son of a
widowed mother. We are convinced that
this was not prcmedtated act upon the
part of Mr.. Podgers, but rather, as above
limited, the carrying out of sudden i'm
pulse, so to speak. lie is IL man of much
energy Tor one of his years, and withal a
heavy man, and when he sat down, as
above related, ii was for every pound he
was worth. The traverse, giving sort of
shudder under the great weight so suddenly
added to its cargo, leapt forth with accel-
leraled speed, but riderless, and after a
brief, though splendid voyage, was wrecked
with all on board against large maple
tree.
We scarcely need answer our readers who
are acquainted with the compeers of master
Tommy Mcf'linders, that that young gen
tlemen came forth from the wreck wholly
uninjured and after addressing few re-
marks to Mr.. Podgers, which, we regret to
say, were not wholly respectful or free
from profanity, he resumed his amusement
with undated interest. The excellent Old
gentlemen picked himself up and after
standing for moment with most painful
~ bewildered expression of countenance,
betook himself to the middle of the street.
and proceeded quite rapidly to his house
which he entered with much dignity, and
suddenly appeared before Mrs. p, who
dropped her knitting and sat back aghast,
staring with dilated eyes at her lord and
master for about the space of ten seconds,
when, having partially recovered her power
of speech, she calculated;
'Why God bless my soul, Mr.. Podgers,
you are bleeding at the nose"
Bleeding at the nose, Mrs. p! am a
perfect mass of broken bones and gore
from head to foot madam :"
"Why, Mr., Podgers, how couM you ="
shut up !" retorted Mr.. p. wildly. and
adding with fierce gesture, 81 wish | had
"a ,t,vE