Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-11-23
4 New Use for Oysters.

HOW WESTERN MAN UTILIZED A LOAD OF THE
EIvALvEs-A FRAGRANT FLowER-BED BORDER.
A man named Horter lived out in Colora-
do Il few wears ago. but as his health was bad
he WAS ordered to spend year or two at the
seashure tie was born in the far West, and
had never seen an oyster i'll Its shell. he
bought a cottage down at Atlantic City, and
went there to live early last Spring. few
days after his arrival he saw Il man going by
with a cartload of oysters, which Horton
nifstook for stones. Stones are mighty scarce
at Atlantic, and as Horter wanted TO make
some borders for his flower-beds, he asked
the man what he would take for his load. 1t
struck Horter that the price was high, but no
the lot and had them dumped down by his
gate The next day he stuck eight hundred
OF them in the sand in his garden, around
the beds aud when the Job was done he
thought It looked uncommonly handsome.
A week afterward there were three or four
warm days, and Horter remarked that the
sea breeze smelled very strongly and he
told Mrs. Horter that lac thought there must
be dead whale lying somewhere down on
the beach. The next day the smell became
more offensive, and Mrs Horter said that it
was al outrage that the authorities didn't
clean up the streets and remove the garbage
that poisoned the air. On the following day
the weather was extremely hot, and the
stencil became perfectly terrific. Mr. Hor-
ter said there must be dead rat somewhere
in the Notwithstanding, and he got the car
penter to come and remove sumo of 1t. But
lie found nothing, and upon going away he
remarked 10 HOfter that the sauerkraut they
were cooking Tor dinner was the deadliest
sauerkruut Tor smell that he ever encounter
ed.
The stencil grew stronger all the night,
and the next morning committee Of neigh
bers waited upon Mr.. Horter to say that If
he would kill that pole cat he would confer
personal favor upon them and upon the peo-
pie Of the county generally Then Hortor
told them how perplexed lie was about the
matter, aud said he would be only too glad
to have the cause of the trouble detected.
So the committee made tour of inspection,
holding their noses When they got into
the garden they perceived the oysters all
gaping wide open and evolving an awful
smell absolutely III fumes. One Of the Com
mitteemen grasping the fact that llorter
planted these oysters, imagined that he was
crazy, and suddenly climed over the fence
and went home The others remained, and
asked Iiorter what on earth lac meant by lay
ing these oysters around in tue sun IN that
manner.
.,Oysters ~ said Horter. "Oysters you
don mean to say those are oysters, Well,
well. that beats all | was wondering what
made all those stones split down the middle.
| couldn't account for it. And no those are
oysters Why, | thought oysters always
came IN cans /"
That afternoon he buried the shell-fish
deep in the sand and the smell ceased. Then
be sold out his cottage and moved to Long
Branch He told Brown, his next door
neighbor, that he knew they were oysters all
the time aud did it for Joke, but he moved
because the people seemed to see too awful
much fun IN it.