Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-08-17
THE IDLER,
Notes ANA Gossip Picked UP OH IN,
street.

Notes ana Gossip Picked Up on the
| street.
There are lots of queer people in the
world. The fact is pretty generally known,
and the Idler doesn't announce it as an orig.
inal discovery. lie was merely reminded OF
II by seeing in the City clerks office chap
who wanted marriage license and who
couldn't for the life of him remember
whether he had ever been married or not.
vi course trillc like tl0t may not be of
sufficient consequence to remember, but
some way or another most people do make
out to remember it. The citizen VIC arc
speaking of rather thought that he had been
married once, but was unable to say positive
". Neither did he know his prospective
brides fall name but it was OF no conse-
qucncc, he said, ''thc old woman knows all
about it,
Manager II. N. Drury has just complete
his twe,dy-iiith year Of service in his present
Office In old and unrcgencralc days Mr..
Drury was Il printer and had decidedly nd
vcnturous career. lie worked ut the case in
North Carolina and New Orleans was, with
his brother, the original editor and publisher
OF the Arkansas 1raceitor /, published pa
per in Knox county, Mississippi, in after
years famous, or rather infamous for Ku.
klux massacres aud underwent many vicis-
STUDIES of fortune. In those days the south
crn editor was wont, on publication day, to
sit on his front steps with shotgun across
his knees and n revolver at his side. Then
when an indignant citizen came round, gun in
hand and blood in his eye, the editor would
XIII HIN and have his printers remove the re-
mains to the back yard of the printing Office
aud then load up for the next man. Once in
n while tho indignant citizen would get in his
work first and then the paper would suspend
publication until the administrator could sell
it, Mir. Drury was fortunate enough, how
ever to escape such u fate. lie finally gave
the printers craft the cold shake and became
disciple of Morse, with much benefit TO his
avoirdupos and cxchcquer,
Speaking of printing reminds one of writ
ing The study Of handwriting is an inter-
esting one. Senator Edmunds writes
painfully ctamped, knotty, twis,cd-up sort
OF hand, and is apt to tconomizc in labor
by writing only the first and last letters of
word, the intervening ones being represent
ed by merely wavy line Rev Mr.. Wares
MSS. resemble cuneiform inscriptions and
are utterly undecipherable The Idler once
borrowed a sermon OF his, but found him.
self unable to read line of il, were he to
die for 1t. Lately, however, Mr. Ware has
invested portion of his revenue in a stylo-
graphic pen, and finds it impossible to write
with it quite so badly as with an ordinary
pen. Hon. Edward j. Phelps makes
back-handed letter that is the despair of
printers. Those who are lucky enough TO pos
sess Cashier Woodbouses marvellous
autograph on bank bills may be glad
to learn that he doesn't always
write as horribly as that. Cashier
Wells of the Howard bank would make
good writing master, if he should ever want
| to change his occupation. Rev. DIR. Brastow
| writes hand that pretty effectually conccals
his thoughts. Rt. Rev. Bishop DeGoesbri-
aud makes letters Of the size adopted by
those ingenious citizens who write the Lords
Prayer within the compass of tcn.ccnt
piece. a sheet Of his writing looks more
like finely-cngravcd sheet than anything
else. Rev. Father Lynch writes a bold hard
which he who runs may read. City Clerk
Root writes a precise and ClCrkly hand,
and his record books are models, as
far as penmanship is concerned. Hon Henry
Ballard never uses pen, prcferrlng point
ed stick, and does not pretend to be able TO
equally elegant is Hon. George II. Bigelow 8
l
had to learn it, just as one might learn
Arabic
Said the 1dltr TO friend 'sus scst pleas
ant book TO slip in ones pocket when one
starts Of on Il Summcr vacation"
"Ob," was the answer" Mr.. Vernon T.
Noycs pocket book
The Idlcr is vel aware thai it is .hc prov.
incc of his kind to amusc rather than to in
struct, but occasionally he comes across bit
of information which he considers it his duty
TO impart 10 the public. The particular irag
ment of wisdom which he feels impcllcd 10
communicate at the present time, will be
best conveyed by relating a little incident
which occurred to a friend. The ldlcr.
friend was to take the night train for Boston
and he accordingly wrote up to st. AlOan.
and secured his berth in tho sleeper. Short
ly after 10 O'Clock he repaired to the depot in
this city, aud walked up to the ticket Office
to buy his ticket. The agent Informed hin
that he could not sell a Boston ticket at thai
time of night, but would sell him Il ticket tC
Essex Junction. at which place he could Sc
cure through ticket TO Boston. The gen
tleman put faith in the word of the willy
pastcboard vcndcr, and jDurneycd happily
eastward 10 the graveyard village at tn,
meeting oil the roads, where lie again pu
in his claim for "a ticket to Boston, T,
his amaze, he was promptly informed that h,
would have to pay his fare 10 the conductor
as it was against the rules Of the road 10 sci
o through ticket at that time Of hight. A:
this proceeding cntaied an extra expense o
$50. the ldlci's friend was very justly in
dlgnant, and had some words with both th,
ticket agent and couGu;t tor, which, however
resulted in his dcicat-not orally but official
, ly-and the paymcn, of Sl.5O in addition Il
J the usual rates. Non, II this is not fac
, which the public in gcncral ought TO he dis
. tnctly Informed OF, the ldlcr is very greatl,
mistaken He himself has never seen the or
, der referred to blazoncd abroad in the pala
tial waiting rooms Of the Vermont Contra
, railroad, aud he doubts if thrcc-fourIhs o
/ his more active friends have Accordingly
, he takes this opportunity of advising hi
t friends to buy their night tickets by daytime
A and save the mysterious and secret toll i'm
posed on the helpless traveller in the dar
Q hours of the night.