Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1883-12-25

passes in picturesqaeness and quiet beau
ty the little village Of Waterford, in Ok
ford County, where Charles +. Brown,
better known as "Artemus Ward, was
born. The place is about As miles from
Portland. II contains only about 100
inhabitants. 1t lies on the shore Of a
large lake known as Ton Pond, at the
foot of a prcipitous mountain called
Mount Tire'm
The inhabitants are mostly farmers,
and, as a rule, well to DO. Within the
limits Of the township are many hills,
ponds and fine trout brooks, while the
Crooked river. manages, by hard work
and stric. attention to business, to wan
der Is miles in crossing the mile wide
township. The country about Waterford
is fertile, and once contained the finest
belt of pine timber in Maine. Ar;emus
liked Waterford, but not Oxford County;
for ne relates that within two months
after a scurrilous young man had made
fun Of his bald head, his aunt died and
left him farm in Oxford County, Ne.
The human mind can pic;er no greater
misfortin' than this"
Artemus's father died when the boy
was abog, IA years old, and as the fam:-
" circumstances were somewhat limited
thereby, he was appren,iced to Mr.. J. NJ.
Rix, who published the Coos Democrat,
at Lancaster, y. II. The stage line al
Lancaster ran by the Brown homestead,
and the drivers were no; unfamiliar with
the ability Of the future genial show
man" in the way Of practical jokes. They
knew how he organized shows, wherein
his fathers red COW, with coat sleeve
stuffed full Of hay hanging from her nose
served as the elephant upon which inno-
cent country youth were invited to ride
with startling results. They knew, too,
how old Deacon Hale's white horse had
been induced to wander away for mics
following a tempting bi; Of hay, hung
JUS; beyond reach by means Of a la;h
strapped to the horse's neck.
There was an endless series of p,4aks
gotten up by the boy to mystify the VII
Layers in general, and his mother in par
ticulsr, and all these were well known TO
the stage drivers. So when the young
humorist started for lancaster, eager TO
know as much as possible about his fut-
ure residence, the veteran driver, Steve
Seavy, having previously cOnspired with
the boys in Rix's Office TO give Young
Brown fitting reception. assured him
that Mr.. Rix was pious man, tha; his
hands were, if anything, more pious than
he, and that the sooner the would-be APP
prentice crammsd on the ca,eehism the
better. Charles listened dolefully. II
was late at night when the stage reached
Lancaster, and in the morning yonng
Blown hied himself TO the office. The
force consisted Of q journeyman and an
apprentice named Smith. They received
him solemnly. The iourneyman handed
him Bible and made him read chap
ter, after which he was examined on the
cAtechism.
His ignorance was severely Comment
ed upon, but he was permitted TO 90 to
Work. At noon similar performance
was enacted, while intense gloom rested
upon the office during the day. The next
morning Charles went 10 the Office re-
solved TO run away at the end Of the
week, bu, on locking about, failed to
find MS fellow craftsmen. Further search
revealed them under the garnet stairs too
intoxicated TO walk. Young Brown was
50 angry over the sell that he wrote a
note to the driver threatening vengeance,
which was never carried out Browns
fame as humOsist was a surprise to al
who knew him, and even to himself. A
greater surprise to his kinsfOlk now IS
the interest still manifested in the dead
meuymAker and his work.
They thought that all attention would
cease with his life, but every year the
number Of people who visit Waterford TO
see his mo,her-now almost so years old
increases. The town has changed bu!
little since his time. The village green,
about which he wrote and loved to think,
is as green and pretty as ever. The old
Brown homestead is still one of the best
in town, and the tide Of summer travel
troubles the quiet streets but little.
Browns remains are buried in Elmvale
cemetery, near the old Emerson place.
The grave is marked with plain slab,
much neglected. At the time of his bur-
ial some of his literary friends proposed
getting up monument, and did pass
resolutions 20 tina, effect.
Tha r,nnnrnsnt thnnrh much naeiad-