St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-03-20

The French amateur dramatic
performance at the town hall Monday
and Tuesday evenings for the benefit
of the French library drew fair audi
ences aud gave satisfaction. The actors
were far more easy and composed on
the stage than most amateurs and they
put considerable feeling into their
parts. The plot, strange to say, was
rather Frenchy, but this WAS the only
objection raised.
The village trustees are expert
menting with Il naphtha lamp i'll front
of Batchelder's shoe store. IL is thought
this material may supercede kerosene,
the whole being better and cheaper.
One advantage of naphtha will be the
amount to be used can be guaged by
the hour so that if lamps are wanted
to burn only until ten o'clock there
will not Ice enough naphtha inserted
to burn all through the night. as some
lamps are liable to do now.
Some of the boys around town are
already talking baseball for the COM
ing season. The scheme which is meet
ing with the most favor is to syStema-
tie the matter more than ever before.
If each of six or eight towns could
furnish Il club schedule of games
could he easily arranged so as to give
legitimate sport. Whether the scheme
will amount to anything is a question.
If the boys of this village should start
off in this there is little doubt but that
the towns around would follow suit.
Potatoes are such IA drug in the
market down the Connecticut that
farmers who held over their tuhers
for spring demand are disappointed
and not more than half as many acres
will he planted rs last year. Hundreds
of bushels of fine table potatoes can he
found in southern Vermont and north
eru MassaI husetts, the price last fall
not having been considered sufficient.
Ia this vicinity farmers have only
about enough to carry themselves and
the hogs through in good shape, but
the potato-buyer is unusually glum
over the situation.
The Cantata Flower Queen pre-
scented at the town hall last Friday
and Saturday evenings by the young
people of the Methodist society, under
the direction of Mrs. John A. Marshall
was very pleasing entertainment, and
was quite profitable to the society.
Or. +. Il. Grow as Recluse filled the
position in an admirable manner, while
the position of Queen was very grace
fully filled by Mrs. Leslie Bishop. The
solos were all well rendered, while the
smaller children entered into the affair
with zest that was charming, even
the three year old child filled her part
well.
The doctors have given Lafayette
SOpcr the very unwelcome opinion that
cataracts are growing upon both his
eyes and that he will before very long
be entirely blind. All can but hope
that they are mistaken and that thi,
calamity will he averted.-Nathaniel
Lee, one of the older citizens of the
town, is suffering from cataract which
is 50 far progressed that he gets about
with considerable difficulty. VIM. ID
Robinson. another aged citizen, whose
eyeSight has been impaired for some
years, has become totally blind within
Il few months past, and is no Longer
seen on the Sabbath in his accustomed
place in the North church.
! When the young man who has
/ just returned from the south reached
/ Florida he registered as Geo. FultOrd.
This signature caught the weather ey,
of new spaper reporter, who printed
it Gov. Fulford of Vermont" Georg,
was considerably surprised the mex
morning 10y being treated with tn,
greatest politeness by the same clerl
who on the previous evening ha,
/ kicked his ValiSe across the office an,
looked down on him from a Lofty
height. During his stay FulfOrd wa
invariably referred to as Governor,
invited to the high-toned places, givel
the freedom of the town by the mayo
aud "A banquet by the hotel proprieto
before lie got the idea through his head
Then lie was 81 tlckled that he bough
a small orange grove and took the frs
train for st. Johnsbury. Nobody cal
| got good trade out of George nov
without addressing him as Governor.
There are a good many individ
uals and firms all through the country,
said Aionzo Weeks, special examine
of the United States pension bureau
at the st. Johnsbury house yesterday
who are still engaged in the illega
practice of loaning money to pen
sioners, and receiving and holding
their pension certificates as securit
therefor. The United States officer
are very desirious that all pension
crS, whose certificates are in tn
hands of such men, shall notify then
at once. and their certificates will b
recovered aud the unlawful holders q
them prosecuted. While it is a viola
ton of law for a pensiOner to hypotl
, ecate his or her pension certificate
entire immunity is promised by tn
. !