The Somerset reporter., 1885-07-15
OUR TRAVELLING MAN.

Bpr Is Nor-"ArrRACTIoNs" FOR SUMMER
| BoARpERs.
When we are well and about our daily
work We are liable to forget a class of peo-
pie, who have passed from the stage Of &C.
tive business, and are retired to await their
| summons to go hence. l ''laid or few
days last week, In Skowhegan, to rest from
my labor, and pay my friend, rs. pa
long promised visit. as. d." is most
geDial host and he made the time pass
very swiftly. Among the visits made to
the adjoining towns during my stay, none
was enjoyed more, than one we made to
Madison, to call upon two Of his "young"
friends. The first call was on Capt. Samu-
Il Burns, who celebrated his oath birthday
| the Srd of this month. l was told his age
and as l entered the house of his daughter,
Mrs. John Barron, where be finds most
charming home, l looked for an old, de.
cripit person. What was my surprise,
| however, when l was shown into his room,
and met a wonderfully we'll preserved
gentleman, sitting erect in his chair. He
| gave us most cordial greeting, and
bearing 4 slight deafness retains all his
faculties to a wonderful degree. Until the
| u
| late he has lost the use Of his limbs, and
now does not leave his room. Sitting
quite near him, l conversed with him, with
| remarkable ease, upon a variety of sub
| jects Capt. Buns, has lived long and
| busy life and he now looks back upon 1t,
with not a little pleasure. He remarked,
that he was once worth good property
including a 500 acre farm, but had been
| smart enough to get rid of it. The man.
| ht ~ h., r;A Of rod In
both his head and heart 1t has long been
his practice to present all his daughters
and grand daughters, with new dress
| once year. On his last visit to SkOwhe-
gan, he wanted to purchase several dresses
for this purpose, and fearing that man OF
his age, might not get the attention be de-
sired. he adopted novel method, to com.
mand respect and attention from some OF
y ur Skowhegan dry goods clerks. Tax.
ing out q well fill d purse he handed it to
the clerk, and asked him to care for 1t
while he ran around town little. When
he me back he said the clerk was all at
tention, and he got the best bargains he
ever did in his life. Money makes the
| mare GO, even in Skowhegan
dry goods stores. Capt. Burns was the
first man In Madison and probably In Som
erset county, to decide that 1t was possible
to harvest big crop OF hay without rum
|
alw avs been his habit for years, to 60 to
Augusta. just before hay,ng, and buy q
half barrel of rum, and barrel of molass-
Is. At last it occurred to him, that this
was very foolish, not to say hurtful prac-
tice, aud so he announced to his crew Of
men, that hereafter, the hay was to be got
without rum. 1t is needless to say that
the announcement made sensation, but
there was no strike, as the Captain was
l I.sr <xfn tf nfriH nn
| One man 10 great seriousness told the
Captain that he could not do decent days
work without rum. The Captain told him
to do the best he could, and he would &C.
cept of 1t. This was the beginning OF the
end of the univ. rsal use of rum, in gather
ing the hay crop. Capt. Burns Is q sturdy
Republican, and has acted well his part 10
long, and busy life. May he yet live
long upon the earth. After leaving Capt.
"Sam" as he Is atiectionately called by his
neighbors, we drove over to call on Rev.
John Dennis, now IN the 87th year Of his
life. ELDER Dennis" as everyone calls
him, lives with his son George, In Madison.
He moved from New Portland, In 1857 and
has lived there ever since. His father
was the 18th person to 60 to New Port
land and being a blacksmith, did good
business 10 the infant town. Elder Den
mis- tells me that the REPORTER is his favor
tie paper, having taken it many years.
He enQuired for Col. z. A. Smith, former
editor, who he rejoiced to hear, was pros
pering. While Col. Smith conducted the
REPORTER, he furnished the paper with
history of New Portland. He has also
been writer on various topics. He has
always been an ardent christian, and now
In his declinin. years, does not depart from
the faith Of life time. Elder DenHs still
takes a lively interest In matters Of various
kinds and rs he is constant reader, he
keeps we'll posted on current topics. He
Is not able to leave his room, but his gen.
eral health allows him to enjoy much OF
lie.
As left these two venerable men
could not help thinking of them, as con.
Meeting links between the past and pres
ent. When they and q few of their com.
panions drop out, how much of the early
history Of this vicinity will be lost, never
to be regained. While we wander here
and there, they sit quietly in their rooms,
reviewing the past with its pleasant men,
cries. Their last act, In the battle OF life,
has been performed, and now they simply
tarry for the word of their Master.
The glory of the circus has departed and
the small boy of to-day knows nothing Of
what they have missed by not having been
born at an earlier period in the worlds
history Now every circus Of any renown
travels by railroad and what fun Is 1t to see
| a circus unloaded from railroad train.
Twenty-Five years ago all circuses travelled
by team and as much pride was taken in
the large handsome horses used to trans
| port the establishment as In the ring ami
mails. Then it was that the small boy
watched for the date when a circus was to
arrive in town. A boy who would let
circus reach its grounds without his escort
would be considered too stupid for any
! thing. If such a boy ever lived never
have heard OF his existence. As soon as
peep oday the small boy WIS on the out
look for the canvassmen who always went
ahead and pitched the cooking tent that
breakfast could be got under way at once.
Then came the long line of gaily decksd
cages filed with ferociOus animals and
| tame harmless birds Of beautiful plumage.
| The horses have been driven all night and
are tired and the drivers are too sleepy to
hurry them, so the procession move slowly
and the youthful spectators had full oppOr-
tunity to gaze to bis hearts content upon
the wonder. Now all this is changed.
| The circuses which travel on teams are not
worth the loss Of good morning nap to
healthy boy. saw one come into Farm.
ington the other morning. 1t was raining
terrifcally and sicker and sadder looking
lot Of men never beheld. They had no
cooking tents but all went to the hotel
The big tent did not 60 up till most noon
and then it was dreary sight. Think Of q
circus In the good old times not getting in
to working order for the day till noon, rain
| or shinei hear IL said that Barnum got