The Press., 1886-01-28

nesday afternoon and evening at M. H..
 church parlors.
 List of letters remaining i'll the office
 at Stafford Springs, Conn.,, Jan. 28, 1886.
 Phebe D. Brown, Walter Brown, John I Brazil, Mrs John R. Cowen, Chary
 Enighas, Ma. IL. Mordo, Philip Quirk,
 John Stahlman, Myron Williams, Eddie E. Wood, R. s. Wood.
 STAFFORD HOLLOW.
 A-SURpRIsE. sE.-Last Saturday evening a Hunerous company of friends and neigh bOFs. laden with basket; and bundles, gathered quietly at the house of MT. Ja- l cob Glover, at the Hollow; and then un- der the marshalship of MT. E. c. Pinney, in a procession that stretched from resi- dence to residence, proceeded to the house of Mir. Wm. H. Champlin, to inform that gentleman and his wife that the twenty fifth anniversary of their marriage had ar- rived and must be celebrated i'll T manner befitting their position and that of their family in the community where they had been so long known. In response to the modest rap of the marshal, Mrs. Champ lin, who was busy over household dutiess, came to the door with R lamp ill her hand. Instead of finding the small boy, as she undoubtedly expected, she saw small sea of uptllrned faces spreading from her door steps out into the dark street l, who am Q tough old skeptic i'll regard to the integ rity of surprises, saw by the expression of the lady's face that we had ill the present instance the real thing beyond all possi- ble acting. Mir. Champlin, who was at the barn foddering and bedding his horses for the night, was sharply interrupted by some one rushing in with the intelligence that the house was full of people. "Full
 | asS II. t,rIr and who can now as he looks back upon the scene only conjecture probably how he got into the house and to his ward-robe,- whether by the back door or the front, or through window. After these felicitious preliminariee, which added much to the zest and charm of the occasion, were over, the company proceeded straightway upon their mission to persuade the worthy cou- ple with plain statements and solid argu- ments that they had really been married and lived together twenty-five years 1n the most comfortable manner, and were the parents of three aniable daughters, and more than this to cap the climax, grand parents by virtue of sweet little rose bud, brought nnharmed over the wintry Wilds of Chestnut Hill from Scitico. Finally the parson got the floor md launched out in a discussion of the silver bill now mp Tn congress, which made his hearers wonder what he was driving at till he took from the table a casket containing hundred dollars, bright and shining as moonlight on q bank of pearls, and said: Il use for the illustration of my subject this token of tiIial affection from their four children Including Geo. w. Stowe of Scitico, hus- band of the eldest daughter to these happy parents, and also" pointing to an- other casket, ''these sets of spoons, the gifts of friends and neighbors, ,-pllre and 3olId, and that will last undefiled beyond the wedding of the granddaughter and the golden celebration of those we honor. " At this point i'll the parsons speech the ( subtitle aroma of coffee suddenly became listinguishable i'll the air, which seemed ii ;o confuse the speaker, for he lost the thread of his subject and stopped short. Many undoubtedly regretted this abrupt | examination but all regrets were forgot ;en at the pleasant and abounding ban l 1uet that followed, which was conanae itI | 0ut from the steaming oysters to the am- < Der grapes and the great Florida's un- I rozen. The surprise awas duplicated in IS development; for they who planned it z were themelves surprised at the perfect z uccess of plans SO difficult to carry out to he full extent. The occasion was one of q
  erred were richly deserved. MT. and | IIrs Champlin have been known and re- f pected in this community through all of ' heir married life. The husband is prom T lent in masonic circles, finished work nan, and living embodiment, 80 to ' peak, of the laws and rules of the man. , Lal, and an impressive reader of the beau iful services of the order. NJ.
 srAFFoRpv1LLE. l Miss Julia D. and Mir. John G. Good { Il left last week for Brooklyn, N. Y., to pend few weeks with their sister, Mrs. ohm R. Chapman. Q The mills in Staffordville, lately pur- ( hased by Plee X Swindell, are henceforth 0 be known as Tioga Mills, and are now 5 unning on fine grade of wide goods. i
 WEST STAFFORD :" Rev. Alpheus Winter of Hartford, sec- ] etary of Conn. Temperance Union, will N ccupy the desk in the Congregational hurch next Sabbath, 91st, speaking c
 SOMERS. f
 (coRREsPONDENcE.) < -The funeral of Mrs. c. H. Gleason e las attended from the Congregationalist i hurch last week Wednesday afternoon. lev. MT. Ricketts of Rockville took | harge of the services. Mrs. Gleason's cath was surprise to most of her < ciends, as she was thought to be recover ng, and the greatest sympathy is felt for Ir. Gleason and tho bereaved friends. Miss Della Ryan is quite ill with 7 iphtheria. Miss Kate Coles, former teacher in 8 he seventh district, is making a short C isit with friends. [ The Somersville brick mill was dedi- ated last Thursday evening by an oyster 2 upper given by the ladies of the Congre- ] ational church for the benefit of the hapel fund. Though the weather was c cry unfavorable, nearly 300 people were |, resent, and over $10O was taken. The I Tazardville brass band furnished music, :. hort literary program was given. The ' edication poem was written by Mrs. !. lafayette Keeney.
 The charity ball given in the new [ rick mill, Tuesday evening, was great s uccess, nearly 125 tickets being sold. It as not as yet been stated for what object ' he proceeds shall be given.
 {From another correspondent.)
 In the recent cold snap here the mer- : ury fell so low that 0 disappeared with everal thermometers.
 The young peopleof Somersville made I