The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-02-14
YOUNG KRAMER.


YOUNG KRAMER.
The town of Roundtop is situated up
on an eminence overlooking an arm of
Lake Lovely, famous resort for sum.
mer visitors, who find at Watermarge,
opposite Roundtop, their principal at
traction. Some locate at the top" as
the town is familiarly called, lured by
the specious claim Of its pleople as to its
prospective scenery" but it is only
suited to the tastes of quiet people, who
make no prelCnsiOns to fashion, and
therefore 1t ls hardly known except as a
factor in the scenery from the other
side.
Nevertheless RcundGop is a place re-
spectacle as to years, and makes no
mean display in the election returns.
with an output on the lake, it communi-
Gates by small vessels with Watermarge
and large towns below, and within few
years a branch road from the Watamuke
Trunk Line skirts the base of the hill
upon which it is situated giving it a new
commercial importance by adding to its
facilities for transportation, its products
being cottage bedsteads, wooden ware
and clothespins, with the vegetable con-
tributions from surrounding farms. The
people repose in content on the bedstead
trade, and with their small resources ask
for nothing more; and if they did they
would hardly with reason ex.
pect it. The "fact'ry" Is their pride. Il
is run by an exclusively lUc,l corpora
ton, and the stockholders meetings are
held with MS much solemnity as though
there were millions in it the small diyi
dends pocketed with a satisfactil IN Cqual
to that felt by those concerned in grand
or enterprises.
The question will be asked, who was
young Kramer" and what h8d he tC
do with Roundtop3 The two Seectmel
of the town found a similar question
hard to answer some twenty five Yeas
tgo, when they received from what pur.
ported to be town in Nevada rough
looking letter. enclosed in an envelope
postmaIked Boston. OF the following
| tenor
rum GULCH, New. July 6, 1S-.
| To Deacon Turner and 'tOther Slackmdn
of Round Top Vt:
| am a nativ of Round Top, and hav'
ing made tile money would like to
do somthin for the plaice of my berth
wicb left a good vile ago If this
'hOold be agreeable direct to me care OF
Rounce Brothers Boston as 10 how fur a
few hundreds of dollars will go towards
benoh in the good old town
| Yours trooly
Young KRAMER"
This was a poser. Who could Young
Kramer BE-, who had left good while
ago and still wes young? The town was
canvass,d d in every direction for infor'
nation regarding any one residing
thereabouts named Kramer, but inquiry
was vain. The county registry of dt eds
was ,quaIiy silent and never were peo
PIE so bcthered, coming to The conclu
sion that they had been hOax-d and that
there was no such pt rson.
"Let us write to Rlunce Brothers
B ,ston, said Deacon Turner To his ass
clate. land learn from them il there {
any such folks ?"
I'VE wi ;" WAS he reply you de
| it, and 1t was done.
| After a lutte while tier came from
"R'unce Brothers, Attorney" theil
name printed on top Of the sheet, stat
ing that II ey were he attorneys of Mr.,
| Young Kramer of Nevad' who had de-
| posted IN their hands certain sun
awaiting communication from the Sc
lectInen OF X undtop as TO is disposal
A groOp stood about he post Office
| WHIT n the tier was received, to whom
the contents were read by Deacon Tur'
ner, and they we're being freely discuss
ed when an old man named GrOut-
ransmuted TO "Grouty" by common
usage-who lived at the farther part ol
the town in tumble down way, drove
up tr the office in rckety old wagon
with wretched horse, and ], oke oyel
/ list ung Outside the door for letter
| 10 himself He loitered while to listen
to the discussion, when one turned to
MIN in a banter.ng way and 50 d {:
"Well. old Grouty, what do you know
about Young Kramer
who is he p asked the old man.
That's what we want to know, He''
| lust ready to throw hull baskets full OF
money upon us if we'll only take il, and
we don't know what to do about it.
II should know mighty quick if he
should offer it to me-" the old man SAID
| with a sort of growl.
Odd you ever hear the name oi
Kramer round here r asked the qres-
| ,ioner.
'Kramer-le'me see. Why, yes; there
was a man named Kramer-an old Hes
sian, who fit at Bennington and ran
away from the British after the battle
who settled on that hill over yonder, and
I've hearn my father tell of him and hl'
children; but they dwindIed down tt
one, and he went away more'n forty
year ago"
| All gathered round the old man, who
gave them what he knew, and to the
ques tion as to RoundIop being Kramer
birthplace, he said that miles of one dis
Iict Than formed a single town, anc
Kramer had. perhaps, formed a whim e
consider himself native of the towI
neighboriDg so near the place OF hi
birth, feeling that there was no neare'
town to adopt. In the absence of an'
other Kramer, he thought 1t would b'
safe to accept this one, whose motiv'
set med so good that they would ljs'
nothing by admitting his claim TO nativ
lty here.
All wondered why they had not con
sulted the old man before. but he wa
very disagreeable in temper and reprllcC
visitors by his manner He had, there
fore, little to do with the people o
Roundtop besides se ling Il n eggs, Al
occasional pullet and small vegetable
from the little place he cultivated-quit,
hermit IN winter, when he WI seldom
seen. He had disappeared mysteriousl,
as he went, taking up life just as he lef
it-poor, lonely and surley, the dislik
OF every one ''Od Grouty" was fit
ting name for such churlish man. Blu
there were those who pene rated to hi
hovel and spoke to him kindly an,
brought him necessaries, which the,
found lacking. and tempting little deli
caces, which he had received with rougI
gratitude.
Having ascertained through GrCu
tht I there had been, at least. a Kramer
adopting his suggestions as to the iden
ii y of "Young Kramer" and his mo
tive the Selectmen turned themselves /
thinking as TO what could be done wit
the money that might accrue to IN
towns advantage. such as painting tn
old church, which was owned by tn
town, repairing the school house, an
reservIDg the balance Of the amour
specif d-prObably not very large-fC