The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-12-25


I'm after So fed him long story
about young brother Ihad who was go
ing to college, and how l thought on
some accounts small college was better
than a big one. Then said / supposed
there was good deal of hazing here,
and before he could answer 1 fed him
another yarn about scrape got into at
boarding school by hazing-show owing him
that was thoroughly in sympathy with
it and all that, and looked at it as ma
tural thing.
"Well, then he up and told me the
whole story about Senator Morron's son,
with the names of all the men and every
thing. l had catalogue of the college
in my hand, and, as turned the leaves
over, made mark with a toothpick
opposite the mems names. Then / went
home and telegraphed column and
half to my paper. And l had so much
stuff that 1 fed 'em about column
day for week. 1t made an awful sensa-
ton. The day after sent my first dis
patch the New York Herald had three
columns and the World had two and
a-half.
''That was how l became acquainted
with Senator Morton. Before that he
didn't know what the matter was with
his son. But tell you he was wild. He
was just going to kill everybody up at
W. There wasn't man, woman
or child in the town, however, who had
ever heard of any hazing. The W
Weekly came out with lot of stuff; but
l wrote to them and told them that if
they didn't shut up I'd. give all the
names to the papers. knew the names,
and to prove it told EN- to them; and
you can bet they didn't write much more
at me.
swell, sir" continued Armstrong
(Which isn't his name), leaning back in
his chair and laughing, "the funniest
thing happened to me about that affair.
l was sitting at my desk one day, when
two young men came in and began to
talk to me. They asked about the town,
4
and what was going on, and all that
just as anyone would who was passing
away half hour in a country newaspa-
per office. By and by one of them picked
up newspaper that had something in it
about the Morton hazing case, and said:
"'By the way, how is it about this
affair? Is all that straight that came
out in the newspapers p
eyes, SIR 1 answered, that's all
straight, every word of it.
"'Did you write it p they asked.
Every word of it, / answered, and
l got it on good authority, too
"Just then the telephone rang and 1
got to answer it, A friend of mine was
at the other end, and the first thing he
said was:
"'Now only want you to answer Yes,
or No, to my questions
"'All right says 1.
" is that Armstrong q he said.
YES l answered.
care there two men in your Office,
looking something like farmers, who are
asking you questions about the hazing
case p
eyes l said.
"Well, don't You tell them single
thing; they are two Pinkerton detectives
sent over by President c.
"'All right said; much obliged
ttTban cot dOxuY, o,,I mani -, +ollr;nr.
to the two men; but / swear it was all l
could do to keep from laughing right
out. TO think of me standing there
before their very faces, and talking
about them, and they not hearing word
was too funny. Every few minutes il
would come over me, and | would have
to hold myself down in my chair to keep
from yelling. At last l couldn't stand it
any longer, and said to them:
See here, you'd better go back to
President C and tell him it's no
CO.
II wish you could have seen their
faces. They tried to bluff it out at first,
but told them knew what they had
come for, and so they went"
A bright picture that relieved the
monotony of an assignment:
A dash through the Berkshire Hills in
fall. Around curves so tippy-up and
sharp, where it seems as if one could
lean out of the rear car and foot the
whistle on the engine.
We follow the little winding streams
closely; very pretty little streams they
are, but the steep green entertainments
that lead down to them remind one so
strongly of the accident near here one
read about yesterday.
Patches of autumn leaves. brilliant
crimson against the dark hills. Cheer
full reminders of the sad fact that sum-
mer is gone. Very gay mourning the
trees put on; the darker the times the
brighter they are; some morning in win
ter after dismal storm they will wake
up with every twig wearing diamonds
even before breakfast--very bad taste.
The hills grow sleeper, and presently
one PUSHES by the car windows all
covered with birches, whose white
trunks and branches CLEAN like petrifled
lightning-flashes stuck in the ground to
grow.-Irot.
The Greatest Sufferers in the World