The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1895-08-16
Beecham's pills for consti-
patton Iot and a5f. Get the
book at your druggists and
go by it.

Annual sales more than 6.0OO.OO0 boxes
and pastures are so full of stones tina
the stock raisers are compelled to TAX,
their sheep to the blacksmith's tt
have their noses sharpened, so the,
will be able to feed between the rocks
OF course, this is all gross libel OF
the fair name of noble country.
The aspect of old Vermont as {
country in which to settle may seen
hard and 'uninviting, but one thing
cannot be denied, she raises men; ano
she has a history.
There was Ethan Allen and his cele
brated Green Mountain boys, there
was
But hold, | started out with the
promise of telling ghost story, and
here | am entirely off of the track,
must have been switch turned wrong
somewhere.
TO resume the original thread, | will
have to describe briefly, the lay of the
country where the occurrence am
about to relate took place.
| At the junction of the West river
with the Connecticut, under the morn
ing shadow of Wantastiquct mountain,
nestles the beautiful city of Brattlc-
boro, the metropolis of southern Yer
mont.
Along the west bank of West river
runs the main road up the West river
valley, the village of West Drummer
ston lies upon this road about five miles
from Brattleboro.
About one half mile before reaching
| West Dummerston village at the mouth
of considerable brook, the road forks,
the western branch following up the
course of the afore mentioned brook.
About one mile up this branch lived,
at the time of which | write. man
by the name of Goss.
At Mr. Goss' place the road again
forked, the western branch winding up
the hillside, through one of those grand
old New England forests, for about a
mile, till it reached the next neighbor
ing farm, owned by man by the
name of Herrick.
One half mile due north of HerricS =
was the old homestead of my father.
From the village before mentioned,
on the main or river road, was we'll
worn footpath, cutting across lots
through fields and pastures and con
Meeting with the hill road at Goss',
which path all the hull people travelled
when on foot as the nearest cut to town.
The distance by this path from the
village to where it struck the road at
Goss' was say about three quarters of
mile.
| am thus particular in detail as il
will be found necessary in order to
fully understand what is to follow.
East of my fathers place and north
of Goss' was one of those grand old
first growth New England forests, riv-
aled nowhere in grandeur this side of
the Yosemite valley, principally Of
monarch sugar naples (accr sacchar
NUM-, graceful birchcs (hettula excel /
sal, and giant beeches (fagus ferrug
inca.
At this time the earth had not yet
disclosed to mankind the inexhausti
BILE wealth of cheap fuel stored in its
bosom and wood was valuable com
modify.
My oldest brother was then in his
twenties. say about twenty three or
four, and unmarried.
Our neighbor, Herrick, had son
about his age, also unmarried, and the
two were great chums.
Together they purchased the large
woodlot spoken of, and went into part
nership in the wood and lumber bust |
ness.
My brother lived with his partner,
at Herrick's, seniors.
Goss was also engaged in the wood |
business, possessing fine lots upon his |
place.
All wood from that section was mar
keted at Brattleboro The wood was
hauled mostly in the winter, when the
snow roads afforded excellent shedding. |
Goss was a very incorporate man, in |
fact great nebriate.
This was before the "kill or cure'
treatment as our little friend Miss
Coda D., called it, was ever thought
of.
Little Miss Coda was at our house
the other evening, when, in converse
ton, the name of a victim of the alco
mol habit was mentioned, when Miss
Coda spoke up and said ' heard to
lay that he had been sent to the kill
or cure institute, so l suppose he will
De killed or cured, one or the other,
now.
OF course, we all smiled audibly,
much to the confusion of Coda, who
saw that in some way she was the
,ause of our merriment.
Blushing rosy red-she is blonde
added, confusedly, "Wcll,
hat is what l understood Mrs B to
Jay, anyway"
Naturally we exploded again, but ex
blamed to Miss Coda, as soon as we
,ould control our risibles, that it was
Kelley cure, named after the good doc
or who discovered it, and not -kill-or
.ure, as she had understood it.
Well, there l go again clear off the
rack. Il
To back up and fill again and take
new start. | will repeat that Goss
vas a great drunkard, and as the Kee I
ey cure had not then been discovered,
he continued to be great drunkard.
His custom was to take good load
# wood to Brattleboio, and returning
It night always pretty well set up to
cave his team at the fork of the roads
o go on up home by itself, while he
vent on up to the village tavern to fin
sh his jag with the congenial spirits
10 was sure to meet there. At any rate
he spirits he imbibed appeared to be l
specially congenial.
After carousing to his satisfaction
a., cI, l. &, ho |