Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-05-03
A Singular COINCIDENCE.
One of Its Elements Is a Familiar Super
stititiOn.

One of Its Elements Is Familiar Super
stititiOn.
"f0lh'ng of fatalities, " said the racon-
tour Of tho club, "if you will 60 back to
the seventies l will tell you of curious
incident that happened, in which the
number ID had II prominent part. 1t was
thought nothing of mt the time, but long
aftcrward those who were witnesses Of the
event recalled it rs a singular coincidence,
to say the least. !. for my part, admit
that am supcrstitious and regard tri1lcs
light as air in the way Of combinations
Strong"
STORY, storyl commanded the presi-
Gent of the club.
STORY? God bless you, have none to
give you," said tho racontcur "It was
more than story, for tragedies followed
in its wake. You remember the yacht
Cora, which was owned by genial De-
troit man, no longer with us. The Cora
had carried many II merry party safely on
voyage of pleasure, and it is to one of
those joyous occasions l am about to refer.
There was party going for an afternoon
sail in the summer of 1S7+-a jolly party
of prominent citizens, their wives and Sow
eral guests, among whom were two ladies,
the wives of soldicrs-Nlrs. General Custer
and Mrs. Custer Calhoun, wife and sister
of General George A Custer, who was
then fighting Indians in the northwest.
at was just before the Cora was start
ing from her dock at Crosse Isle on her way
up the river with her laughing, happy
crowd of pleasure seekers that the party
noticed number of small, black objects
Tutoring about in the water The attcn-
tion of their host, the owner of the boat,
was called to them, and he made the dis
cOycry that they were quails, part of u
coyey of birds that in trying to cross from
one marsh to another had lost their bear
ingS become frightened and were now
luttcring in the water. All went to the
rescue with buckets, hats and anything
else that came handy, the birds were
caught, landed on the deck and turned
over to the cook with orders that they DO
served up for supper Old Billy, the cook,
was somewhat troubled about the birds,
and he called his employer into the galley.
"'Yoh see dem BIRDS Mr.. B--Y
"'Ycs, Billy
"'Yoh done count EN-, sah?'
"'No didn't count them.
Don't hab 'em cooked, sab, said old
Billy earnestly. 'Izo done count 'cm, an
derc's jest -.
His employer laughed heartily as he
said:
"'I'm afraid you'll feel worse, Billy, old
fellow. There are just 10 in the company
That means one quail for each guest
There won't be even the bones of one left
for YOU old man
1" 'Lordyr said Billy, rolling his eyes. I
jest wouldn't eat one foh dc hull universe
No, sab
but the birds were deliciously cooked,
served in fine style and eaten with many
a jest concerning their fatal number while
the fortunate 10 specialized as to what the
course Of events would have been had there
been one less or one more.
I'm all that gay company there was no
thought of coming trouble, and it would
have excited laugh of derision to have
predicted the malcdictions of fate. Yet in
few years five of those happy wives were
dCsolate widows, two of them through the
tragedy of the battle of the Little Big
Horn, while the genial host met the clos
ing tragedy of his life in the waters that
had so often been his sport and pleasure"
II remember the casualty to which you
refer, o." said the president, "but your num-
Der ID is the merGst coincidence in the
event.
THAT is what called it,, said the RI
contour, but you must admit that some
times condolences are .ucer things. -
Detroit Free. Press.