The Newtown bee., 1896-11-27
Local Affairs. A Local Story.
WRITTEN FOR THE NEwTOwN REEL

dropped into the Beach Tomlinson place." where Josiah Tomlinson was born and grew up to be the leading man to develop in Sandy Hook the rubber in. dustry, which protected our feet and whole body from the eccentricities of New England weather. When this busi- ness was first started here by the Good years we were in that half-developed age of man, the 10th year, when every young man is most susceptible to the in- fiuence of the other sex. On the night mentioned we. called at the old mansion, and found there the most beautiful girl we had ever met before; a sturdy, peach checked girl of 15 years. She was the granddaughter of Elisha Latin, who lived half way between the Tomlnson place and the Barlow place, a half mile above Xoar bridge. It was another case of ''love at first sight, There was a party playing ''old sledge,' card game then almost universal in every house. hold. We were invited to take a hand, but, like Mszeppa, We feared not to win or lose' we could not keep our thoughts and eyes from the young girl playing with us. We wondered if she was ac- quainted with the road through the dense wood home, and if she was going home that night, Suddenly, she says, ''It must be getting very dark, but Bose, (Lattin's big dog) will protect me home. She cast her beautiful hazel eyes upon me as if to ask me if I would go with her. OF course 1 expected to ask her for the pleasure of h>r company home, but had a fear of tn return alone, be- cause a big bear had been seen a few days before near Cub swamp, and wild eats were heard screaming almost every night. But, who would hesitate, unless a coward to ask for such girls company? When she said, 'Yes, thank you," we were thrilled with pleasure, but at that instant the heavens were aglow with meteors that came down to the earth and filled us both with alarm. We stepped back and called out NIT and Mrs Tomlinson to see the heavens fau! We were urged to stay all night, but Florence said, II must go, grandpa and grandma will be nearly scared to death I trembled down into my boots, but as this courageous girl took my arm and led me forward I could not resist. She whistIed for Bose and on we went. The stars kept falling all around us, we were both a good deal scared, but she drew me close and said, I've must go on." At this moment Bose uttered a most terrific yell and ran towards us. Florence held my hand the tighter, and we both trem- bled win fear. The meteors were seem ingly lighting upon the tree tops, they were every where present. Bose sudden ly turned upon his pursuor and parked as if the animal, whatever it was, was creed. Florence said, Il wish we had grandpa's old flint lock and a lantern, would see whether that is wild cat or rae coon." But she added quickly, I've must hasten on, the world is all afire The end is come!' I felt so too, and drawing Florence to me said, "What shall we do: Shall we kneel and pray?'' At this instant Bose again had found another track of midnight prowlers, but she said, ''We will pray when we get home." We hurried on and found grand ma and grandpa fast asleep. Florence cried out, "Grandpa, the world is on fire, get up, get up!"
 After an age as Florence expressed it, the old gray haired man appeared witt a tin lantern and said "Come in, why die you stay so late?" Florence said ''I didn' hurry because Bose was with me anC this beau of mine knew would see me
 home. But, Grandpa, see the stars ar
 an falling! Call Grandma, the world i
 burning up!"
 The people all over the United State
 felt pretty much that way on that Nc
 vember night in 1883. William Yevertor
 who lived near the Latin place, left hi little hut and ran through the woods
 mile or more, to Whiting Bradley's, no'
 the residence of Stiles L0veland. Al
 tronomers now predict that in 1899, "
 shall again have a repetition of thi
 stream of meteors as we did in 1883 an
 1866. But at this first wonderful displa - of a wrecked comet that had butte
 against the earth's atmosphere, we fe
 more interested in the girl whose eourag
 was so much greater than ours. She ha lived in the "Great Quarter woods'' fC three years and had met wild cat 0
 several occasions, and had heard ht } grandfather tell of the cats he killed, tt
 rattleenakes and copperheads he had di
 patched. She had played with rattles { Q rattle boxes and had killed many or t near the house. It was house full It 'syar6s for sickness And the posts ar
 rafters were black with grirne and smok