Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1897-07-15


5oun dale, going out of its way to
strlraling farms. Most Of these
rsre ill-kept and neglected, but
most struggling and disreputabie
I'M an belonged to old Gabe Carter
= amt rot no call TO work hard"
refrhbor, in eXtenuation of the
,sr's sins of omission. which were
=. che amt got nobody TO take
on but hisself, and eff he wants
axe things easy, why let i'm, that's
say"
nj Gabe Carter had never rebelled
id the disrespectful title which the
had given him. 1t had chung to
for many years now, and there wins
.dtion in the neighborhood that he
been known by that name 40 years
-perhaps even longer than that.
time had come when he would have
snrprised and Disconnected if he
heard anyone call him "Alr. Carter"
o8G abe was not beautiful TO look up
His features were thin and eager, his
audstragglingand the tallform
angular to the last degree. A mis-
sareous assortment of ill-fitting gar
,rts generally made up what he called
"cloes, though there was a mys
rous outfit hanging up in the spare
nm" known to him as his "other
hes When he went about the farm,
wore his ''clo'es," but when he went
church, or attended one Of the rare
nerals in the community, he came out
all the splendor of his "other clo'es."
lis was so well recognized that when
lrkv Mcclure, e2lncing out from the
tehen window, saw him in the glory
the "other clo'es," jogging serenely
own the road, she screamed to her
Other:
oh. ma, ma! There goes old Gabe
after in his other elo'es,' Run an ask
IN who's dead!"
Old Gabe lived alone, with a few
raing exceptions. One of these was
lie hired man, who occupied the cabin
4 the further side of the orchal j. He
tolId not have even hired man too
,ar "Comp'ny's mighty good" he
/ gqlained TO that functionary, but a
/ tedy can have too much of it, an eff you
an me was to git lonesome faint so
fur but what we can call one another.
And vet he was not averse to company
at times. Seldom did any neishbor
follow the road that trailed past the
iln but he saw old Gabe leaning over
the fence waiting for him. At such
times the old man had strange things
/ 10 teT-things which made the neigh
b0B stare and shrug their shoulders
wren they were out of sight.
"le see that rooster. Julius CaesarY'
he would inquire, with look OF pride
Eliminating his face. That's the
martest critter they is in three coun-
ties Maybe you don't know thatJulius
ioretoI' this mornin's rain, jes' as plain
as ef he'd a-talked, an been done with
& llnowed when that rooster started
o bed las night that he had somethin'
IN Is mind; an he hadn't been there
lgren half a hour before he foun' out
what it was. An then he crew five
times, ies' as loud as he could crow,
,o's 10 let me know; an right then
moved we was a-goin' TO have rain.
Julius has been in the ioretellin' BUSH
less some time, an he amt never made
/ mistake yet. Jes' look at i'm a-strut-
in aroun' there like as eff he owned the
.arth. He knows ever word l been
-sayin' as well as eff he'd a-said it his
ELF. There ain't no critter nowhere
marter than Julius
And. indeed. Julius Caesar strutted
bout .tl full sense of his own inn
rs a rival of the weather bu-
eau. which has, like him, been in the
'foretelliu'" business for some time,
nut which has this disadvantage, that
{ has been known to make mistakes.
What mysterious thing it was that
= zpored to Julius when it was going
u rain no one knew; but there was in
bin sol. e close l0inship TO nature which
gave him prophetic knowledge OF the
tines and seasons. He was not an es-
,ecially beautiful fowl His comb
'r0oped over to one side in rakish
I'D slouchy manner and his legs were
ally and disreputable; yet this Weary
Watson" of the barnyard absolutely
5emcd to close one eye in a most sig
..icant manner as his master talked.
Another of old Gabe'c companions
sas The cat. "Jes' look at that cat,
e would say. with smile wrinkling
is thin face. "rll tell you, ole Abe
nov a lot. He jes' sets there an licNs
= pa@s. an you couldn't tell from
lolin' at i'm that he was thinlAin' of
.r-le thing; but all Of a student Abe
e sticks is years up an growls, an
now in a minute he hears somebody
-comin'. He done that jes' now when
e heerd YOU lie amt got much con-
dence in folks. Abe amt. Tn the only
ne he'd trust fur minute as fur as
on could throw cow"
But the chief object of old Gabe's
fecion was the dog. No shaggler
nd more plebeian dog ever palmed
-mself off on an unwary mortal as
e to be fostered and made much Of
Ut the deception succeeded. Old Gaoe
ointed him out triumphantly to every
eighbor who would stop long enough
hear his many wonderful virtues re-
1untcd.
I tel We that dogs sharp one
e would say with cbuekles of delight.