The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-01-20
SELECTED STORY.
Mr., Barnes Will,
GREAT many stories have been told

A great many stories have been told
about wills.
In fact, if IL were not for the lost
wills, the forged wills, the stolen wills
and The wills that have turned up at
The right moment TO avert untold mis-
cry, the stOrchuuso OF hciion would
Lave space for sale.
therefore feel that in telling still
another tale about s. viii. / am imposing
On o. l0ug-Butieuug public ! IuIly an.
aers'aud Chat it would be only natural
for The people TO soy;
"Look here, we are HcE OF "l'Is' e5'
eciauy .b0seiu which we are NOT men
Toned. Iii you mus. tel something
tell il about love, adventure, mar
breadth escapes or desert islands, and
let wills alone"
"Bu there are two things That IeaG
me 20 defy popular opinion and tsll
his story anyhow. One is that 1t real y
isn't half bad, and the olher Is thaj poth
Robbins and Fox have asked me to
make the matter public, so that they
will be set right in the eyes OF the COM
munity.
Only last week Robbins came TO me
and said:
"Perkins, that business about OLD
Barnes will is hrst-rale Joke on FOX,
and don't see why you dcnt write IL
up for the papers, You needn't meo-
ton me Ill 1t at all, you know, except
enough to correct any false impress
sions."
"All right" said L. III IL Will please
you VIII 40 II, OF course, AS you
say, it's an elegant joke on FOX"
Night before last, when was down
at the Octopus Club, Fox drew me into
a corner and said in conhdenual WINS
per:
Perkins, why don't you print that
thing about old Barnes VIII, and snow
up Robbins? lts mighty good tning
on Robbins, and II you tell 1t right 1t
will make people laugh. Ihe fac's
ought to be known, anyhow"
l said: Fox, I've been thinking
about that myself, and I've concluded
TO do it."
That's right" said he, as we
strolled down stairs TO take, on Fox's
invitation, cold bottle. "That's right,
and if Robins finds out you're doing it
and tries to make you stop, tell him to
go to thunder"
Both Fox and Robbins are bookkeep-
ers by occupation, Fox WORKING Tor a
wholesale grocer out on Front street,
and Robbins being engaged In a glgan-
tic hardware emporium, where he is
obliged to rein his poetic fancy and
keep his mind fixed on nails, stoves,
fatirons and other vulgar necessities.
1t is only once year, and then but for
the short space OF some fourteen days,
that they are able to escape from the
bonds of business and give free scope
to the reckless fancies with which they
are endowed.
By an ingenious system OF swapping
with their fellow employees they gener-
ally manage to secure their vacations at
the same time, and then 60 just as far
away from home as their pocketbooks
will permit, in order that they may
pose as two prominent young plucto'
Gratis, at minimum risk OF detection.
They have confessed to me that they
lind this propensity an expensive one,
ana tnat lts gratlncation ehtaiis great
uheveM.iui niIy WEES ~on .ney als
conpeiteu Wy CIuei uo .u " oponu
upon tnell na.lve nea,n =. Se ILLS
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.neir noiiuay '4 eoatn;sS, wy ru
anu ent .saaa tg. ioi,m ,soh do !" 'e0o"
peIses s .nem toi 81. ~ ru I'LL. =, Tho
LaSt sumMea 'noy p wohs; on .no p a
SGhI eussoe!ion VI 'TDoino, w "i
Ilarpof; Hopolu' s .a nT ao nesiI q
great ueal aoou' 'na a. p,aoo' Huu ne -
man'eu " poo wac La ~
was oiaoAeu up w 70. naI i
nopoy eoit VI ,,a ao az a nU", o." t no
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M ,aIions .noS oU ~ '"H NJ uho Wv" ~ W.
NewPoL. vi O"po my, mno So sney
woulu oe Preo'y suae W III ~ 'T hv; 81
clety tnaI was SUhsenia1 ~ natt n
no vio.ent F iIuiev.lou ~, any o' h;s
pace, they iocheu ~ .ne H. Twins ua' niu