Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-10-28

friendly conductor that he was in Il
hurry and of that other yarn about the
| passengers of the so called Tom cod
train who used TO get off and pick ap-
! pies and then walk ahead to the next
station, there waiting for the train to
come up, but this is better. 1t is a story
of the Ashland branch, told by Ban
Sor correspondent. The train is like a
tramp-it has plenty of time. 1t leaves
Ashland early in the morning and has
i half day to make the run to the
| junction, where it connects with the
| train on the main line. A man who
took a ride on this train the other day,
| says that it suddenly came to a stop
and that. thinking that some accident
had happened. he looked out to See
what was up. He found that the stop
was for the purpose of allowing a boy
20 go down in a field with a tin pail
and get spring water for the passen-
gers. Another passenger said that
last summer the train hands
used to get off and pick berries,
the track waved his hand and the en-
gineer at once stopped. The man
wanted to borrow monkey wrench To
fix his grindstone. The wrench was
produced, and away he went, while the
train waited. In about half an hour
the man came back and announced
that he couldn't fix the grindstone. and
at this the engineer got out of his cab
and went along with him to help. They
were gone the best part of an hour, and
when the engineer returned alone he
remarked that very few men knew how
to fix grindstones, anyway. Then the
train proceeded. and arrived at the
junction with time to spare. why do
they start so early?" inquired the re-
porter, Il should think they would
rather take less time and keep NOV
ing" ''Oh, WELL" responded the nara
tor, you're used to hustling. but it's
different on the Ashland branch"
Yarmouth claims the banner tax COL
.ector in the person of Mr.. Beecher
True. who has succeeded in collecting
all of last years taxes.
Houlton claims a coal mine. and says
it is part of a big. rich vein Here's
hoping the garden of Maine can raise
coal as successfully as potatoes.
Rockland has most successful loan
and building association, too. 1t has
just declared it's semi-annual dividend
of 31h per cent. amounting to s4,2O7. SO.
There are not many investments that
are paying at this rate during these
times. The Maine building societies
1t
selves and both the borrower and the
holder of shares have good reason for
feeling pleased with their experience
with them.
Bangor Wing and Courier: Now that
the festival is ended the Biddeford
Journal says:
Bangor and Portland are souabbling
again-this time over the question of
which one contributed the more to the
success of the Maine musical festival
The fact is they both outdid them
selves, and their little dispute over
honors is as needless as a soprano AMI
an alto dispute as to which one really
sang the duet
We entirely agree with our Biddeford
contemporary. There has been alto
gether too much of this newspaper
"squabbling. 1t is childish and I'M
seemly. AS matter of fact the must
cal festival was handsomely sustained
in both cities, and instead of wasting
valuable space in useless slurs, both
cities should strike hands for the flu.
ture success of the festival as a per-
manent institution.
A Gardiner man comes forward with
freshly plucked specimens of the pond
lily dandelion, red clover, buttercup
aster. golden rod, chickweed and other
flowers supposed to be long out of sea-
son when the end of October approach
es.
One of the sights in the vicinity of
Deering is a tramp wearing high
silk hat. One day last week one of the
33d degree members of the order of the
Sons of Rest" was ondetached duty in
quest of cold vittals' and "old clos"
when philanthropic citizen of the sis
ter city, after supplying the inner man
in answer to a request for any "old
clos" brought out a shiny beaver. a far
away relic OF his counting day, and 1t
fitted the hobo like glove, and though
it could hardly be said to harmonic
with the balance of his wearing appar-
ell yet when he ambled up the street he
was the cynosure of all eyes as he has
been ever since the envy of all the
members of the fraternity. The tramp
was seenby some boys last night asleep
by the side OF the railroaA track while