Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1898-04-20

Neck was on.the track. The whole posse
lost his hat. Our fellers got the cattle
back and father wore the English officers
! hat home and Kept 1t as a contraband of
| war.
about the same time a party of Eng
fish foragers drove of the cattle from q
farmer vino was living up near Otis. They
had . long start, for the Debecks were
hunting while they took the cattle.
There was no road to Ellsworth then,
only path, and the cattle moved along
slowly. Debeck and his two boys took
axes and gave chase. When they got
quite near the cattle they took circle
round, got ahead Of them in the path and
began telling trees across the road. The
soldiers had noaxes, so after few hours
struggle they made for Castine, but they
didn't have any Of Debeck's beef to feed
the hungry soldiers with"
Moses Abbott has rich fund Of stories
and can cure one OF the blues at a half
seconds notice. He says the story Of the
man who never prayed till he met bear
up oh w Ildsc HlOTc Ludu
fifty years ago. The man was making for
home after u hard days work logging.
He was Scotchman, a new conner in the
country, and had never seen a bear before.
Just at dusk he came round a sharp turn
in the path and met bruin face to face.
They stared each other over. Then
Blogan dropped his axe and offered
this prayer: so, Lord, l am a sinner, l
know. | don't deserve favors. l never
asked your help before. l will not do SO
now. All ask of you is this. II you
don't want to help me, don't help the
other Teller, but you lay low and keep
dark and you'll see the darndest row you
not understand the odd actions Of Blogan,
but gave snarl and left the path.
Zone time my two sisters were down in
the back pasture and they heard one Of
the pet heifers In clump OF bushes max
ing sounds AS II In distress. They made
into the bushes and found big bear kill
ing the heifer. They pelted stones at the
brute and he left the COW and stood a
short distance away and watched as II to
wait till the girls went, when he would
finish his job. The heifer ran to the girls
for protection. There was an ugly wound
in its side.
MARY, the older Of the two, told
Ellen to run to the house for help while
she stood guard. In the absence of Ellen
the bear made several circles around the
girl and her pet, but did not modest
them. That's the kind OF girls that used
to live in Maine in them days." said Mr..
Abbott. "Iou can't find any girls to-
day who would risk their own lives to
save pet and stand guard in the woods,
all alone"
Mr.. Abbott claims that in his house,
written on the wall, is the oldest white
chalk mark "March 9th, 1897 is writ
ten on the plain pine boards. 1t is the
date when MIR. Abbott's leg was broken
and his neighbor, MIR. Richardson, made
the mark. The spot where the marking
is stands out on a sort OF mountain.
The walls have been washed so many
times that the boards are worn down
there leaving the words sticking on.
He has many odd relics in the house,
one being an old 'Grandfat hers Clock"
that has been keeping good time for sew
enty-three years and never has been
cleaned or tinkered. He also has brass
watch that is one hundred aud six years
old. He has carried it for more than
eighty years and it keeps time yet. The
watch was numbered COB, made by Bow
ley, London, England. He also has the
wedding coat that his father was mar
ried in
With all the wonderfully odd things
Mr.. Abbott is ahead OF them all. He was
bachelor till the age OF sixty-seven, then
woed and won Miss Melissa Randall, a
charming belle OF Harrington, aged thr-
ty-two. They had two children, a boy
and girl. The latter died several years
ago, while the other operates the farm on
which the old gentleman lives and rocks
the cradle for his grandc hid.