Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1898-01-29


Would Not Rave necn a nix Man.
Il see they've elected Zeary West
brook mayor Of Amsterdam. up in York
state somewhere" said Pike county
man. referring 10 Hon. !Zerah Vest
brook. ex-deputy comptroller Of New
York and lately judge Of Montgomery
county. sThat shows what lucky
think il was for him that his flute got
broken years and years ago up in Sns-
sex county, n. j., the night we went
over and gave him surprise party.
"Zeary was born in Sussex county
and lived on the farm only few miles
from the Delaware, and he came over
| into Pike county when he was 16 or II,
| TO go to school at Milford. He was
| popular among us young folks. but
| thunder. there wasn't anything about
him, either Of outward show or inward
light, in those days that would have
round prophet in the business 10 build
future for him beyond the confines of
the rail fence around that old Vest
brook farm over in Jersey. Some folks
went so far as 10 prophesy that he
would come TO some bad end. basing
their forebodings on. what seemed to
/ be the all-sufficieRt fact that he PLAYED
| the flute, He didn't exactly play the
flute. either. He teased it. He worried
it. He hurled from it staccato toots
that iabbed holes in the Silly summer
night. He forced from ii distressful
meanings. gasping gurgles. woeful
walls, andwild and despairing shrieks.
He cut these up into sections and called
them tunes. The most despa;ring, the
most hopeless, the most distressing of
these was his fayorite. He called it
Napoleon Crossing the Alpsl' / never
believed it. Napoleon had bad time
crossing the Alps. but ii was never,
never so bad as that. People who fore
saw his awful finish declare to this day
that il would have come long before
this il something hadn't happened to
separate him from that flute.
"Zeary quit going to school in Milford
after awhile. and thought he could do
better by going back home TO help with
the pig killing and the chores about the
farm. so he took his flute and went,
leaving vacuum in Milford musical
circle that fife and drum corps failed
10 fiji. Then, after awhile, when the
weather got cold and the sleiehirg
good, lot OF Us young folks thought
we'd take sleigh ride over TO the West
brook farm ard give Zeary a surprise
| party. taking lots of cakes and things
along. as was the surprise party custom
in those days. That was the coolest
| night | was ever out in. 1t was so cold
that when our sleigh upset on the way
over and dumped us all down a ten.
foot bank. ard pan of custard I had
charge Of climbed mp on my head.
turned itself bottom side up. squashed
down on my crown, ard sat there as
cocky as helmet on a tirsy Trojan
soldier, il froze fast before had recov-
cred from my astorishment sufficiently
to take il off, and either had to be
scalped to get away from il or leave II
there until we could get somewhere Il
thaw IL out. and left IT, The girls al
had Mysteries for awhile. but TO one wa:
. hurt.
We were only couple Of miles frorr
the Westbrook place when this mis-
hap befell rs. and we soon Strengthened
things up and went on. As we nearet
the CHEEKY lights that cleaned frer
the Westbrook windows, suddenly III,
horses pricked up their ears, stopped
and tried TO turn round in the road srt
go back. The driver quieted them down
| but looked back at us. frightened him
self. Then. brought TO Us on the nigh
wind. we heard sounds Of agony--de
spairing means, excruciating walls, ant
cries.
"'Great Heayen!' exclaimed one O.
the party; have we come here to NEE
with sickness. and perhaps death%
NO replied another, who recog
, nized the sounds. We haven't. That
only Zeary boosting Napoleon over tn,
Alps
ut was Zeary and his flute, still
tempting fate. We soon hustled fnsid,
with cur surprise, and II was a surprise
too. But even the sight of me frozer
, fast by my hair to tin pan couldn'
turn Zeary from his course. He hat
Napoleon at such critical spot in III,
Alps that he couldn't leave him Their,
with safety. and he kept on crossin.
him over. He got him to the pinnacl,
of the Alpsat last and cast him down or
the other side with such an appalling
burst from the depths Of the flute tina
| one OF the girls reached ont for NOR,
Mysteries ard got 'em. Then Gear,
I threw the house wide open. The,
thawed me out, and we were having |
.. joyful time. when Zeary moved TOWARD
the flute again. We were about Ii
order up the horses and fly. but ",
didn't have to. Somebody or something
somehow, had wrecked the flute
, Whether it had been sat on, or jumped
on. or what. there ii was, broken beyond
repair.
"Zeary was sad, but he kept M. II,
never could get another flute that suited
him. and the charm Of the farm wa
broken. He left the place by and BIZ
and went up into New York state
There he got into politics. and the frs
thing we heard he had got TO be Judge
i1u1 fhpu f1anItf.y