The Mena weekly star., 1898-02-09
zERAH wEsTBRook.s FLUTE.
If Some One Hadn't Broken 1t lie NOnId Not Have Been n EiE Man.

state somewhere. Said Pike county man. referring to Hon. Zerab Vest brook. ex-deputy comptroller of New York and lately judge of Montgomery county. That shows what a lucky think it was for him that his flute got broken years and years ago up in Sus- sex county, N. J.. the night we went over and gave him a 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 r, to go to school at Milford >H 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 furnished material for the best al- round prophet in the business 10 build future for him beyond the confines of the rail fence around that old West brook farm over in Jersey. Some folks went so far as 10 prophecy that he would come to some bad end passing their forebodings on what seemed 10 be the all-sufficient fact that he played the flute. He didn't exactly play the flute. either II teased it. He worried it. He hurled from it staccato toots that jabbed holes in the stilly summer night. He forced from if dstressful mornings. gasping gurgles, woeful walls, and'wild and despairing shrieks. He cut these up into sections and called them tunes The most despairing the most hopeless. the most distressing of these was his favorite. He called it Napoleon Crossing the Alps! I never believed it. Napoleon had bad time crossing the Alps. but it was never. never so bad as that. People who fore saw his awful finish declare to this day that it would have come long before this if 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 10 help with the pig killing and the chores about the farm. so he took his flute and went, leaving a vacuum in Milford musical circle that fife and drum corps failed to fill Then, after awhile. when the weather got cold and the sleighing good, lot of us young folks thought we'd take a sleigh ride over 10 the Vest brook farm and give Zeary a surprise party. taking lots of cakes and things along, as was the surprise party custom in those days. That was the coldest night I was ever out in. It was so cold that when our sleigh upset on the way over and dumped us all down a ten-' foot bank. and pan of crstard had charge of climbed up on my head. turned itself bottom side up. squashed down on my crown. and sat there as cocky as a helmet on a tipsy Trojan soldier. it froze fast before had recov- cred from my astonishment sufficiently to take if off. and either had to be scalped 10 get away from it or leave it there until we could get somewhere to thaw it out, and left il. The girls all had mysteries for awhilel tho one was hurt.
 We were only a couple of miles from the Westbrook place when this mis- hap befell us and we soon strengthened things up and went on. As we neared the cheery lights that g'eamed from the Westbrook windows, suddenly the horses pricked up their ears. stopped. and tried to turn round in the road and go back. The driver quieted them down, but looked back at us. frightened him. self Then. brought to us on the night wind. we heard sounds of agony-de- spairing moans. excruciating walls, and cries.
 "'Great Heaven!' exclaimed one of the party; have we come here to meet with sickness, and perhaps death?'
 "'No.' replied another, who recog- nized the sounds. We haven't. That's only Zeary boosting Napoleon over the Alps
 "It was Zeary and his flute, still tempting fate. We soon hustled inside with cur surprise. and it was surprise. too. But even the sight of me frozen fast by my hair to tin pan couldn't turn Zeary from his course. He had Napoleon at such a critical spot in the Alps that he couldn't leave him there with safety. and he kept on crossing him over. He got him to the pinnacle of the Alps at last and cast him down on the other side with such an appalling burst from the depths of the flute that one of the girls reached out for more mysteries and got 'em. Then Zeary threw the house wide open. They thawed me out. and we were having a joyful time, when Zeary moved toward the flute again. We were about to order up the horses and fly. but we didn't have to. Somebody or something.