Tombstone epitaph., 1898-11-27
ZERAH WESTBkOOk'S FLUTE,
IT Some One Hadn't Broken It He
 Would Not Have Been n BiG Mar.


 '.I see they've elected Zeary West brook mayor Of Amsterdam. up in York state somew here," said a Pike county man, referring to Hon. Zerah West brook. cx-Geputy comptroller of New York and lately judge Cf Montgomery county. That shows what a luci.y think it was for him that h.s flute gDi broken years and years ago Up in Sus- sex county, N. l., the night We went over and gave him a surprise party.
 ''Zcary was born in Sussex county and lived on the farm only q few miles from the Delaware. and le came over into Pike county when he was IS c- T., to go to school at Milford. I.e va. popular among us young folks. hut 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 all round prophet in the business 10 iui!G. a future for him beyond the confines of the rail fence around tkat old West brook farm over in Jersey. Some folks went so for as to prophecy that le would come to some bad end. basirg their forebcdinCs or what SC med to be the all-sutlicient fact that he played the flute. He didn't exactly play the flute. either. He leased it. He worried it. He hur.ed from i. staccato tocis that jabbed holes in the stil,y summer night. He forced from it distress eul meanings. gaspirg gurgles. wccful walls, and'wiid and Gesrai-irg shrieks. He cut these up into sections and called them tunes. The most despa:rirg. the most hopeless. the most distressing of these was his favorite. He called if Napoleon Crossing the Alps!' Inc.cr believed it. Napoleon had a bad time crossing the Alps. but il 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 ii something hadn't happened to separate him from that flute.
 "Zeary quit going tc schoolfn Milford after awhile. and thought he could 1o better by going back home to help with the pig killing and the chores about ;hc farm. so he took his flute and went. leaving vacuum in Milford r-us'ca, circle that T fife and drum corps failed 10 fill. Then. after awhile. when the weather got cold and tEe sIciphirr good. lot of us young folks thcucbt we'd take sleigh ride over 10 the West brook farm and give Ztary surprise party, taking lots of cakes ard th;nos along. as was the surprise party custom in those days. That was the cor5,,t night l was ever out in. II was so cc-d that when our sleigh upset on the way over and dumped us all down tcr- foot bank. and pan of custard I baf charge of climbed up on my head turned itself bottom side up. snuasbca aown on my crown. and sat tLo-e as cockF 2s a helmet on tirsv Troiar soldier. it froze fast before had rcIcv. cred from my astoniShmert sur;ciertr,. to take it of, and I either had |, I,, scalped 10 get away from it or leave if there until we could get somewhere |, thaw it out, and let, it. The c.rls au had mysteries for awhile. but TO one WAS hurt
 W were only couple of miles from the Nestbrook place when this mis- nap befell us. and we soon strofortcrod things up and went cn. AS We rcars1 the cheery lights tha, g!eamed frcn the Westbrook windows. suddenly in, horses pricked up their ears. stopped and tried to turn round in tie road ard go back. The Griver quieted hem down but looked back at us. frightened him seli. Then. brought 10 US CT the rfct. wind. We heard sounds of arory-fo- spairirg moans, excruciatinS walls. and cries. Great Heaven" exclaimed one of the party: have we come here to meet win sickness, and perhaps death?'
 No replied another, who recor- hized the sounds. We haven't. Thar, only Zeary boosting Napoleon over the Alps
 Tt was Zeary and his flute. s,nI tempting fate. We soon hustled inside With cur surprise. and it was a sunrise 100. But even the sight of me frozen last by my hair to a tin pan cou,dn,, turn Zeary from his course. He boJ | M