Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-05-26
THREE CATERPILLAR YARNS.
"reminiscences That Seem Very Timely Under
the Existing Circumstances.

speaking of catterpillars," said the
veteran. fitting back in his swing chair
there was just such a pest of CATER
pillars in Maine just after I came out
of the war. That summer I was cut-
ting out wood in western Kennebec.
and the trees were so full Of caternil-
lars that punches were formed larger
than mans arm on every branch
Just as everybody's minds were made
up that the trees would be all spoiled.
something struck them and thew all
died in one day. The stencil was en-
had from their dead bodies the peo-
pie could not go near the woods or
shade trees for weeks. l remember II
well, and think that something Of the
Kind will happen. this year, within a
short time"
THAT reminds me-" said the quiet
man in glasses sitting on the nail keg,
who has a sort of poetic imagination in
his way, that when l lived up on the
farm in New Hampshire the caterpil-
lar pest came on us, one summer, when
l was about Il years old Did you
ever hear of those bridges that the
monkeys make TO cross a stream in
South America. where they hold onto
each other and form a long line and
then swing. and the monkey furthest
out grabs hold of branch on the other
side and the rest of the monks go over
this living chain?
We'll, the caterpillars up in New
hampshire. that summer. were so
thick that they used to link together in
un on my fathers farm one day and
what | took for wild grape vine was
one OF these strings of caterpillars |
weighed at that time about g. pounds
and it is a fact. gentlemen. that the
rope Of caterpilars took me up by the
waist of my pants and the wind COM
menced swinging us. and they threw
me right across 4 trout stream into
the bushes on the other side. 1t don't
summer. can do anything like that. al
though there are a good many up on Mr..
Cornishs apple trees and around that
part Of our town"
There was a pause for a moment
yx.h la birl har Of hn
picked his teeth with the blade of his
jack knife in a rumnative manner and
then he said:
When l lived down in Damariscotta
and was about 10 years old, it came
caterpillar year. Down there every
nth year is caterpillar year the same
as they have locusts elsewhere, bur
the salt water seems to clip their
wings. Well. as was only Is years
old this was the first caterpillar year
| had ever seen. You have seen how
these caterpillars come down out Of
the trees and make a long web?
We'll. those 17-year-old caterpillars
N-It as bIS, 'N'I az my Wis., anu ca
there are no trees down in Damaris-
Gotta they used TO climb up the ships
masts and spires and then fall down,
and they would spin just the same kind
Of web. only it was bigger than these
catterpillars up in Mr.. Cornish's ap-
pie trees and it was just this habit
that made me meet with a most re-
markable accident.
A chum Of mine and myself. neither
of US were very big boys, thought we'd
have some fun with these caterpillars
so we got somel sticks and began to
prod them This scared three caterpil-
lars so they ran around us and started
up the church spire. We were in front
of the old church at this time. and, |
snum. before | thought. there | was
in the blight of three ropes and going
IN the front of that church 0til |
was more than half way. and - -
and then | woke up
The military man and the poeticai
youth gazed moment sadly at the
third man and without another word
passed out through the open door into
Nt,,. ubirh ~ hp1