The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-07-10
JOYS OF THE PAST
"reminiscences of BOyish Sky:
larking in Maine.
STOLE SQUIRE'S TURKEY
OLD MAN FROM THE CORNERS
BECOMES TALKATIYE.
Boston Globe.)


The good old times up in Maine. / II
never fOrgit EN-. That was where d
boy could be a boy I'm long IN years
now. n I've been over a good deal o
country in my time. but when GIT 10
thinkin' over the days that's past, al
ways come 70 the conclusion that the
happieSt Twin I've ever knowed was
when I was a boy on my fathers
farm I'D there in Maine. Why, they
want nothin' equal to bein' out OF a
clear. crisp night a skylarkinl + L
could just have them just gelorlous
thrills o pleasure come over me again
wouldn't change EN- for nothln
money could buy.
This was the enthusiastic phlloSophlz-
ing of a Maine man who IS making MS
annual spring visit TO Boston. as ne
was riding out on the trolley the oJner
evening. 10 the home Of his friend He
lived in the west for long time, Dut,
a few years ago. bought him place,
as he calls il. up in the Pine Tree state
where he says he is going 10 spend the
rest of his days The visit 10 Boston
is something IN the nature OF a jubilee,
as the man in question was recently
appointed a postmaster in his district
Fun? Why. We used TO have just as
entertainin' times if we didn't have
comedies and tragedies TO go to- re-
member, one night, years ago. four OF
us boys was Walkin' home from the
Corners. The night was dark and yet
not exactly black, for there was a sort
OF moon. yet il kept out o. sight most O
the time behind thick passin' clouds
Just warm 'nOugh, twas, to be COM
Portable Walkin'. We Il TO 1S-year-Old
scamps were all in that odd. sort of a
mood that ye could best describe as
'dyin' for a lark Ready to jump at
l. =
deviltry. We had been pOkin' round
up at the Corners, chinn>n' the few girls
that had been out, sIandin' front o the
tavern and idhn' about. but there
want much in this TO interest US spe-
cially and we'd finally turned toward
home.
We had just come through a growth
of pines. about two miles from the Cor
ners. when we see a light in the little
house belOngin' TO Old Boozer' Elliot,
as we called him. Old BOoZer' was a
shiftless, lackadaisicaI, drinkin' sort of
a teller and lived alone in the house
that stood down on a slope, in quite
a piece from the road. When We see
the light we was all curiosity. for it
was about 'leven then and a very late
hour for a country neighbOrhood- What
could the old cuss be "A dom at that
time o night? We sneaked down and
up to the winders and peeked in.
-BOOzer' sat there in the middle of the
room readin' from a hymn book. We
wondered, for a minute. what il could
all mean. They was bottle settin' on
the table. Then, we see, over on
lounge, and all turnkey eyed and starin'
Jim Stone and Bill Stevens a settin'
there The whole outfit was pretty tight
That was plain 'nOugh. But the hymn
book Then we remembered that
'Boozer' was reported TO have got re-
igion over at Elder Jones revivals
the week before He'd prOb'ly fell from
grace that evenin' and got 10 putin
down the ticker with the TWO lazy louis
that we all knew, who was settin' there
on the lounge, and gettin' kinder sol
emn as he got full. 'BOozer' was squar-
in himself with q little communion
Havin' nothin' else, he was readin'
from the hymns
We drawed back q piece for a cOun-
ell We'd got to look after them crit
ters or bust We had the idee quick.
First. we set TO work and wedged I'D
the two small windows, being mighty
careful about il so as not 10 disturb
the Worshipers- Small plugs were put
IN over the latch on the front door,
Then We took down the long clothes
line that was stretched about the four
posts and 10 the big pine tree at the
through the door latch and passed il
twice clear around the house. There
was plenty TO DO this with. as the
mouse, understand. was little more than
hut, truth TO tell There were only
two rooms on the first floor and a sort
Of a loft above We made the rope
taUt as could be by running a lever
IN loop and twisting away until the
rope threatened to part
the hymns, and the t'others were
watching him with eyes as big as
Saucers- Ned Beane went over to a
rock pile and came back with an arm
1ul OF powders; they'd weigh about
eight to twelve pounds apiece. I was
on guard near the enc window. and as
L swung my arm, mOCiOnin 'alls
ready, Ned stood off about ten feet and
tossed one Of them powders slantin'
IKE, so 'twOuld start we'll at the ridge
Of the roof and CRATE like tarnation.
Bump. Thunk, Thunkl Therthunk!
Bump, mup. bUmpety- bump, and the
rock tumbled. zer-SWaShI on to the
gravel Old 'BOOZer' started as if shot,
and they all gave a yell Ned followed
quick as he could with another rock.
It grated horrible as il tumbled down
the incline Then another made its
thUnki Jhunki ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
his knees, and if he didn't pray I'm
liar. he more than prayed. The words
just belched from him He thought il
was a thunderstorm that had been sent
It's the day o Judgment, Day O. jedg-
ment.' he shouted. Mercy. Mercy,
Mercy and he ratified the words to
gether. ThUnk, thunk, cr-r-runk,
ThUnk. went the rocks. 'Mercyt Mer-
cy! Mercy chartered sBoozer.' Thunkl
L 4
bump. went the powders Catching
on 70 the fact that those Insice thought
/ twas a giant thunderstorm, one Of the
boys had hustled TO the roadside and
cut great long green withe. and every
few seconds he'd fetch a swirshl
swirsh, through the air with that and
bring W with mighty whack- across
the front of the door.
Jim and Bill had sunk down on the
. lounge, too scared TO do anything ex-
cept blubber helplessly. Old -BOOZer'
finally happened 70 open his eyes and
see EN- there Pray, We devils! Pray,'
Screeched the old man, and Jim and
Bill put their hands together and began
to call Help, help while the powders
continued to do their work, and -BOoz-
err TO urge the two every few minutes.
70 Pray We devils, prayl'
This thing Of luggin' and heavin'
I4iC4Al us AO-hS gu hlAA1cI tlEGSOIQe al
ter while, and We sat down to see
what would turn up After a bit we
could hear EN- tryin' 10 get out, but
we'd fastened things so that nothin'
could be moved, and they had TO give
/ II up Then after We had got our sec
Ond wind. as 'tWere. We started anoth-
er thunderstorm and the hOwlin' set I'D
again Bumpety-bump, and Mercy
Mercy Bumpety- bump, and Help,
Help. Mercy. Relp.' was the way il
kept gOin'- Well. We left EN- about
o'clock, 1 should think The night
hadn't turned out 50 slow after al.
But next mOrnin't That's when
there was music! We found that along