Daily Kennebec journal., 1902-01-11
MATTERS OF LOCAL INTEREST
SOL AND NOAH.
A VassaIboro Bear Story Of Over Halt
a Century Ago.
A Friend in Washington Tells it to the Journal
Readers.

| often recall an amusing story
touching two old Vassalboro citizens
| who lived in what was called the low
er neighborhood.' stretching along the
borders Of Webb-r pond on the west.
The incident occurred when | was 4
small boy, more than fifty years ago
and there are many old people living
| in Vassalboro today who can readii:
remember the ludicrous and humorous
story and can attest TO its truthfulncss.
solomon Wheeler lived in little
| shack near the dam at the outlet of the
pond-he was alone in the world. but
was we'll known among the farms for
| his skill in butcherine. sheep-shearns
and patching up old leaky leach tubs
then in use among the people at that
early day His nearest neighbor. Noah
| Wentworth. was a lazy. good natured
soul. often seen foundered by the road
| side, with q half filled jug of old cider,
or an empty gin bottle. Solomon. or
Sol" as he was called, and Noah Were
| as similar in disposition as the jaws OF
| a rattrap. They were great crOnies and
| Noah would no more think of hitching
| up his old lame horse and driving TO
Augusta without Sol than he would
| of bringing up q pail of water for his
| noisy, hard working wife. from
spring, half a mile away. The old
neighbors used to say that the oldest
| inhabitant never knew the time that
| the front walls of NOahs house We're
clear of cat, muskrat or skunk skins
tucked up to dry, down from the "cat
hole to the window tops. summer or
winter. Noah delighted in trapping and
fishing-the great pond never failed in
supplying his family with perch and
pickerel, sweet and abundant. Capt.
Joe Reed was landlord of the old tav
ern at Browns Corner and for many
and many years the bar room was Il
great center for -shirted rivermen,
especially during the winter, where
they met nightly and squandered their
hard earned wages of summer over the
reeking bar.
A relay of horses was kept in the big
! stable to facilitate the carrying OF
| Uncle Sans mail matter and to tighten
the burden of the poor horses when
mountains of snow filled the highway.
Sol and Noah We're frequent visitors
at the old tavern which was not a great
distance from their homes-a short cut
across fields and a narrow belt of
woodland, considerably shortened the
road. One winter afternoon, and when
their foot path had been obliterated
and filled in by a heavy downfall of
snow, Noah hitched up his old, half
moon back shaped sleigh, and taking
in Sol, proceeded to snail their way
around the long distance road for Capt.
Joe's tavern. The outfit of clothing in
which they We're habited was quaint
and grotesque to a wonderful degree.
Noah was swathed in an old buffalo
overcoat with numerous bald spots
which gave evidence of long and con-
stant use. while his head was protect
ed from the keen, biting air by an al
most hairless coonskin cap f1anked by
two heavy flaps covering his ears. Soils
great coat was somewhat thin and
patched, and of obsolete fashion-a pair
of stocking legs drawn tightly over his
ears and an old tarpaulin hat with a
sole leather sweat lining. resting jaun-
tily on his head made up his fantastic
habit
A string of bells of prodigious size
girdled the neck of the patient and
CHASTITY looking horse, which clamored
out in the frosty air in braZen 6erl
thunderous tones which started Is. a
dwelIers along the frozen roadway led f
the way to the tavern the two old ke,i-
zens halted at the grocery store of
Capt. William Webber at Seven Mile
Brook where Noah exchanged a bas-
ket of fish for half of sheep which
he deposited under the seat of the old
sleigh.
Sol was a noted politician and had an
original style of debating which often
called up shouts of derisiye laughter
and cheers from opponents and in
dorsers alike. 1t was half after
twelve o'clock and Sol was winding up
some of his campaign thunder with
Yes, old Martin Van Bruin is the man
for the people-my old grandfather
knowed him before he went into pol
pitics, up in Pennsylvany: / can't say
eggsacly what place it was-somewhere
nigh the Alligator mountains, that
Here Sol was called down by Old
Capt Joe, who admonished him of the
lateness of the hour and that he ought
to be on his way home, as a fierce snow
storm was raging without. The fire had
burned low in the scowling old bar
room ana several r1Vermen were Sleep
ing on the great hostler's bunk in the
corner of the room.
Noah made a staggering move into
the great fireplace, mistaking it for the
door. twice before he was headed fol-
the door leading to the long Wood
shed in which the old horse was
hitched. Sol lead off. carrying per-
forated tin lantern with a short tallow
candle, making reeling detours through
the fast drifting snow. The slammine
door knocked the lantern from his hand
and the two men after cropping abou
in the darkness at length located theil
team. Sol fell over a saw horse severa
times while Noah tried to back tht
horse out, wondering in the meantime
in his dazed condition. what caused thu
sleigh to cling to the ground so hard.
A concert of action was at length ar
). ranged to get out of the shed. SO
Sc took the bride and with loud Oaths arlt
J. threats, tried to back the horse, whei
N Noah. who was pulling at the back o
: the sleigh, received blow in the fac
:. that sent him headlong on to pill
= Of wood and almost tearing his nos
- from his face.