St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1902-06-25
PARTING UNDER DIFFICULTIES.
Trouble Among the Animals ON the Ar
rival of Coon.

Trouble Among the AuAma1s Oh tn0 M
rival of Coon.
Romano Batch has lately proven him
self successful politician, as he was for
tunate enough to get on the winning
ticket at the recent caucus for the state
convention. But since his return from
MONTPELIER events have transpired which
have led him to believe that perhaps his
friends had good reason to doubt his
success as a farmer, and also caused
doubts to enter his own mind. This is
what happened at his farm on Clay Hill.
Sunday night after he had retired he
heard noise coming from the direction
of the hen house. Without stopping to
dress he went to investigate and reached
the scene just in time to see a oon(whether
one of Mr.. Clements or just the ordina-
ry kind is not stately disappear under the
fence, taking with him a favorite and
valuable hen. Mr.. Balch was not equip
ped for pursuit and very wisely decided
to let him go.
But bethinking himself of his high bred
rooster, which was of more value than
many hens, he went into the hen house
to assure himself of the birds safety.
Running his hand carefully along the
roost Mr.. Balch soon came in contact
with the object of his search and grasped
him by the tail. The bird resented this
intrusion and straightway flew through
the open door into the night leaving a
goodly portion of his decorative appen-
dage with his owner. Mr.. BaIch then
retired to the house in disgust, and later
looking through the windows saw the
rooster cavorting around the yard with
the coon in close pursuit. This was too
much, so loading a revolver the now
thoroughly mad breeder of fine poultry
sailed out to fight the thief to a finish,
but when he reached the yard both the
coon and rooster had passed from sight.
Then there was nothing to do but 60 to
bed and dream of vengeance.
But his troubles by no means ended
here. He was up in the morning long be-
fore the other members of the household
were astir to take an inventory OF the
damage done by the coon, and found that
along with the hen and rooster, had dis
appeared a fine brood of nine blue-blood-
ed Rhode Island Red chickens. Now Mr..
Balch is philosopher and accepting the
inevitable quietly, he went about his reg
ular morning duties.
Then remembering that he had a loaded
revolver in the house, he determined to
preclude all possibility of an accident by
removing the cartridge. While doing
this, in some unexplainable way the
weapon was discharged, and the ball en-
tered the side OF a new ten dollar Cooley
creamer, making al hole through which the
result of the previous nights milking
corresponding out like Jolys best cham
payne" Hastily clapping his hand over
the aperture, he called loudly for assist
ance. His cries aroused the household
and what was left of the milk was
quickly convertedinto another receptacle.
A little later Mr.. Balch wendell his way
to the village with heavy heart and
punctured milk can and told the story of
the nights disasters to his friends.
Those who heard the story expressed
their wonder that he bore up so bravely
under his troubles. But the patient
martyr explained that he was accus-
toned to such things, and related how
one of his boysbroke an arm while coast
ing, and another fell from a load of hay
and was nearly killed while he himself
had experienced hospital sojourn which
required painful operation. But this is
not all. One of his COWS pushed another
into water tub and she was drowned.
A porker broke a leg and had to be
killed. Another pig killed and ate her
litter OF little pigs and still another hog
killed the cruel mother of the little ones.
These are just few of Mr.. Balch's
unfortunate experiences in the farming
line and it is not surprising that his COM
panions at the scale shops are a unit
that he con6ne his attentions hereafter
to scale making, give up farming and try
80 lo.,