Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-01-14
THE ANY OLD TIME CLUB.
Some of the Tiresome Things That Transpire When the Gang
 Gets Together.


 Speaking of natural born fools," ob- served the man in the mackintosh, Ire minds me"
 "Is this going to be a bit of personal experience?." interrupted the man who had his feet on the table.
 Reminds me 2 old Lickladder, who used to drive the stage between Ripley and Mount Sterling, away back in the '50s. Somebody once told him that when you make apple butter you can make it back into apples again if it isn't good, provided you go at it right" +, q seem to have heard that story be- fore," said the man who was smoking the rank cigar. @
 "Yes, but you never heard of old Lick ladder The peculiar thing about him is that he believed it. He lived by himself in little old log cabin down on the banks of Crooked creek Did all his own cooking happened in on him once when he was--'
 Say. how old were you then?" queried the man with the white spot in his mus tach. Doesn't make any difference how old was then. or how old am now. I'm talking about old Lickladder. dropped in once, as I was saying, and found him stirring something in big brass kettle. asked him what he was doing. He said he had made lot of apple butter, but 1t didn't suit him. and he was making it back into apples"
 Yes, that's the same story" said the man with the green goggles. My grand father used to tell me he read it in the Prairie Telegraph when he was boy" " Your grandfather never read any thing in the Prairie Telegraph about old Lickladder. Permit me to mention the fact again. gentlemen. that this chapter of history refers principally to him. l said:
 "'You guilible old fool, haven't you sense enough to know you can't do that 9
 "He stopped stirring, and he says to me: .. Hook here. I don't want you to talk that away to me. You're disturbin' tha count
 Then he took the kettle of the fire for minute or two. and he says: "'YoU reckon don't know what I'm doin'. but do. When you make apple ! butter. the right way is to stir 1t from right to left. all the time. an count the number of times you sir. till you kit it all done. Ycu mustn't make any mistake about it. either. When its done you stop stirrin' and take 1t of the fire. Then you taste it. If you don't like it. you put it back on the fire, stir it from left to right. jist the exack number os times yo,, stirred it from right to left. and it's sp- ples agin.'
 "'And you believe that?iI said.
 That's right he said : People didn't say that's right in those days" objected the man with the frazzled trousers.
 ! 'Oid Lickiadder did. He put that ket- tie back OF the fire and began stirring and counting again. l sat down and watched him. He kept i' up for about three quarters Of an hour. and you may believe ne CT pot. Gentlemen. bu; will, my own eyes saw that apple bsiter turn , back into apples again. all nicely quar- 1 tered. and tser gsre swimming around : in two gallons o: swee; cider he hao put I in that brass kettle 10 boil 'en in i rhe mar ia ;he macintosh ceased talking.
 ] Profound silence rsigned in the group ! for the next fre minutes. relates tna Chicago Tribune.
 Then the mar who had his feet on the table slowly took them down. All h5 said ~as that if there was any creature on earth he na,eo it was blamed liar. and he stared for the docr. followed oy 1. the rest Os Ike auditors. leaving the ma-I .n the mac ntosa alone ~-i:h his s;oi!