The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1905-08-28
FINE OLD COUPLE.
Head Of the Family Sparks His Wife.
Aged 81

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Aged "a.
In the shadow Of Owls Peak, on the
Cherry Mountain range in Jefferson, n
/ H.. lives John King, who has spent 63
years Of his long and eyentful career at
the base of this mountain. He first
saw light in White6eld, about 1917,
showing that IS years Of sunshine and
shadow have passed over his head, mixed
he says, with some burned hard sprees. >
John was given his time in 1897. His
4 father being liberal, threw in a year
from the limit prescribed by law, and in
September Of that year John started
through the woods for Cherry Mountain,
70 drive stake for King" as he puts
He was OF Herculean build, standing
G feet inches in his stockings, broad
shouldered and athletic in every part of
his makeup With his ak, rifle and
spade, with plenty O. grub to last him"
ne followed a blazed trail to the noun
tain, as no White Mountain roads, save
the main Portland turnpike through
the Crawford Notch, then existed. He
began at once to clear for himself farm
and start in life on ''his own hook
He selected a gentle slope that runs
from the base of Owls Peak to Cherry
road. Being a giant in strength, the
big trees fell hike grass before a scythe.
These tall tiinbers were hewn square,
and before the SNOW whitened the cap of
Owls Peak John had completed a cabin
and a howell for the shelter Of his horse
and COW which he had bought in the
settlement and led in.
The story of how lie commenced house.
keeping he told to representative OF the
Boston Herald, and it was interesting in
the extreme. Old John is fluent, pietur
esque and quaint in speech and his YER
naeular is genuine and Yankee.
AFTER I got tn old horse m cow
said he, s'all safe f'r the winter and we
have no sieh winters now--youid orter
see a soueaster comm down over OF
Owl. 1t was a terror, and would give
was saying ! went to work to get my
cabin comfortable and in shape to live
warm. But | forgot TIL wood, and I'll
be dumbed eff | didn't get up late one
October morning to find that five feet Of
snow had fallen that night
you don't mean to say that five feet
Of snow fell in one nislitg"
Sure as Israeli / couldn't see the
tail of the horse and the COW was as lev
e as a house floor over the howell. But
was as strong as a nose, N dug q |
tunnel to the barn, fed the horse and |
COW and melted some snow to water 'em
then started out with old Bill and |
yanked in a dry stub. This l chopped
up, and it was all right for fuel
Then came thaw, and the snow dis |
appeared as sudden as it fell. Then I
there was grand melting Of the wolves,
bears and bobcats round the cabin. {
s'pose they'd got hungry during the
snoWstorm. Wal, as soon as it came I
dark they made the most devilish noise
you ever heard. / blazed away at 'em
with my rifle and got skins enough fer
good bed. Darn tn sneakin' cusses. a T
wolf is coward but the bobcat is a
terror They killed all my hens afore
they left
eBimeby / got luxurious and wanted
q woman to Keep house. So | started
for Tunbridge, Vermont and courted
Mary Stebbins, who is this Gal here.
Brought her in most Of TIL way on my
shoulders, didn't / Alaryf"
~ = us4 thilp eu MARY, ~ pilgub lit
tie woman of ST.
And we've lived here ever since,
calmly continued old John, ignoring his
wife's correction,
Wed wild animals a-plenty", contin
Jed the old man, "thicker'n partridges.
Bears and wolves were around all the
time, and deer, moose and caribou could
Be shot from my winder.
@Jest at dark one night | saw some
thin black down in tn corn. Looked like
The COW. So | went down, and, by Sam
low, it wuz big, black, bear lookin'
through tn fence SEE r You black
cuss, you get out o. here!' and I got
over and kicked him from behind clean
into til woods. / never seen him agin.n
what are your politics, Mr. King?"
I'm q jackson Democrat, voted fer
Old Hickory and now a Teddy Roose-
welt Republican, and my religion is
Second Advent or Aillerite. But I'm
eettin' tired waitin' fer tn last horn to
blow and shall soon iine tn Baptists.'