The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1906-12-15
FLYING BEAR WINS
BET FOR GRANDFATHER
WOndrOus Yarn Has to Do With Kite,
Lamb, Bulldog and a
porker

tSHeibaIhe Hollow Dec 49, Inc con-
yersation had 10 run to bear and bull
pups in the general store the other night
with some uncommon lively yarns as a
result when Hen Whitaker bethought
himself to slip up Luke Morse on the
subject Of his great grandfather's adj
ventures down Barnard way, something
more than century ago. Mr. Morse,
who II prosperous business man III
Chicago, and who II visiting His old
friends here for the first time in twenty
years, was quite willing to add to the
gayety BY reeiting the tale, and when
the aggregation had lighted pipes and
settled down he began.
4 remember hearing grandfather tell
the story many times he said, abut
he always took pains to keep close on
the subject when father was about, for.
as you all know, the latter was first
deacon in the Congregational church, and
he declared it was too strong for him to
hear, to say nothing Of repeating.
Grandfather Abel was a great hand
at betting, and in common with other
settlers Of the times he had rum served
on the table as present day folk serve
water Il was long before the prohibi
tion movement took root. and IL The
men folk, too, drank d wee drop top
much on occasions nothing was thought
q II, IN the same village lived Noah
Mlnslow. q man Of set opinions, who
was always ready 10 back his state.
ments with wagers, and a. the elder. Az
great grandfather was always called
was perseryering in his arguments, they
property.
One day the elder and Noah we're
sipping sweetened rup IN the tavern
and trying TO think of something TO bet
on when Elijah White came in Tor
glass of grog and complained chat bears
We're iilching his young pigs from
high-feneed pen he had constructed
with the particular idea Of keeping the
brutes away from his property. He
couldn't understand how they rot the
pigs, he said.
Sho, said the elder, who had taken
AZ the rum that was good for him,
III bet my ring tailed yearlin' heifeT
! en- git one o. your pigs without goin'
higher 200 foot of your pen'
Noah took the bet so quickly Elijah
didn't have chance, and put 10 a
newly .born roam colt to Offset ii. Then
they told the elder they would give him
a week to win or lose.
stAAanH 4ha ~ 80. ii
be was pretty well nourished but the
folk IN the tavern saw that there was
method in his madness, and they tried
TO get his plan out Of him. But he
would only say, "Ill Kit the big when
the Winds in the west, and off he went,
followed by his dog, Grit. the upliest
bull IN the whole community, And as
this story has good deal to do with
Grit ] must tell You that he was famed
the country over for hanging onto any
thing upon which his terrible laws once
closed and never letting 90 until his
wind WAS shut OF You could set him
onto anything that went on two legs
or four. and as a result Of this quality
be was scanned and Scared like gnarled
oak.
@The elder had one failing besides his
weakness for betting. This was flying
kites lie began making and iIying them
when a boy, and kept il up until he
was so oh and weak that he had to
hv them from the piazza 1t was really
q mania with him, and once be was
cashiered by tile prudential committee
OF the church for indulging III this pas
time when be should have been attend.
ing Thursday evening meeting. He
started hy making small kites, but he
gradually increased the size until the
week before he bet with Noah he con.
strieted one eighteen feet high and pro
portionately broad.
A Mammoth Kite.