Connecticut western news., 1906-09-27
"S|M0N" AT THE FAIR
HE MEETS MADAME SQuMTUM


 And She Tells His Fortune-The Hor-
 net Arouses the Peaceabis Citizen to
 Action-The Fellow who Would not
 "Bother" With Newspapers-Some
 of the Things He did "Bother" With.
 Showing up about this time every year is a habit, or an habit, as you choose, that the Great Harrington fair got into something like sixty five years ago as nearly as now recall it.
 wandered down onto the grounds early and contributed my share toward making good deal of attendance. l found there were others up to the same caper. They were mostly relatives of Great Harrington people from here and there who had been trying to get up, down or over, as the case may be, for the last six months but hadn't been able to make it out until this week. l tell you it's convenient to have relatives there, especially on fair week.
 A gentleman from the rural .'deestricts" came sauntering along. He wore an interested look, pink suspenders and around his waist a leather surcingle. The latter saw at glance was to keep up the style rather than his pantaloons. When a gentlemanly newspaper ean- vasser approached him and solicited his subscription, he guessed he wouldn t "bother with it to-day" And he didn't. II hain't got no money to fritter away on newspapers" said he, ''when there is so many necessaries of life I've got to have and can't get along without" I have observed along back that we don't all require the same things on which to sustain life. Some of us slide along on one thing and some on another. Out of curiosity I thought would keep an eye on this product and see what it took to keephis lamp of life burning. Here are some of his "necessaries."
 One ride on the merry -go-round, 05 Another ride on the merry -go-round, % One solid gold, diamond ring, 25 Solid gold, 19 carrot watch, sound,
 kind, gentle and good traveller,
 ~ warranted to last a life time if a
 one dies ill any sort of season. $1.25 One fortune, roseate future, 25 One fortune, future not so roseate, 25 Tin types 25 Lemonade, white 10 Lemonade, red 20 Etceteras 1.63
 He was particularly interested in the fakirs and much of his time he spent with mouth wide open, listening to their persuasive arguments. It is possible he could have opened that mouth wider but not without turning his store teeth out of doors.
 The fair is the place to see things that prod your disabilities whether you ex- pect them or not. I stood in the farm produce building, beside me stood gen tleman who had inserted himself into a pair of donble-barreled linen panta- looms that morning. I regarded him as Q quiet, law-abiding citizen and one who would without murmur, walk the floor for half the night with a colicy heir if the occasion demanded it but when he emitted a whoop of the we-won 't-go home-until-morning sort and dashed for the door, regardless of the rights of anybody to half the road, began tc have suspicious that my diagnosis was faulty. Just outside the building he stopped and rolled up one leg of those pantaloons and cunning little hornet flew out. A causual observer had no trouble to observe the different points between ankle and knee where the cun ming little hornet had sat down to think it over.
 Over in exhibition hall came across an old acquaintance of mine in the form of a crazy quilt. We met at the fair iu the '70's and at various times since ther and was surprised to note how we'll il has withstood the ravages of time.
 Down the midway I strolled to dis cover what new method of separating man and his lucre had been conceived in the fertile mind of the scheming ia kirs during the last twelvemonth. The tent of Madame Squintum, English second-sight artist and all-around pryel open of the future, was on the line She espied me as I oame along and a! there was little doing then, she offered to squint into the beyond for me ant rake up old personalities and the like a Friday afternoon rates.
 Her rate was half dollar and sh, says to me: What do you want t know"
 "All I can for the money said | "don't tell me what I already know bu tell me what I do not know; it will not fatigue you and will de:ain you but { few moments"