Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1907-03-18
MEMORIES OF GLOVER.
Il. People Sixty-five Years Ago and
Since.
Letter No. s.


ever lived. certainly learned the
New England character pretty thor
ouphIy. but before enter upon
peculiar characteristics l WISH 10
mention some other names that
overlooked, especially those VINO
lived 4, the '505. There was John
Jenness. who married Miss Lucy 4
Cook: George JenHess, who oougnU /
the Stilman Bickford farm where h. /
A. Norton now lives; William C'BiF) /
Drew. a shoemaker; and Ben Han /
cock, a lively, genial, hustlins spec
uIator-on a small scale, but ne Khe" [
how TO make money in buying butter .
cheese, eggs and other things.
1t is my candid opinion that mere
we're more distinctly special char
acters than in any other town IN
which I ever lived.
One Of the distinctive characIeI's
tics that is generally ascrioeu u d
Vermont Yankee is his closehsted-
ness. more so in former years thah
now. and there was reason Tor II;
Vermont was a hard state in which 10
commence life on a small capital, or
no capital except a Willingness %
work. A cold country, short sum
mers. a hard, rocky soil and heavy
timber 10 clear off, with the low
prices OF former times, when potatoes
were worth 20 to 25 cents a bushel,
butter ak TO 10 cents per pound,
maple sugar from four to six cents
per pound, and wool so cheap thaU
sheep could be bought for a dollar 10
a dollar and a quarter a bero' maue
everyone closehsted as a matter OF
necessity, and some OF them never
got over 1t. [ will give three or four
cases which knew of in Glover IN
my day.
A Young couple started life on
small farm, with one good cow 1
heard the wife tell how much butter
they sold, and used. She said that
they made nine pounds week ana
sold eight and one-h half pounds, ana
she and her husband used only nay q
pound land had. all they wanted"
Another case of close calculation was
that of a man who inquired OF W. b.
Palmer how much linen thread was
an ounce and was told II cents. de
went up to Simonds' store, asked tne
same question, and was told IL.
cents uncle Sam made half cents
them, so he turned round, went clea
back to Palmer's and bought nj
thread, to save that half cent.
Another case. Two men 'swappe
oxen" so as to the better match DOT
pairs, one paying the other some DOC
but on making change the man pay
ing boot was short three cents. WEI
that debt ran TWO years, and at TO"
meeting the creditor stepped up TO I'll
debtor and said, "Say, can't you pa
me that little you owe me?" so"
you! What for?" "Why, don't y'
remember YOU didn't pay me the boz
between oxen, when we swappe
into three cents?" ooh LORD! l
forgot it," he replied, and pulled o.
his wallet in the presence of doz'
men, making a great spread, and pa
the three cents, while the GROW
laughed heartily. One other cas-
A farmer went TO his neighoor a.
hired a sidehiu pillow, used it d
and a half, then struck ledge a
broke both plowpoint and moul
board. so he sent to st Johnsou
and bought new ones, put them
and took the plow home. About
year and half after that he was ao'
TO move, and the man who owned
plow said to the other, HADN'T
better settler" ''Settle for wha
"Why. for day and half use OF
sidehill plow," and it occurred to
man to reply, "Why, l never
uour pillow. The pillow that L u
home had never been used, 1t
brand new" Well, they couit
agree to settle but agreed to leaV
to a neighbor. The neignoor
called, the case stated, and the Ju
said. "Why, l don't see that he o
YOU anything, as he brought
home a new plow for an old Oh
The owner of The pillow complaint
said, Anyway ought to have 81
nav for the use OF my handles"
So much for the closefsted I
they are ali bona .tide cases to viii
was knowing at the time. Howe
with ali the tightfistedness of
monters, there are no more hospit
people in the union and no be
neighbors. had neighbor in Bo
boro, Iowa, in 1857, where l set
who went from Connecticut, who
equally close6sted. He would ally
make the change so that the half
Il.