The independent-reporter., 1909-09-30
COUNTRY CATTLE SHOW
AND COUNTY FAIR
As a Boy Saw 1t Forty Years
Ago.

We are glad to give space to the fol-
lowing from the pen of Willard A.
Paul, NJ D., of Boston, formerly a
Somerset County boy
| wonder If there ever was a boy
who grew up in the country from
childhood TO manhood who did not
at some, time in this period of his
life attend the old-fashioned country
county cattle show and fair. One of
the most delightful experiences of my
boyhood was a day at the Skowhegan
fair and cattle show. l was twelve
years old, was born and had always
lived upon a farm. AT rare intervals
| had been ito town" and once or
twice had been, in a staid and proper
sort of way, with my father to the
fair and cattle show; but this year
/ was to go alone-early in the morn
ing and stay all day. The day before
my father, having business in town,
carried me with ldm to the house of
my aunt who lived near the fair
grounds; and l was to remain there
over night that l might be on hand
to enjoy the very earliest doings of
the fair ground
I had little sleep that night and
was up before five o'clock My aunt,
good soul, knowing my anxiety and
the necessity for an early start, gave
me breakfast; so that before six
o'clock l was on my way to the fair
ground, a mile distant. OF course, as
you can we'll imagine, I was there
away ahead of everybody. There were
no gatekeepers, SO the quarter which
my father had given me with some
few pennies to spend remained In my
pocket; as there was no one to take
it when l went through the gate.
! How well l remember the delights
that filled me as I wandered about the
grounds that morning. There were
the side show tents, all closed, still
wrapped in sleep. There were the
men who were taking care of the
stock that had been brought in the
night before, feeding and grooming
the horses and cattle, caring for the
sheep and pigs and poultry. The
great building in the center of the
grounds, which would be so active
later, was closed and locked
Pretty soon | saw a man go over
the gate. l surmsed that he was to
be the gate-tender and ticket-taker;
and, when he saw me and called to
me, l suspicioned that he wanted my
quarter. Being very busy with some
men who had a lot of fine COWS |
made it a point not to hear him. BY
this time | had begun to feel that |
very much needed all of that quarter,
and l satisfied my conscience by rea-
soning that | had gotten up early and
that there was no one to take my
| fare when ! came in, so / was entitled
to stay. Two or three times during
the day the gate-keeper called to me
to come and pay my quarter.
doubt now If he would have taken it
had | gone to him; but | felt then
that my quarter was the main thing
on his mind.
The day was much too short to see
and do all the things that attracted
me. There were the new plows. One
l remember in particular, the first
sulky plow that | had ever seen--a
plow with an actual seat and wheels,
and the man who did the plowing sat
on the seat and rodei / had never
seen anything like that.
I remember the vegetable cutter,
one of the most interesting and fas-
cinating things to me. You could put
in a whole turnip or pumpkin and
turn a crank and it would come out
in sufficiently little bits for the stock
to eat. | had had hours of expert
ence in cutting pumpkins and tur-
nips and potatoes for the COWS.
And the patent churns! There were
half a dozen, and they all turned so
easily. My experience, (and I assure
you I was not without extended ex-
perience at that time), had been with