Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-01-28
NJ HESE are the directions for finding the
Office of Carteret e Cartcret, Mill Sup
plies and Leather Betting:

~
until you pass the Crosstown Line, the
Bread Line, and the Dead Line, and come to the Big
Canons of the Moncygrubber Tribe Then you turn
to the left, to the right, dodge a pushcar and the
tongue of twoton, four-horse dray and hop. skin.
and jump to granite ledge tho side Of q twenty
oncstory synthetic mountain OF stone and IRON.
In the twelfth story is the Office of Carorat Car
teret. The factory whore they make tho mil sup
plies and leather betting is in Brooklyn. Those COM
modities-to say nothing of Brooklyn not being ~
interest to you, let us hold tho incidents within the
confines of one-act one-scene play, thereby 's-
SEEMING the toll of the reader and the expenditure OF
the publisher. So, if you have the courage TO taco
four pages of type and Carteret & Cartcrcts Office
boy, Percval you shall sit on vanished chair IN
the inner office and peep at the little comedy OF
the Old Niger Man, tho IIunting-caso Watch and
the Open-Faced Question-mostly borrowed from
the late Mr. Frank Stockton. as you will conclude.
First biography (but pared to the quiciD must
intervene. ! for the inverted sugar-coated qul-
nine pill-the bitter on the outside
The Carterets wcrc was Columbia College
professors please rule), old Virginia family Long
time ago the gentlemen Of the family had worn
lace rufnes and carried tinless foils and owned
plantations and had slaves to burn. But the war
had greatly reduced their holdings. cor course You
can perceive at once that this favor has been shop
lifted from Mr. j. Hopkinson Smith in spite of the
"et" after "Carter.') Well anyhow:
In digging up the Carteret history shall not take
YOU farther back than the year 1920 Inc two orlg-
nal American Carterets came over in that year. out
by different means of transportation. One brother.
named John came in the Mayfower and became
Pilgrim Father. You've seen his picture on the
covers of the Thanksgiving magazines, hunting tur-
kcvs in the deep snow with bundorbuss Bland
fore Carteret the other brother crossed the pond
in his own brigantine, landed on the Virginia coast
and became an F. +. V. John became distinguished
for piey and shrewdness in business; Bl@ndford
for his PRIDE juleps craftsmanship and vast slave.
cultivated plantations
Then came the Civil War. q must oondonse this
historical interpolation.) Stonewall Jackson was
shot: Lee surrendered Grant toured the world; cot
ton went to nine cents; Old Grow whisky aud Jim
Crow cars were invented; the Soventyninth Massa-
chusetts Volunteers returned to tho N'nctyacyenth
Alabama Zouaves the battle flag OF I-undy'5 l-dno
which they bought at a secondhand store in Chef
sea kept by 4 man named SkZchnzsk; Georgia sent
the President siXty-pound watermeon-and thu +
brings US up to the time when the story begins.
My. but that sparring for an opening! really
must brush up on my Aristotle.
The Yankee Carterets went into business in New
York long before the Their house, Ear as
Leather Betting and Mill Supplies was concerned
musty and arrogant and solid as one Of thos
old East India tea importing concerns that yoI
read about in Dickens. There were some rumOri
of behind its counters but not enough to af
feet the business.
During and after the war, Blandford Carterct, r.
F. V. lost his plantations jueps, marksmanship
70 his surviving family. So it came to pass that
Blandford Carteret, the Fifth aged fifteen, was in
vhed by the leatherand millsuppies branch Of that
name to come North and learn business instead Of
hunting foxes and Boosting of the glory of his
fathers the reduced acres of his impoverished
family. The boy jumped at the chance; and, at the
age Of twenty-five sat in the Office of the firm equal
partner with john the Fifth of the blunderbuss and
turkey branch Here the story begins again.
The young men were about the same age smooth
of face, alert, easy Of manner and with an air that
promised mental and physical quickness They were
razored blue-serged, straw-hatted and pearl stick
pinned like other young New Workers Who might be
mulionaires or bill clerks
One afternoon at four O'Clock in the private office
of the firm, Blandford Carteret opened letter tina
a clerk had just brought to his desk. After readni
It. he chuckled audibly for nearly minute. JOIN
looked around from his desk inquirinsy.
ITS from mother" said Bandford. I'll read yo'
the funny part of it. She tells all the neshbor
hood news first, of course, and then cautions M
against getting my feet wet and musical comedies
After that come vital statistics about caye
and pigs and estimate of the wheat crop An'
III quote some:
land what do you think! Old Uncle Jake, wilt
was seyenty-six last Wednesday, must go travelling
Nothing would do but he must go TO New York am
see his young Marster Bandford.' OLD as he is
he has deal of common sense, so I've let him g
couldn't refuse him-hc seemed to have conce1
trated all his hopes and desires into this one ad
venture into the wide world. You know he wa
born on the plantation, and has never been te
miles away from it in his life And he You
fathers body servant during the war, and has be,
always a faithful vassa and servant OF the family
He has often seen the gold Watch-tho watch tina
was your fathers and your fathers fathers. toll
him 1t was to be yours; and he begged me to ALLOW
him to take it to you and to put it into your hand
himself
$3.50 he has it, carefully inclosed in buckskl
case and is bringing it to you with all the prd
and importance of a kings messenger. l gave III
money for the round trip and for Il two weeks sta
n q
comfortable quarters-Jake won't need much 1901
ing after-hes able to take care OF himself But
have read in the papers that African bishops an
colored potentates generally have much trouble
obtaining food and lodging in the Yankee metrop
lis. That may be all right; but don't see why u
best hotel there shouldn't take Jake in Still, su
pose It's rule.
"I gave him full directions about finding yo
and packed his vaise myself. You won't have
bother with him; but do hope youth see that he
made comfortable Take the watch that he brhi
you-its almost decoration. 1t has been Woi
by the true Carterets, and there isn't stain upon