The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-02-03
DORSET

A son was born TO Mr.. and Mrs
Fred Sheldon February 26th.
Mr.. and Mrs. A. w. Phalen reeeiv-
ed numerous friends at dinner Sun
day evening.
Hon. and Mrs. Charles B. Kent en-
tertained friends Monday evening TO
meet George F. Risley Of Hartford.
Conn. who was guest Of their son P.
H. Kent.
Mr.. and Mrs. E. H. West left
Tuesday for a trip TO New York city
and Washington, d. c. At the latter
place they will be guests Of Mr.. and
Mrs. Edwin Lefevre.
Arithmetic class come forward
pOultryman recently sent seven
30-dozen cases of eggs to New York
which netted him $l04.7O. figure out
how much they brought per dozen.
In the current American Maya
zine is an admirable likeness of
Edwin Lefevre, inserted as a fore
runner to an article concerning Sena-
tor Aldrich which will occur in the
March number from the ready pen of
this facetious writer so well known
in Dorset.
While on the subject OF eggs, we
are reminded of a conversation over
heard sometime ago, among several
poultry fanciers when a we'll known
citizen was inquiring of his neigh
bors how many eggs they were get
| he
about 40 eggs from 200 hens; another
said she had eggs from 40 hens,
and so on until John H. Sheldon
proudly stated he had received
eleven eggs that very day. Yes,
but from how many hens?" inquired
one of the group. From eleven
hens" replied John II. Sheldon
haughtily
The bear tracks have grown more
and more diminutive since the mem
orable day we followed them around
the neighboring premises. They
looked big to us, but now comes for
ward a woodsman who states he saw
the same tracks in the woods a few
days ago, and he concludes they
were made by catamount. A boy
standing near remarked they were
probably made by some old house
cat What does a cat amount TO
ANYWAY? (Joke). And yet we ce-
Gently saw cat that is prodigy as
regards age and admiration-it is old
"Petie' now called Low ly' for
short, owned by w. p. Kent, who
proudly asserts that the cats age is
twenty-four years. The animals In
ltelligence is remarkable and is per
lhaps more noticeable as she is fatal
ly blind.
The biting frost and nipping cold
of the shortest month of the year is
upon us There is nothing doubtful
about the grounding seeing his shad-
ow today, in Dorset, at least, but we
will try to be content with the wealth
Ter forecast. February, from febru-
are to purify, is notable for its many
proverbs and much folklore. The
first is st. Bridgets' day, and from
that is derived the word bride. The
second is Candlemas day believed by
the ancients to have been half way
between the winter and spring soils
tice, and so the familiar couplet was
prompted, now so often quoted:
"Candlemas day! Candlemas day
Half your pork and half your hay!'
by the people of Rome, for his ear
nest efforts to convert the heather.
The custom of honoring the day
seems to have descended to us from
English ancestors, who in olden
times, decked their houses with ever
greens and ended the day by feasting
and giving presents. These ideas
| and practices evidently came from
| yet older times of the "Lupercalia," a
| Roman festival, of great ceremony
| Much could be written concerning
| modern merry-making on st. Valen-
| tines anniversary. Many ingenious
| practices are resorted to in order to
/ ascertain a destined lover, whose ap-
i pearance to the one in waiting can
only be accounted for by their re-
| markedly accommodating DISPOSE
tions! Who has not at some time
entered the sports of this festive
occasion, sending the valentine in
disguised handwriting, and watching
for the effect in feigned innocence;
filling the mouth with water and run
ming around the square" at midnight
in full hope of meeting the ardent
swain; to say nothing OF walking
backward down the cellar stairs
with candle and mirror arranged to
catch the reflection of the consider
ate abettor! And We who have en-.
jloyed the innocent folly Of the past
now aid and abet the youngsters OF
the present. with their new and i'm
proved allurements for St Valentine!