St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1911-01-04


the sum due as taxes on the ICY
Whitaker place." The drafts were
signed Cyrus NJ. Whitaker
But this particular year. the year in
which this chronicle begins, no draft
had been received Asaph waited a
few weeks and then wrote to the adj
dress indicated by the postmark. His
letter was unanswered. Next to the
harbor appropriation the question Of
what should be. done about the ICY
Whitaker place" filed Bayport's
thoughts that spring.
what in the world" repeated Bal
ley, ''does Heman want of shebang
like that? Amt he got enough al
ready?''
His friend shook his head.
"'Pears not,'' he said II judge it's
this way, Bailey-Heman, he's a proud
man
"Well, amt he got a right to be
proud? Caplate you and med be proud
If we was able to carry as much sail
as he does, wouldn't we?'
Eyes, guess like we would. But
you needn't get red in the face and
strain your biler just because said
that. 1 amt fndin' fault with He
man I'm only tellin' you. He's
proud, as said, and his wife,
"She's dead this four year. What
are you resurrectin' her for?"
''Landl You're peppery as West
Injy omelet this mornin'. Let me
alone till I'VE finished. His wife when
she was alive, she was proud too And
n 10 iaio ho, 0i o
old now, and by and by she'll be
grown up into high toned young wo-
man. Well, Heman is fursighted, and
1 s'pose likely he's thinkin' of the days
when there'n be young rich fellers-
senators and-and-well. counts and
lords, maybe-cruisin' down here
courtin' her. 1 presume he don't want
those swells to sit on his front piazza
and see the crows buildin' nests in the
ruins acrost the road. If there's a sale
for taxes he wants to be fust bidder.
Then when the place is his he can
tear down or rebuild, just as he sees
fit. Seer"
Eyes, / see Well, / feel about that
the way Joe Dimick felt when he
heard the doctor had told Elviry Pep
per she must stop singin' in the choir
or lose her voice altogether. Which
ever happens IL be an improvement
says Cap'n Joe, and whatever Heman
does III help the Whitaker place.
What did you decide at the meetin' 2"
''Nothin.' We can't decide yet. We
amt sure about the law, and we want
to wait a spell, anyhow. But / know
A %I0
He always gets what he wants, He
man does.'
''Well," sighed Mr.. Bangs. $50 that'u
be the end of the old Whitaker place,
hey? Sho, things change in a feller's
lifetime, don't they? You and me can
remember, Ase, when Cap'n Cy Whit
taker was one of the biggest men we
had in this town. So was his dad
afore him, the Cap'n Cy that built the
house. 1 wonder the looks of things
here now don't bring them two up
out of their graves. Do you remem-
Der young Cy-'Whit' we used to call
him, or .Reddy Whit count of his
red hair?'
Remember Whit Well. should
say 1 did. He was a holy terror
yes, sir! Want no monkey shines
or didos cut up in this town that
young Cy want into. Fur's that goes,
you and me was in 'em, too, Bailey.
We was all holy terrors then. Young
ones nowadays amt got the spunk we
used to have"
His friend chuekled
That's So" he declared, that's
so. Whit was a good hearted boy, too,
but full of the Old Scratch and as sot
in his ways as his dad, and if Cap'n
Cy want sot then there amt no sot-
ness. You'll go to college and be a
parson,' says the cap'n. I'll go to sea
and be a sailor, same as you DONE
says Whit. And he did, too, run away
one night, took the packet to Boston
and shipped aboard an Australian clip
per. Cap'n Cy didn't go after him to
fetch him home. No sir-ee-not
fetch. Sent him "a letter plumb to
Melbourne, and says he: You've
made your bed; now lay in it. Don't
you never dast to come back to me or
your ma he says. And Whit didn't:
he want that kind"
"Pretty nigh killed the old lady
"She died little spell afterward. And
the old man pinned away, too, but he
never give in or asked the boy to come
back. Stubborn as all get out to the
end he was and willed the place, all
he had left, to them Howes folks.
And nice mess they made of it.
Young Cy he"-
young CyE' interrupted Bailey.
'We're always CALM him young Cy,'
and yet when you come to think OF it
he must be pretty nigh fifty-ive now,
most as old as you and be. Wonder
if he'll ever come back hereY'
''You bet he won'tr' was the oracular
reply. Hes made all kinds of money,
they say, out Of hides and such. What
he ever bought his dads old place for
I can't see. He'll never come back
to these common, one horse ATTITUDES,