The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1914-12-18
HISTORY Of HIS LIFE !:
aARRULous OLD FARMER LIHER-
Al WITH INFORMATION.
Comes Pretty Near Holding the Rec
ord az an Artist In UnsustaIned
Conversation Something Of
Vocabulary Wonder.

, :
1.-THE backwoods class Of natives Of
the northern New England states
which lie along the Canadian border
are often depicted in stories as being
Of the silent type" said Washing
:on man who is recently back from a
motor tour in the sparsely settled dis
tricts OF New Hampshire. according
to the Washington Star.
We'll, lots Of them are, but when
they are the opposite class they come
pretty near holding the palm for pure,
unadulterated garrulity. One exam
pile Of what might be called sustained
conversation was, to rs, such a gem
Of its kind that can remember q
good part of it. We had just had a
blowout ON a roadside and in few
minutes an old farmer approached us
from his dooryard. Shifting his pipe
to the side Of his mouth he addressed
us thus, while we listened spellbound:'
"'Was that your tiah jest bowed
out? Sounded Jest like q pistil!' Then,
scrutinizing our D. c.. license:
be you nom the cityy
ssYes,' we answered, from Wash
lngton. Ever been there?'
Wal. was in Washington once,
SO years ago, during the war
"t0h, and were you at the big re-
union at Gettysburg last year?
No, / didn't go daoWp. IL I'd ben
in the BATH I'd hui gone. Two or
three fellers from Groveton went, and
some from Milan and some from other
taowns. had the fortune to serve
under Gineral Banks in the MISSISSIPPI
pi valley. Then we come up the Shen-
andoah and whipped up the hull val
ley araound Ha'pers Ferry. Say, that's
funny taown, hain't It? Haouses all
runnin' up the side of the hill and
graveyard on the top. We camped all
winter the other side the river at
Poolesville. It was cold as the DEVIL
that winter. We took the gravestuns
and made chimneys aouten 'em. The
officers were mad as the dey-yil and
made us put 'em back at the end Of
the winter. &
Gentlemen and ladies, speakin' Of
taowns, when come over here from
Bethel, Maine, they want but ten
haouses In the hull township, and
naow they's 10000. We used to hive
to Milan Corners, ten miles away, but
our haouse burnt up. It so happened
that my wife and son had jest come
from a visit to Bethel, Maine. We
was all to meetin', it hein' Sunday
evening, and meetin' want over til
nine. We see blaze up aour way
and the folks all struck up the wrong
side. Of the river, so only two or three
ever got there. Ny wife was lame at
the time and my boy waslsick, so they
couldn't do nothin'. We done what
we could. We saved the SEWN ma
chine and the palor organ, and some
o them things the women care for,
but the chamber sets, they cost $25
apiece, and they was all burnt. The
good folks o. the taown took up a col
lection and got US 5000, and we sold
the fam for $500 more; that made
$500. Then we come over here and
spent the winter at Center Station,
where my wife's cousin keeps a jew
elry store.' Then it so happened that
the people ownin' this fam died, and
that we wanted TO buy. Likeliest spot
in the hull valley, hain't it? Great
Godfrey, he's got that tiah done al
ready! That Teller suttinly knows his
business!'"