Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1916-05-05
CHAPTER XIII CONTINUED.

drew small coal from the fire and
relighted his pipe and thus spake:
1t was, lem'me see, nigh on to
twenty year ago that the bears were
uncommon plenty; n they was git
tin disrespectful and bothersome,
stealth corn, knockin' over bee
hives fer the honey, scarin' women
folks, and keepin' children out O
school and maxim off with young
pigs. So we concluded to have it
out with 'em and see which had the
hest right to ockerpy the land. About
a half dozen on US got together
and laid the plan fer formin' sar
Gle and closin in on 'em. 1t was a
bigger job to plan that hunt than
gittin' out the timber and layin' out
a barn. 1t tuck no end O. head
work. We sent out a notist to the
best shots in about four towns, and
they raised comp'nies. John Bill
Inns with eighty men was to string
a line O. men from Tompkins Cor
ners through the woods to the Lar
rabee bridge. Ben Adams took the
line down the creek from that
bridge to Farmers Center. Peter
Sabin took hundred men and Xiv
cred the ground on the Burlington
road to Brigham farm, then round
to the French settlement. The rest
O. the line was filled out by some
Fairwood folks captained by some
fellers whose names has sneaked out
O my mind. | don't hang on to
names fust rate meow. Wa-al, on
the 'pinted day, at a sartin hour, we
all sturted. It's a tough job, | tell
We, to make a plan O. that kind work
out when it has to be trusted to SO
many heads; bat we done better n
might ha' been cal.lated on. The
parties on the different lines was all
teached to come to sartin pint.
We had lot O. good leftenants to
watch the lines and see that they
pinted the right way and KEEP the
right jog. Some o. the men in line
was armed with rifles. Most on EN-
had flint lock muskets b'longin' tc
the milisia loaded with ounce balls
and three buck shot. Some had
fowlin' pieces with partridge shot
n some had pitchforks; n a few
took old scythes and tied 'em on tc
the end O. poles maxim a kind O
pike, better'n nothin' at clust guar.
tiers, eff the teller holdin the pole
wasn't too scairt fer his health ir
them circumstances. Old Major
Twombly was the major gin'ral o
the hull passed. on us, and he had {
lot O. DEPUTIES that rid round boss
back to see that the lines was kni
together and that the men was all ;
DRAWN higher as the sarcle draWeC
in. You'd ha' LATED at some O. thu
] doin's as that line O. men surgeC
: through the woods. Some on 'en
had to climb purity steep pitches ant
] some slid down 'em. Some Teller
! was scairt and wanted to march il
the resarve; one Teller seed a blacl
+ calf and he dropped his gun and rul
3 and bellered to the rear, while tn
d calf run and bellered arter i'm. |
J, sot the rest a-larfin' and blame mig
+ broke up that part O. the sarcle
!. There was one chap in the line -
e wa-al, he warn't fool edzackly, bu
J. be didn't quite everage, n he go
h inter a leetIe thicket soft he couldn'
l. see the men on each side on i'm
IS He had slit in his lip n it gin hir
e kind o lisp. Ez quick ez he MISE
d the fellers on his TANKS he sot up
tur'ble yell - Losthe man! Losth
mani
Who's Iost?" holIered.
. Me! Me! Charles Ransom Stukt
h ley, Sh-ugar Heller, Vermont! h
II bawled out, n begun to blubber c
re eff he'd been lost a hull week.
E "Wa-al, I'm sorry fer ye," SEE
b. "sorry's ! can be; s'pose we'll hay
I'd t. take yer word fort. Ye can
9 prove it by me. How'd we git lost?
lt | asked