The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-03-09
LOOKING BACKWARD


Time Wrtsr Activities
The carnival is an event Of the
past so ar as this season Is con.
cerned. II is useless for US to hum
the familiar lines Turn backward
turn backward, oh time in your
fight,p but one can turn the pages
Of memory and bring to mind what
will be new to the present genera
tlcn.
We refer to the simple life o. |
many, many years ago when winter |
had attractions for the young fully a
much as summer in Old Bennington
ON the hill.
We title needed the fact that fall. |
ing leaves and shortening days were
sure harbengers o long period OF
bleak and sting ng weat3er, Of drift, |
ed roads and cold school houses We
welcomed snow and 1t came earlier
than now and there was plenty Of it.
There were more boys TO be seen in
the old village then than now.
A large group were often to bel
seen coast ne on either the meet
ing house academy or steep mort
hill What variety of eds there
were in these by gone days, both in
shape, coloring, etc Some were
made Of cast iron as well az wood
scme had swan necks, others were
noticeable from the fact that their
runners curved gracefully at the
ends and they bore very attractive
names
One thing is certain they we're
4pg Ia, hat V o.
tion than the ready made sleds of
the present day and according to cur
remembrance, more speedy.
We often speak OF the winters OF
hoyhood as old fashioned, the word
old fashioned is used as catchy
phrase nowadays in advertising var
ious wares finding a reader sale and
bringing a better price II really old
fashioned for instance furniture
crockery and molasses candy.
There comes TO mind as write. a
picture OF winter evenings OF long
ago. A dim light shines out from
the bar room OF the old Walloomsac
Inn. Landlord Ranney or Albro can
be seen leaning over the cigar case
at the end OF the short counter The
cigars that were sold then think
we're called A. Gs. The conversation
was carried on in the old room by a
circle now gone, many of whom were
men prominent in the various walks
of life.
Sometimes traveller stopping over
night would enliyen the evening with
amusing stories or relating Incidents
of travel. We we're not permitted to
pass our evenings in the village, but
some errand would occasionally give
us the long looked for opportunity to
enter the north room of the old tav.
ern, but alas, our stay there was a..
ways too short. We resolved IN our
mind that when we had grown to
mans estate, we would visit in this
Ito us them attractive place, to our
hearts content We little thought
about the changes that the future
would bring and when later in life,
we were permitted to crafty our
resolution Of earlier years, we hardly
knew the place The different pro!
prietors were no more. Many Of the
group that once made the place so
attractive, had long been tenants Of
49, tina zt0mb..a.ss.s ~. -..-- ~
The 0 ID tavern. has been changed
in many respects and is not open
now iol the reception of guests dur.
ing the winter months. What once
was the bar room has been converted
into Z cosy ONCE, SO neat and atlrac
tive, that ladies as well as gentle
men use It as "a sitting room.
When we were young, Chaplin &
Whites tin shop stood next to the
famous inn OF Revolutionary days
and little farther along the har.
ness shop OF John Hicks. We re-
member Vel the shop o. Mr. Hicks.
lie was postmaster and the post OF
flee was n the front part OF tie
shop, INTO which we often betook
ouiaeNe@ u watch the antics OF
Crazy Moon as he conyersed with
-he spners in the Jail which stood
for years back of The shop
uGc,e camel Moon" as he was
familiar called, was a respected
citizen Of nearby town, but subject
10 periods o. arrangements. At
such times he would generally visit
Bennington. Here he would often
ado.a mmsell with tin shayiugs that
in those days we're thrown in some
catch all place and. when fully trim
med with the glistening metal. was
an uneanny object to meet especial
ly after uark Inc are ana nnKlt
of his trappings, together with a way
OF dancing about that he had, made
the shivers run up and down one s
back when he came suddenly upon
them
A Comantle Indian could not have
looked worse than Uncle Daniel did