The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1923-09-27
Life and Achievements OF Secretary
Tor An Agricultural Society

Thursday night rained all night, and
all day Friday. Saturday morning
came In with anything but flattering
prospects of a pleasant day and things
looked pretty gloomy for day OF
snort. but about eleven o'clock we
could see a little of the blue of the
heavens, and automobiles and Fords
began to arrive at Old Elmwood, al
so pretty fancy work, pigs, sheep,
cows, calves. vegetables, poultry and
other things too numerous to mention,
and then l had another spell of heart
failure, not enough horses to start
our races was too weak to tele-
phone to find out IL any more horses
were on the way. Brother Tobey
noticed my condition, as he had seen
me In this condition before several
times in the last two days and he man.
aged to find out from Harrington that
there were two more truck loads on
the way, after finding this out, | was
able to sit up few minutes and ask
for a drink of water, and then I re-
lapsed into state of partial insanity
as one of the judges rushed in and
says, blue ribbons all gone, need fifty
more. | did not have a blue shirt
or a blue necktie that I could make
a few out of for the occasion, but |
was mighty blue myself, I tell you.
Just then Brother Thissell came to
my assistance with a bottle of smell
ling salts and n little sweet spirits
of Ammonia that braced me up COM
pletely, and advised mo to have some
more blue ribbons fixed up and send
to the people that won them, which
was a very good idea, and which |
intend to do as soon as | regain my
health. I appointed Brother Thissell
my legal adviser and assistant right
there and then and he took me by
the arm and says l guess we will
take walk Sam, and went down to
the stock sheds and you don't know
what we saw there. Well, Brother
Henry Whiting was trying to- tie a
blue ribbon on to sleeps nose, and
/ says Henry by lingo, | knew when
you was appointed judge of livestock
for this society you did not know
sheep from a bull. Just then Broth
or Tobey rushed up to me, you are
wanted at the judges stand, the races
have been called, so l grabs my grip
with smelling salts and sweet spirits
of Ammonia and wanders over to the
Judges stand, my knees knocking to-
gether at every step and | managed
to get about two thirds Of the way up
the stairs leading to the stand and
someone hollers out, take back there's
no chance, so I did not take any
chance, but | took back down the
stairs, and says to myself, I'm going
to end 1t all right now. as l knew
the Kennebec river was only about
mile away. Just then I ran into three
or four men that blocked my passing,
and they wanted to know where I
was going and ! told them very meek
ly that I was on my way to the Ken
nebec and that fellow was not going
to tell me to take back more than
once and they allowed that this fell
low Brother Fred Weston was not
talking to me, he was talking to the
drivers, and then | tumbled all over
myself to think I had been so foolish
and crawled UP the stairs again with
my grip of smelling salts and sweet
spirits of Ammonia, this time / managed
to reach the floor, and there | was
confronted by several very serious
looking men, one of them very polite
ly gave me a chair, my first thought
was to stick this fellow over the head
with the chair, and make my get
away, but just then a fellow with a
boot leg at his mouth hollers out go,
and I says to him I'm going and /
makes for the stairs again, and fell |
low grabs me by the collar and hauls !
me back into the chair again and
hands me a piece of paper. I no.
ticed all of these fellows had watches
in their hands, so I pulls mine out
too. Just then one of them hollers
up 81 IA. says by lingo you are
wrong it's 80 now, oh put the time
of that quarter down, and l very po-
litely told him I never had quarter
long enough to time 1t, and he then
pointed ont to me on the piece of pa
per ne had given me the quarters.
halves, three-quarters and mile. So
I had quite a comfortable time after
that listening to Babe Herrington's
orchestra and seeing an old lady eigh- |
ty years old dancing to the music.
After a twenty-four hours rain old
Elmwood was in the pink of condition
for the races. We people in Nor
ridgewock say she Is the best track in
the state, others do too, where Is there
another track in the state you can |
start horses on safely, as soon as 1t
stops raining, the more 1t rains at
Elmwood the faster the horses go, |
We expect to start some horses next !
Fourth of July, please bear this In
mind Mr.. Editor, we did not bother
you people at Skowhegan last Fourth,
please do not bother us next Fourth.
Yours for better health,
g A. CROMMETT |