After a night of feverish unrest I awoke late on this hot July morning and later still took a stroll around the town more for pastime than for recreation. In front of his place of business stood Sam Wilson and Frank Gray, talking “hoss,” they knew all about the subject, so I moved on. Along the dock made historic by the enforced detention of the lime “bully” Rambo, for many months, a quartet of young men were pitching quoits. Rather hot weather for this kind of work but one had better not let those engaged call it “work,” for they would quit instantly. It is play to them, and this is one of the instances where there’s something in a name. “A rose by another name may smell as sweet,” but anything like putching quoits must not be called work. The town bailiff is sauntering around attending to his business, and on the qui vive for dogs. And now, on our route, we come to the border of the lake, where a cool breeze is wafted across the water, mitigating the heat and tempting us to stop awhile, and enjoy the refreshing atmosphere and cooling shade. At the upper end of the town Mayor Jones and a coterie are discussing belles lettres[i], but the atmosphere in this locality is becoming so somniferous that they will soon be obliged to go home. We barely stop, and getting no fair idea of the question under discussion, we continue on our way. Back down Chestnut Street we notice two men, three girls and as many dogs. The dogs were lolling, the men were perspiring, and the girls—or ladies—were glowing. At the printing office someone asserted “It’s hot!” John Crouch said: “Boys, I tell you it’s d—– hot! That’s all there is about it.” We now had made the circuity of South Milton and returned to find Sam Wilson and Frank Gray still talking on their favorite subject: the quoit pitchers had quit and gone home, presumably to rest, and to sleep; and we concluded to do likewise, mentally ejaculating something like the words of Mr. Crouch. Sam Smith put it something like this: “By my x’s, and […] etc. If it ain’t hot! That’s so!”
On Saturday morning it was discovered that one of the French plate glass windows in front of the “big store” had been broken the night previous. There is a small hole in the glass that looks as though it might have been made by a bullet; and from this, as a center, the glass is shivered in all directions, resembling the radiations of light diverging from the sun, that we see in pictures. But, there has been no bullet found in the store and the curtains to the windows are intact, which would not be the case had a bullet gone through the window. And the bullet theory is dropped. There was found a brick upon the pavement, in juxtaposition to the window and the other theory is, the window was struck with one of the sharp corners of this brick. The damage is done, however, and it is evident it was not an accident, but done on purpose. It is evident the motive for the act was not robbery, else it could have been done with less publicity. It can only be ascribed to pure cursedness, and a desire to mutilate someone’s property. It is humiliating to be compelled to acknowledge we have such persons in Milton, but the fact remains.
The privileges of Lavinia Camp were sold on Saturday afternoon. Geo. Clendaniel bought the food pen for $3.60; George Simpler bought the boarding tent for $2.00, and also the confectionary and lunch stand for $18.25.
William Vent is building an addition to his property near town.
There were 128 tickets sold at the Milton Station for the excursion to Rehoboth last Thursday.
Mr. A. M. Young, wife and two children, of Haddon Heights, N. J., and Mrs. Jane Young, of Philadelphia, are the guests of Mr. and Mrs. John Johnson on Federal Street.
William Johnson and wife, of Philadelphia, ae being entertained by the former’s parents.
Captain C. Jones, of West Point, Va., has been visiting Milton.
Joseph Walls’ horse, hitched to a buggy, became frightened on Friday in front of his place of business, and ran around from Union Street into a by-way, and was caught without doing any damage to itself or buggy.
J. Carey Palmer is shipping a lot of pine cordwood to Pennsylvania, that he bought of W. W. Conwell.
H. R. Draper has been shipping canned peas that were packed at his Slaughter Neck factory.
Prof. Claude C. Douglass, of the Westminster Seminary, preached at the M. P. Church Sunday evening, to an appreciative audience.
Joseph Brittingham lost a horse last week, from eating prematurely-cured scarlet clover.
The resident of James Pettyjohn, near the depot, has been painted.
Joseph Carey has put down a pump at his stables, foot of Chestnut Street, and the public may use it.
The town supervisor, with a few workmen, has been engaged during the past week in enhancing the beauty of the most public streets of town.
The machinery at the Anderson cannery was looked after last week, preparatory to the commencement of the tomato season.
The first moonlight excursion to Rehoboth by the D. M. & V. R. R. took place last Wednesday, leaving Milton at 8.35 p. m., returning leaving Rehoboth at 9.30 p. m.
The M. P. Sunday School will hold its annual picnic on Thursday, Aug. 5, and instead of driving to Broadkill Beach in wagons, will adopt the more sensible arrangement and bivouac on Lavinia Campground.
Since the canning of peas commenced in Kent County years ago, we have always understood this vegetable was hard to keep; as the Royal Packing Company has been compelled to haul lots of theirs damaged and spoiled to near Black’s old shipyard and dumped.
Sam Bailey had a small sea turtle in town on Friday, and the way Sam was caressing it and smoothing off its nose with his hand, we thought he was going to keep it for a “pet,” but later we learn he has cut its head off.
The moving pictures are drawing large crowds on Thursday and Saturday evening at Jester’s Park.
Russell Derrickson, son of William Derrickson, while playing at the upper end of Federal Street, was knocked down by a passing team and ran over on Friday evening. The little fellow was not much hurt and was able to be out on Saturday.
On account of the Rev. McGilton being taken ill on his return from a funeral on Sunday afternoon, no service was held at the M. E. Church on that evening.
John Dickerson, who was partly raised by David Dickerson, is now in the U. S> Navy, belonging to the cruiser Kentucky, now at the Boston Navy Yard. He is 19 years old and is on a furlough of two weeks, visiting Milton. There are a dozen other young persons in Milton, who might make men out of themselves by doing the same thing, instead of lolling around town, wearing their lives away, pitching horse shoes, etc.
The school assessment for the consolidated district of Milton is now made out, and hanging in the post office. The Board of Education will sit on a Court of Appeals on Friday evening, the 30thm between the hours of 7 p. m. and 9 o’clock p. m.
[partly illegible] Coolspring on Friday. The funeral services were held by the Rev. Bryan, of Harbeson, and the remains deposited in the adjoining cemetery by S. J. Wilson.
Thomas H., son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Clendaniel, died in Prime Hook on Friday aged 5 weeks. Funeral was held at Slaughter Neck on Sunday afternoon by the Rev. Cockran, and burial made in the adjoining cemetery by S. J. Wilson & Son.
James T., son of Mr. and Mrs. John Wyatt, died at his home on South Federal Street, on Saturday evening, aged 5 months. Funeral at its late home on Sunday afternoon by the Rev. McGilton, and sepulture made in Weigand Chapel by S. J. Wilson & Son.
The above mortuary list would lead one to believe life’s fatality is busier with the infant class than with the adult.
W. J. B. Warren’s disease is reported to have produce partial paralysis of the brain.
Miss Jennie Blizzard is suffering with typhoid, as is also Miss Virgie Reed. All of the above reside on Broad Street.
—————————————————————
[i] Essays, particularly of literary and artistic criticism, written and read primarily for their aesthetic effect.