. There was a great deal to be drawn home; and
consequently a very long procession of carts and wagons was tailing
along the road, toward nightfall; also the cows and other cattle which
had been on exhibition. The Edwards family, the Wilburs, as also the
Sylvesters and the Batchelders, were well represented; and not only
those from our immediate neighborhood, but others from various places
more remote. All were journeying homeward along the highway beside the
lake; not less than forty teams all told, loaded with every variety of
farm produce, also the farmers' wives and children.

It was very dusty, and horse teams were constantly driving past the
slower ox-carts, for some of the young fellows and a few of the older
ones were quite ready to show off the paces of their nags. After this
manner they went on, with here and there two or three teams cutting in
ahead of the slower ones, till the forward teams reached "Wilkins Hill,"
a long, and in some places, quite steep ascent in the road about two
miles from the Old Squire's.

Near the top of the hill Roscoe Batchelder--an older brother of
Alfred--who owned a "fast horse" and had been driving past most of the
other teams on the way home, overtook Willis Murch with his ox-team,
consisting of a yoke of oxen and a yoke of two-year-old steers. Willis
had started quite early from the Fair Grounds and hence, although
driving slowly, had secured a long start of the others. Just at the top
of the hill, Roscoe, with a cigar in his mouth, whipped up to drive past
Willis, and feeling fine from some cause or other, cracked his whip at
the steers and gave a wild yell as he dashed past!

This startled the steers, unused to the excitements of the road; they
sprang forward with a jerk which somehow threw out or broke the pin
through the "sword" at the forward end of the cart body. With that the
cart tipped up, dumping the entire load into the road behind. Among
other farm produce in the cart were eight or ten huge yellow pumpkins.
At the Murch farm they always raised fine pumpkins and generally carried
a few large ones to the Fair. They cultivated a kind of cheese-shaped
pumpkins which often grew two feet in diameter, yellow as old gold.

When these great pumpkins were tipped out they began to roll down the
hill. Immediately there arose a shout of trouble and dismay from the
teamsters below. Something very much like a stampede ensued; for the
pumpkins came bounding under the horses and