lady. "He was a very odd character, and one of his peculiarities was,
that he never walked directly towards any place or object he wished to
reach, but went in a 'criss-cross,' zigzag way, like a ship beating and
tacking before a head-wind. He was a hard drinker, and was almost
continually under the influence of liquor, and perhaps that was the
cause of his singular habit. He was a terribly ugly fellow, when he
was mad, and the boys used to tease him in every possible way; but wo
to them if he got hold of them. He lived all alone, for he never had
any wife or children; and he would not allow anybody to enter his
house, on any account, but always kept the door locked. If his
neighbors had business to transact with him, he would step into the
yard and attend to them; but even in the severest weather, he would not
let them cross his threshold. He never would speak to or look at a
woman, and would always avoid meeting them, if possible. Poor fellow,
he had a dreadful end. He was missing for several days, and at last
some of the town's-people broke into his house, and found him dead,
with his head badly burned. They supposed he was intoxicated, and
fell, striking his head upon the andiron, which stunned him; and while
he lay helpless, he was so badly burned that he soon died. And that
was the last of poor old Zigzag."

"There was another story Uncle James used to tell, about the naming of
Barre, in Vermont; do you recollect it, mother?" inquired Mrs. Preston.

"Yes, indeed, and I 've heard old Dr. Paddock tell it many a time. He
was there, and saw it all. The people did n't like the name of their
town, which was Wildersburgh, and determined to have a new one, and so
they met together in town-meeting, to talk the matter over. One of the
leading men came from Barre, Massachusetts, and he wanted the town to
take that name. Another prominent citizen came from Holden,