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reports were by Taft who got to know him some.  Taft seemed to get next to about everyone - he has that faculty.  Bernard was quite perturbed to find the stores were closed on Fairlee Day or was it Bennington Day, and wanted to know immediately if that would affect the liquor store in White River Jct.

The Strattons:  I never so much as met these people and they weren't even guests at Shanty Shane but an interesting story to me attaches to them.  One day at the swimming parking place, I saw an enormous Packard convertible coupé; although a trifle ancient, it must have cost originally $3000 or better.  And, characteristically, it gave me momentarily an inferior feeling.  But I knew that was silly anyhow and regardless the owner might have bought it second hand and paid less for it than our Ford.  Well, it belonged to Stratton, a big, handsome, 40ish blond fellow who, oddly, wore an out-of-date bathing suit with one strap worn off the shoulder like a lion tamer with a leopard skin on.  The odd thing proved to be that Stratton, a once regular guest at Shanty Shame was now broke, and was staying at a tourist camp at Orford with his wife, where he had jewed the camp operator down from $1 to 50¢ a night because he would stay a couple of weeks.  They took their meals at Fairlee in the lunch wagon and brassily came over to Shanty Shane to swim even though not staying there.  His only intimate at Shanty Shane was Bernard with whom he went on at least one good bender while we were there.  Stratton was continually on the outs with his wife, because of drinking bouts.  Was reported to have a boy in a Military School - how he financed it I don't know, nor what his business had been.