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ED GRANT
This
legend of the Kennebago area, was a guide, camp owner, fisherman, and
teller of tall tales during the late 1800's. Ed’s sense of humor and
talent for exaggeration is illustrated in ‘The Tame Trout” and
his advertising for his camps that proclaimed “ask anybody about
Beaver Pond Camps and if they don’t speak well of us, write us and we
will”.
Another amusing story about Ed - “On his way to the Sportsmen’s Show
in New York City one year Ed fell a victim to the blandishments of a
trio of card sharps on the train. Interrogated by the nimble fingered
gentry he vouchsafed that he could play cards, but was not much of a
hand at it. Yes, Old Maids, Hearts and High, Low Jack, and Euchre,
some. They played Euchre for a time and then some one suggested poker.
“Would Mr. Grant play poker?” “Why, yes, guess I would, if they’d
kinder show me.” He caught on surprisingly well and the game
progressed amazingly under the careful tutelage of the sharpers. In
due course a little incentive was added to the game, which, by chance,
of course, did not stay little very long but grew prodigiously. Then a
most surprising thing happened. The old guide lost much of his
timidity and developed a surprising quality of stick-to-it-iveness.
They could not shake him down! The game came to an end with a
remarkable exhibition of dexterity on the part of the woodsman, who
“threw down” with one hand and “pulled in” with the other, and what he
pulled in paid all his expenses from Kennebago to New York and back
again, and a little something besides for the baby. Ed said, “Gents,
the next time you meet up with anybody that smells of spruce, don’t
jest nach’ully think they’re green.”
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