Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Mass.) 1828-1830, 1828-09-02

lay damp and cold on the banks ola river.
and which, at this dull season, looked
more gloomy than ever. AT the door he
was met by the little Maria. who called
out with great delight, +" You must not 90
up stairs, father; the stork has been here
and brought Maria little brother !"-o
piece OF information more expected than
agreeable, and which was soon after con.
firmed by the appearance of his sister-in
law, with healthy infant in her arms:
His wife, however, had suffered much. and
was IN state that required assistance far
beyond his means to supply. In this dis
tress ne bethought himself of the Jew
Isaac, who had lately advanced him tri-
file on his old silver watch but now nm
fortunately, he had nothing more to
pledge, and was forced to ground all his
hopes on the Jews compassion-a very
unsafe anchorage. With doubtful steps
he sought the house of the miser and told
his tale amidst tears and signs TO all of
which Isaac listened with great patience
SO much so, indeed, that Bolt began to
tiatter himself with favourable answer to
his petition. But he was disappointed
the Jew, having heard him out, coolly re-
piled, that he could lend no monies on
chlld-it was no good pledge"
With bitter execrations on the usurer's
observation-disclosures, poor Bolt rushed from
his door; when, to aggravate his situation.
the tlrst snow of the season began to fall,
and that so thick and fast, that, in very
short time, the house tops presented sim
gle field of white. Immersed in his grief.
he missed his way across the market place,
and, when he least expected such a thing,
found himself in the front of the cathe-
dral. The great clock chimed three
quarters; it wanted then quarter of
twelve. Where was he to look for assist
ance at such an hour, or, at any hour
He had already applied to the rich pre-
lates, and got from them all that their
charity was likely to give. Suddenly a
thought struck him like lightning he
saw his little Maria crying for the food he
could not give her, his sick wife, living in
bed, with the infant on her exhausted
bosom and then Adelaide, in her splend-
id coffin, and her hand glittering with
jewels that it could not grasp. "Of what
use are diamonds to her now said he to
himself. !" Is there any sin in robbing
the dead to give to the living for myself If
| were starving no, Heaven forbid? But
for my wife and child.-ah that's quite
another matter.
Quieting his conscience, as well as he
could, with this opiate, he hurried home to
time he reached his own door, his resou-
ton began to waver. The sight, howev-
er, of his wife's distress wrought him up
again to the sticking-place and having
provided himself with dark lantern, the
church keys, and a claw to break open
the coffin, he set out for the cathedral.
On the way, all seemed to shake from un-
der HINT was the tottering Of his own
limbs a figure seemed to sign him
back,--it was the shade thrown from
some column, that waved to and fro as the
lamp-light flickered in the night wind.
But still the thought of home drove him
on; and even the badness of the weather
carried this consolation with it, he was the
more likely to find the streets clear, and
escape detection.
He had now reached the cathedral.
For moment he paused on the steps, and
then, taking heart, put the huge key into
the lock. To his fancy, it had never
opened with such readiness before. The
bolt shot back at the light touch of the
key, and he stood alone in the church,
trembling from head to foot. Still it was
requisite to close the door behind him,
lest its being open should be seen by any
one passing by, and give rise to suspicion;
and, as he did so, the story came across
his mind of the man who had visited a
church at midnight to show his courage.
For sign that he had really been there,
he was to stick his knife into coffin !;
but, in his hurry and trepidation, he struck
it through the skirt of his coat without be-
ing aware of it, and, supposing himself
held back by some supernatural agency,
dropt down dead from terrour.
Full of these unpleasant recollections,
he tottered up the nave; and, as the light
successfully flashed upon the sculptured
marbles, it seemed to him as if the pale
figures frowned ominously upon him. But
desperation supplied the place of courage.
He kept on his way to the choir,-de-
scended the steps, passed through the
long, narrow passage, with the dead heap
ed up on either side,-opened Adelaide's
chapel, and stood at once before her cof-
fin. There she lay, stiff and pale,-the
wreath in her hair, and the jewels on her
fingers, cleaning strangely in the dim light