The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1841-04-20


known tho fact that tho deceased was an expert
swimmer These aud many othor conjectnres O.
qualify erroneous were formed respecting the mystic
rous event. till, weary with the fruitless discus
sion, it was given up as a cnse entirely hopeless
of any further calculation, and there permitted 10
rest. rr evan ..+.. -.
Seth had beeen n peculiar favcIite with the fami-
iy generally, and his loss for many days cast deep
gloom the minds ofthe litte community who
thus unex pectedly called TO mourn his prema
ture decease. Tho impression, however, like 9th
ers OF the kind, wore gradually away from the
minds Of all excep, tho bereaved Martha, and the
conscience smiicn Elder, from whose bosoms, the
memory OF the last one, for reasons peculiar to
each, was not, as may well be su pposed, so easily
to be erased
Although the circumstances in which Martha
was placed forbade any manifestation OF her pecu-
liar griefs and wholly precludipg her from commu.
ncaiing them TO others and receiving in return
those ueviaiing sympa,hies which it is tho privi>
loge for binary sorrow TO receive, yet none the
less heavy for that fell blow Of nhlictiou, and
The less keenly was fclt the anguish that now in
cret wrung her guiIeess and faithful bosom. Young
love was beginning to shed its sweet and happily
ing influences over her pure and gentle bear, and
his twin angel, Hope, had just showed his snowy
pnion 20 her unaccus,omed vision, pointing her to
land of earthly felicity VIII ch never before, even
in her brightest dreams, had been pictured TO her
mnd-but oil these grateful feelings had been sud
denly chilled and frozen in the current that
! so blissfnlly waiting her away To the promised has
! ven of hoppiness-n these bright vsioDs had van
ished, leaving her future noionly blankand cheer
less but dark with portents of persecution and woe,
from which there was no hope Of escaping. These
circumstances combined TO render the poor girl s
loss ordinary aforementioned most persons of
her ma .uIal sensibililies would probably have sunk
under the weight of her affection. But Martha was
"a Chisiian-and she meeky bowed beneath The
Christening rod, and turned foi consolation to that
life spring on high, " bich is never long sealed
fountain 10 the meek and devoted followers of
Him who once himself knew earthly sorrows
But, while Martha was thus comforted and sus-
uined, such consolation remained for tho despi-
able wretcn who had been the cause Of her trouh
les and the lie tried to still mis- startled con
science, the moro did its accusing spirit rise up 10
disquet him, not ony for the hand he had in the
young mans DEATH but for the part he had previ-
ousIy acted towards him in his general misusnge,
and moro particularly mn affair TO which only a
slight plluson has as yet been made.
About a month previors to the time OF whlrh we
are speaking, stranger, from the nrighbornood of
Seths early residence called at the stablishment,
bearing for him letter, which no desired to de-
liver in person-bvt the young man being at work
in the woods distance from home, aud the
stranger being anxious TO resume his Journey, The
letter entrusted to Higgins, on his promise OF
delivering it to Seth lie returned. HAYS
ing repeated his njunc,ons, the messenger depart
ed not, however, till the inquisiuvo Elder had hsh
ed from him as cautious as he evidently intended
to be, some clue to the contents of the letter No
sooner was the strangers back fairly TUNED than
| Higgins retired to private apartment end broke
open the letter, which proved to be from neighb6r
| of Sr,h's uncle whom we have before mentioned +,
and which announced the successive deaths, with
IN few days of each other, of that uncle and the
nephew living with him, by which event. it was
stated, as will or Wills have been made Seth be
The legal heir TO all the estate thus left, con
| ssting OF good farm and considerable personal
property. The writer closed by advising che
young man to leave his present situation, come
home and take possession o his property. After
reading the letter carefully over several times, tho
| perfidous Elder committed it the hames and
spent the remainder of tho day in devsing and
settling his pians and in drawing up for Seth's sig
nature anquttance of all the property he had or
of which he might become the inferior. And the
next day, after having smothed the way for tho at
Tempt as he supposed, BY an unusual display oil
parent-Iko kindness no cautiously broached the
subject TO The young man and tried to induce him
to sign the paper falsely affirming it to be one oil
their regulations to require such an act ftheyonne
members of their society, whether they had any
property or not, when they arrived at legal age,
which Seth, as happened, had few days before
attained. Tho latter, however, secretly meditat-
ing upon leaving the famiiysoon had no notion o
cutting himself off from any right of properly
which might .some day accrue to him, though nov
he certainly had no expectations. and he therefore
firmly refused to comply with the Elders request
After renewing the attempt several times, and re
so ting to every arr and alsehood, which he deem
ed likely TO aid him in h's purpose, Higgins wa
compelled relinqush his fraudulent design, will
no other result than that exciting tho suspicious
of Seth tina; there might have, happened somothn.
at his uncle's IN his favor, and of hastenng his do