Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1841-04-02

ONE unguardcd look when they publicly |
net, or some brief absence of both at the
anic, had attracted the notice of the prying
Higgins; and, his jealousy being thus arous-
I'd, he commenced system Of secret es-
)onage upon the young couple which would
nave conferred credit on minon OF the in
QUESTION the result of which was, that he
became convinced of the existence of for
hidden attachment growing up between them
and strongly suspected them, though wholly
unable TO ascertain it for fact, of holding
interviews.
This parsonage, whose manner was as
hateful as his countcnance was disagrccable,
and whose character was strange compound
of the fanatic, the Jesuit and the voluptuary
was an Elder in the Church, in which,
through his pretensions to hdding gifts or
direct revelations from above, and his in
triguing and ambitious dsposion,hc had gain
edan intluncc even greater, than the Elder
Brother himself, as the chief ruler of each
Shaker family is dcnominated-and, his am
bition being not content with his spiritual do
minion, he aspred to, and by similar means
obtained, an equal asccndancy in the man
agemont of the business and temporal con-
Germs of the establishment. Exacting the
most rigid obedience from all, requiring the
most implicit faith ia all the ultra doctrines
of his creed, and ever untiring in searching
out dclinqucncies in others, while he shield
ed his own under the very convenient dog
ma handed down by Mother Ann Lee, for
The special benefit of the peculiarly gifted
like himself, that to the pure, all things are
pure,' he had become an object of dread
among the people. For these reasons, then
if they had no others, it will be readily seen
how much our two young friends had to fear
from the sanctimonious elder-but they had
additional reasons. lie had for some time
shown himself remarkably sensitive in eve
ry thing that related to Martha-and no 500
ncr were his suspicious fairly awakened re-
specting the attachment of her and Seth,
than she was summoned to meet him at the
confessional alone, land in one of the most Sc
cuded rooms Of The buildings. This was sew
eral times repeated,t to the great horror of the
distressed maiden and the agonizing fears OF
Seth, who became apprised of the circum-
stance, and but too well conjectured the Sc
cret motives of the Elder in summoning her
instead of him, to meet him in private-tho
what passed on these occasions he had nc
other means Of judging than by the mingled
expression of grief and outraged feeling
that. cry visibly marked the tear stained face
of the poor girl for hours after her return
fran the scene of her trials.
With Seth different course was taken
and, though no rebukc was administered, nj
word limited to him respecting the offence o
which he, in common with Martha, was sus
pcctcd to be guilty, he yet soon found tia
he was not for t:at reason any the less mark
ed for punishment. He soon discovered tina
the Elder was secretly attempting to under
mine his character with the family, while
system Of petty annoyanccs was made to NEE
HIM in every thing he did. Till his life became
one Of constant vcxation and mlscry-and
being no longer tempted by the proposed of
flee without the coveted privilege of goin
abroad, he again began to mediate abou
leaving the society. But checked in thi
wish by want of confidence in his abillt,
TO succeed in the world of which he was s.
little informed, and above all by his love 70
Martha, and his apprehensons for her saiei
marked as he believed she was as the victim
of the llccntious Elder. be here also bccam
the prey of conflicting emotions. The trea,
mcnt of his malicious prosecutor, however
at length drove him to "A final dccison-and
having formed a new plan in regard to hi
fair friend, whom he had been so reluctar
to leave, he waited only for an opportuni
ty of seeing her alone, from which, throug
the precautions of the Elder, he had bee
for long while debarrcd,) before carryln
his resolve into execution. With these re
marks we will now return to the event
which form the action of our story.
On returning to their buildings, after til
labors of the field were over, the family a
usual, soon repaired to the rooms allotted t
their daily repasts. For this purpose tire
tables were always spread in separate build
ings-onc for the ordinary male member:
one for the females, and one for the leader.
the two former of which are furnished wit
plain, substantial food while the latter is loa
dcd with the best the land is capable of al
lordng, and not uni'rcquently with foreig
luxurcs-ior these dignitaries, if they d
not always go on the principle Of indulgenc
involved in tic reported saying of the EIct
Lady, whose authority we have hcrctofol
quoted, that 'spirituCM liquors is one &
COTS g0Od creatures, have AT least no lics
ta,ion in acting generally on the assumptio
thu the gift Of good living is peculiarly thc
own.
Immediately after supper the whole FAM
ly assembled for worship in the house espe
cially consecrated to that purpose-but S
well known is their meaningless mode {
worship, their long drawn, nasal chant ,
Ilottentol giblersh, set to the 'inspirct
tune Of perhaps Nancy Dawson, Q;or thc
tunes as well as their words they contend ar
nspired)-their formal, unvarying kanga
roo-dance, performed with uplipted hand
and various contortions of ieatures--or til
occasional exhibition, by some freshly inspi
red elder or cldress, OF new gift for clap
ping the hands, for shaking, jerking, jumpin
, stamping and groaning-so well known ar
all these that we will pass over them for mat
tiers more Immediately connected with on
, story-and for this purpose we will now re
f pair to the trysting tree of the persecutc
lovers, who had generally, as now, fixed up
on for their Interview the hour immedatel