Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1843-06-23

Tongue cannot express, the sweet comfort and
peace,
or soul in its earliest love-
until Forgeron, from having experienced
first love, or some other sensation equally
new TO him, responded Justify, 'nough |
nough take him off, But, unfortunately
there was no one by to perform that kind
Office, except the old roam, and he munched
bunch OF grass, and looked on as quietly
as if his master was happily, at camp
meeting.
Now said Mr.. Stubbleworth, there are
three things yoa must promise me before
let you up.
what are they p asked Forgeron eagerly.
The first is, that you will never modest a
Methodist preacher again
Here Ned's pride rose, and he hesitated !;
and the reverend gentleman, with his usual
benign smile on his face, renewed his blows,
and sung
Il rode on the sky, freely justified |,
And the moon 1t was under my feet.
This oriental language oyercame the black
smith. Such bold figures, or something
else, caused him to sing out, well III do it
iii do it,
You are getting on very well, said Mr.
Stubbleworth Il think can make decent
man Of you yet, and perhaps christian
Ned groaned.
The second thing | require Of you is to
go to Pumpknyille Creek Westinghouse,
and hear me preach tomorrow
Ned attempted to stammer some excuse,
I-l--thati IS
When the divine resumed his devotional
hymn, and kept time with the music, stri-
king him over the face with the heshy part
of his hand
My soul mounted higher in a chariot of fire, u
Nor did envy Elijah his seat
Ned's promise Of punciuality caused the
parsons exercise to cease, and the words,
redolent of gorgeous imagery, died away in
echoes fromrthe adjacent crags
Now the third and last demand is pc
remptory. Ned was all attention to know
what was TO come next 'You are to prom
Use to seek religion, day and night, and new
er rest until you obtain il at the hands Of
merciful Redeemer The fallen man look
ed at the parson, and knew not what TO say,
when the latter individual raised his voice
in the song once more, and Ned knew not
what would come next
III do my best he said, in an humble
voice. r.,
We'll, that's man. said Stubbleworth,--
now get up and go down TO the spring and
wash your face, and tear up Tom Paines
testament, aud turn your thoughts on high
Ned rose with feelings be had never ex-
perienced before, and went 10 obey the Law
atory injunction of the preacher, when that
gentleman mounted his horse, took Ned by
the hand and said, keep your promise, aud
I'll keep your COUNSEL Good evening, Mr..
Forgeron-lll look for you Tomorrow and
off he rode, with the same imperturabIe
countenance, singing so loud as to scare
the eagles from their eyrie in the oyerhang-
ing rocks
Well, thought Ned, this is nice bust
ness. What would people say if they knew
Edward Forgeron was whipt before his
own door in the gap, and that too, by a
Methodist Preacher But his musings were
more in sorrow than in anger.
The distigured countenance of Forgeron,
was of course the subject of numerous ques-
tons that night amongst his friends, TO
which he replied with a stern look they well
understood, and the vague remark that he
had met with an accident OF course they
never dreamed of the cause Forgeron
looked in the glass, and compared the chan
ging OF his black eve from recent scuille,
to the rainbow ship wreck scene-'b blending
every color into one Or perhaps he had
never read that story--and only muitered to
himself, Ned Forgeron whipped by Meth
odlst Preacher tH aHifl ,ilaa ui faa4e
His dreams that night we're of confused
and disagreabe nature and waking in
the morning, he had an indistinct memory
of something unpleasant having occurred
At FIRST he could not recollect the cause of
his feelings but the bruises on his face aud
body soon called them TO mind 'as well as
the promise He mounted his horse in ST.
lence, and went to redeem it.
From that time, his whole conduct mani
tested change of feeling. The gossips of
the neighborhood observed it, and whisper
ed that Ned was silent and had gone to meet
ing every Sunday since the accident. They
wondered greatly at his burning the books
he used to read so much Strange stories
were circulated as to the metamorphose of
this jovial, dare devil blacksmith into a
gloomy aud taciturn man. Some supposed,
very sagely, that spirit had enticed him
into the mountains, and after giving him
glimpse into the future, had misled him to
crag where he had fallen aud bruised his
face. Others gave the Prince of darkness
the credit of the change; but none suspect
ed the Methodist preacher, and as the latter
had no vanity to CRAFTY, the secret remained
with Ned
This gloomy state of mind continued nm
til Forgeron visited camp meeting. The
Rev Mr.. Stubbleworth preached sermon
that seemed to enter his soul, and relieve il