Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1845-10-17


er's old roam, and he maunched a bunch of
grass, and looked on as if his master was
happy at camp meeting.
Now" siid S~tu6bleworth, ''there are
three things you must promise me, before
''What are theyl" asked FOrgeron, eager
~.
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 OH his face, renewed his blows
aud song
81 then rode on the sky freely justified /,
And the moon it was under my feet"
This %orieutll language overcane the black
smith. Such bold figures, or something else
caused him to sing out
well, I'll do it, I'll do it,"
=" on are getting on very WE'LL" said Mr..
S~tubbleworth, 81 think | can make a decent
man OF you yet, and perhaps a christian"
Ned groaned.
"The second thing I require of you is to
go to Pumpkin Creek meeting house, and
hear me preach Tomorrow"
Ned attempted to stlmmer an excuse, when
the divine resumed his devotional hymn, and
Kept time with the music, striking hin over
the face with the feshy part of his hand.
"fll do my best" said he in a humble
voice.
"Well, that's a man, said Stubbleworth;
snow get up and go down to the spring and
wash your face, and tear up Tom Pdine's
testament, and turn your thoughts on high"
Ned rose with feelings he never experien-
ced before, and went to obey the ~lavatory in
functions Of the preacher, when the latter
person mounted his horse, took Ned by the
hand and said
Snow keep your promise, and I'll keep
your counsel. Good evening, Mr.. Forgeron,
XII look for you Tomorrow"
And Off he rode with the same impertura-
bic countenance, singing so loud as to scare
the eagles from their eyrie in the overhang-
ing rocks.
swell, thought Ned, this is a nice bust
ness. What would people say if they knew
Edward Forgeron was whipped before his
wi door, and that, too, by a Methodist
pfeaeher."
But his musings were more in sorrow than
in anger. His disigured countenahce was
of course, the subject of numerous questions
that night among his friends; to which he re-
| piled with a stern lock that they well under
stood, aud the vague remark that he had met
with an accident.
OF course they never dreamed of the cause.
Ned looked in the glass, and compared his
black eye from the recent %scuffle, to the rain
bow OF he shiTw eek scene; offending every
coiOI Into one Or 1eghaps he neye; read the
story, and muttared to himself, ''Ned Forge
ron whipped by a Methodist preacher"
From that time his whole conduct mani
Tested a change of feeling. The gossips of
the neighborhood obs, rived it, and whispered
that Ned cns 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 the metamorphosis of the joyc-
al, daredevil blacksmith, into a gloomy and
%taciturn man; some supposed, very sagely,
that a "spirit" had enticed him into the noun
tains, and after giving him a glimpse into the
future, had mlsled him to a crag, where he
had fallen and bruised his face. Others gave
the prince Of darkness the credit of the change
but none suspected the Methodist preacher;
and the latter having no vanity to crafty, the
secret remained with Ned. The gloomy
state of mind continued until Forgeron visit.
ed a camp meeting. Rev. Mr.. Stubbleworth
preached a sermon that seemed TO enter his
soul and relieve him of a burthen; and the
song of
''How happy are they who their Savior
obey"
was only half through, when he felt a new
mas. Forgeron was from that time a shout
ing Methodist. At a love-feast a short tim
subsequent, he gave in his experience, anc
revealed the mystery of his conversion to hi,
astonished ~neighbors.
The Rev. Mr.. Stubbleworth, who had faith
fully kept the secret until that time, coulc
not ~contlin himself any longer, but gave ven
to his feelings in conyulsive peels of laugh
ter, as the burning tears of Joy coursed down
his cheeks.
Eyes my brethren" said he, sit is a fact
| did maui the grace into his unbclic,ing sou
there is no doubt
The blacksmith Of the mount ia pass, him
sell, became soon after ID Methodist preacher