The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1851-07-26


'hd starvation that must have followed, iie
was Of eoune sought for as soon as missed
but the spot was unknown even 10 the most
practised hunters, anj Il was more than a
week befors the body was discovered. The
surprise hnd horror his family may be Inn
igned, They had never been able % com
prehend his altered conduct and mysterious
all was explained however,
when, che huge stone being removed, he was
from his position inVounta-
In hs dead fingers the faai
gold.
We relate this incident on tho authority
ofa swiss lady who has seen tho cave, aud
who assured Us that the simple mountaineeu
avoid tho spot with suporstitioua horror. To
thom there must have appeared 10 be- some
stE4.aga- magic IN Tho hidden treasure and 10
To the calmcst Judgment IL wuuid seem, when
in the ordinary course Of liie wo behold, not
only the fearful sacrifice made for the attain
ment Of gold, but the court paid, the homage
offered 10 IT, poasoaaorh, by those who have no
hope Of gaining anything by their reverence
for the mere name of wealth.
To come nearer home, our village at one
timo rcjoiced in gold worshippor, whose
history is worth relating While still young
and taking our daily walk with our nurse we
observed an old man working at the repairs
Of some miscrably dismaniled houses. lie
was tall, gauul parsonage, painfully mesgro
and very ragged His jawhoncs protpdcd
distrcssingly, and his poor thin elbows look
cd No sharp l,st one could have ihncicd they
had cut their way through the torn cont that
no longer covered them. We pidcd, aud with
childish sympathy and freedom, made &c
quainiAncc with him; always pausing to speak
TO him when we passed the spot on which he
laborcd. Sometimes a little boy, a fair aud
delicate child, was with him, assisting in the
work as far as his age allowed and with this
young creature we grew intimate, and were
a, length lcd by him to the old mans home.
II was very large old fashioned farmhouse,
but 81 much out Of repair that only three or
four foom- were hNbitahle,- 'rheze, however,
we're kept IN cXquisitp orderly tho VIII, who
was a very pretty, sad looking woman. many
yeara- Younger than her hushand, lly her
care the antique furniture, which must have
counted its century at least, was preserved
brightly polished; the floors were 40 clean
that the lack Of cArpeting was scarcely por-
ceplblc; and the luxuriant jcssaminc she had
trained round the windows was charming
substitute for curtains. There was snc pc
cularity about the dwelling, Of sterling kind
when its apparent poverty and character OF
M suvvuvr- ,,c,,-;.l..s,.l H. contained a
music room in which was tocrnbly large
church organ made and uHed by the miscr
himself' To the dcbasing and usually absorb
ing passion which governed him, hc united a
wonderful taste and genius for music, TO graf
ify which lac had constructed himself the In
strumcnt VIC have named, on which we heard
him perform, in astys of touching and at
times sublime, cSprcJlion,thc compositions Of
Purcell, PcrgoIcsi, Handel, Sc. We have
always thought this love of harmony in mi.
ser more singular and inconsistent charac-
teristic than the avarice of Perugino or Rem
brandt, since in their case the art they prac.
tised fed their rcigning passion for gold, nov
ertheIess, so it was old Mr. Moncktou would
go without n meal see his wife and family
want common ncCcssares, with plenty OF
money at his command, and yet solacc him.
self by performances on the organ, which
frequently went far into the night, startling
the passing stranger by bursts of solemn mid
night melody, for he pever played TIL the Ia
ded daylight rcndef91 il impossible for hin
to work at the various little jobs by which he
added to his boards.
He had two sons the pretty child that We
first knew, and an elder one, slim, delicate
youth, who was by nature an artist. His faith
er's parsimouy rendered it a difficult matter
for him to procure materials for the oxcrcis,
of HIS art, which was wholly self taught; AM
il was wonderful to witness the effect he
could produce from bit of common lamp
black, or an ordinary drawing pencil. Hin
genius at last found aid in the loving hear
of his mother, who secretly and at night
often whilst her strange husband filled the
house with solemn music-worked Mt het
ncedie Co procure the means Of purchasing
paints, canvas, brushes, &c, for her boy toll
ing secretly, for il she had permitted the faith
er TO know that she possessed even few
shillings he would have extorted them from
her. 1t was all she could do to help the
young painter in his seli-teachingi for she
possessed no other knowledge than that acquir-
ed at a village school during her childhood
Her fate ha1 Been very sad one. She was
a laborer's daughter, betrothed from early
childhood to sailor, who was her cousin but
during one of his voyages-thc last he was to
make before his marriage-her beauty attrac-
ted tl,t. admiration af tho rich MonehteHl
and he offered to make her his wife. The
poor girl would fain have refused him. and
kept her promise to her absent fUvrr,e'tt ft'T
family were iattered and dazzled by the idea
Of her wedding man known to be so veal
EhY. and she WAS not psoef against their en-
treatios and their anger. She married him.
her relatives, however, derived no beneht
= I. 81 lfYnal aln