The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1853-05-17


ion belle the heart within. A holy,
charitable, unselfish man was that
village pastor; but with the rcsem-
blance lie bore and it was a strong
one-to Goldsmith's portrait of his
brother, there mingled much Of the
thoughtlessness and improvidenco of
the poet himself, and the consequence
of his boundless charities, and of his
ignorance of moneymatters, had led
had led him into cmbarrassmcnts,
from which he saw no escape.
lie would have cared little had
his difficulties affected his own com.
fort only; but they fell likewise on
those dearest to him, and anxiety
for their sakes, prcying on his affec-
tomato and rather timid spirit; the
propablc shame Of an execution in
his house, and the nervous horror he
felt at the idea Of being consigned to
a prison, had brought on his present
illness, and haunted his thoughts as
he lay there in solitude after many
restless nights of agonizcd and per-
picked reflection, listening to the
church bells ringing for Sunday scr.
vice, at which a stranger was to fill
his place. From the days of Whit
tington to the present, the imagina
ton has frequently given a language
to those airy voices; and the poor
pastor, as he lay ovcrpowcred and
exhausted by long hours of painful
and fruitless meditation, felt the
nightmare, like load of care which
oppressed him, pass of as he listened,
and a chiIdliko faith in the goodness
of Providence once more dawning on
his mind. We do not pretend to in
tcrpret what they whispered, but it
is certain that, soothcd by the chimes,
he yielded to gentle and profound
slumber, in which his wife found him
shortly afterwards.
Care was at first taken not to
break this desired rcpose; but as
.noop. evening, night, nay. a4sseaoDna 4
day passed, and still it continued, his
family became alarmed, and tried to
rouse him. In vain! The awful
slunber was as incxorablc as that of
death itself. 1t bound his senses in
an iron iorgetfnlncss. He could
not be awakened by sound o. touch.
Sun after sun rose and set, and still
the deep sleep continued. Mean
time the evils he had dreaded gath
cred around his family. His phys
ical condition preserved his personal
freedom; but an execution was put
i'll his house, and his wife and dau gh-
tcrs were exposed to the direst evils
of poverty. The rumor, however,
Of his trancc,likc slumbcr was noiscd
abroad, and reached the lordly dwell
Ing Of noblcman who resided near
the spot, though he was not one of
the clergyman's parishioncrs. Be-
ing much given to the study of phys
ical science, he visited the parsonage
to request permission to sec the sleep
CT, and thus learned the varied sor.
row that had fallen on its gentle in
mates. With equal dclicacy and
generosity he proif:rcd as loan the
means Of paying the harsh creditors,
assuring the poor wife that if her
husband should ever wake, he would
give him the means of repaying the
pccuniary obligation. The offer was
thankfully accepted, and the debt
discharged. For the following two
days Lord E-was regular visi
tor to the parsonage.
Sunday morning again dawncd-
once more the sunlight fell on the
slccpcr's pillow, and the bells called
men to pray. Beside the couch
were seated the miserable wife and
her noble friend. The faint, regu.
lar brcathings Of the trance chained
man dccpcncd, and to her anxious
ear the difference was pcrccptiJlc,
though Lord E--shool his head,
as she told him OF it. She bent ca
gcrly over the pillow; there was a
slight flutter of the cyc,lids; she held
her breath, and claspcd her hands in
an agony Of expectation and dawning
hope. The hand, so long motionless,
stirred; the eyes opened; she could
not speak for ovcrpowcring joy
The sleeper raised his head, slightly
smiled on her and observed, 4
thought | had slept longer the bell
has not yet ceased ringlugn
lie was unconscious that whole
week had elapsed since its tones had
soothcd him to rest. The wife faint
ed, and was conveyed from the cham.
Der. The doctor was summoned;
he found his patient weak, but not
otherwise i'll. A still more cxtraor.
dinary mental cure had been effect
i