The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-01-22
THE DAILY DISPATCH
IAs A CowARDIN, Proprietor.
HIGH r. PLEASANTS. Editor.
rms ~ExTeNs ADVENTURE.

The narish sexton. Bob Martin was held
,..,,h IN awe hy nuant boys who sauntered
;-ta the church yard on Sundays, TO read the
,,=h,tanes. or play leap-irog over them, or
Q, i4a The wv in search of bats or sparro"s
a.. ar peep into the my sterious aperture un
I,f tae eastern window, which opened dim
,,,-.9ecl;ye of descending steps losing them
,trs anoug protounder darkness, where lid
s5i}ins caped horribly among tatte. ed vi
-. homes. ard dust. which time and mortality
II Nr,,,n there OF such horribly curious,
e~latheryise cnlerprisins juveniles, Bob was,
r.raDrse the special scourse and terror. But
.,,ri-is sS was the official aspect OF the sexton,
"a repusuant a. his lank form, clothed IN rus
r.. s.ie vasrure, his small, frosty visage, sus-
,ious. gray eyes, AMI rusty, brown scratch
&c n,,-at appear to all notions of genial
t.f..ry:A was vet tue, that Bob Martins
,-a ft,.fshty sometimes nodded, and that
E,erhuS Iid not always solicit him in vain.
Rab had a curious mind, a memory we'll
s--rsJ \, ilh merry tales, and tales of terror
His profession tamjliarized him with graves
AMI goh,us, and his tastes with weddings,
wsssail, and sly fTolics OF all sorts. And as his
parsona recolections ran back nearly three
score wears into the perspective Of the village
history his fund of local anecdote was coplous,
accurate, and edifying.
A. his ecclesiastical revenues wele by no
means considerable, he was not untrequently
ekired fer the indulgence OF his tast o. to resort
f. arts hich were, at the best, undlgnihed.
He frequently invited himself when his en-
tar,sueFs had forgotten TO do so; he dropped
H. accidentally upon small drinking parties OF
lis acqualuIauce in public houses, and enter
t-ueI item with stories, queer or terrible, from
his inexnaustbe reservoir, never scrupling TO
accept On acknowledges in the shape of hot
vliSkey punch, or whatever else was going.
here vas at that time certain atrabiiious
ra5Icar, called Philip Slaney, established in
q shop nearly opposite the old turnpike This
man was not, when left TO himself, immode-
r4tsiv gwen to drinking; but being naturally
lfa saturnine complexion, and his spirits con-
stsLliy requiring u FLIP he acquired prodi-
g,5us liking for Bob Martins company. The
ssxon's sucety, in fact, gradually became the
so.ace Of his exs ence, and he seemed to lose
his constitutional melancholy in the fascina-
ti,n OF his sly jokes and marvellous stories.
Th 5 intimacy did not rebound to the pros
peG,tG or reputation of the conyiyial allies
Bo5 MaIun drank good deal more punch
than " $ good for bis health, or consistent
vita III" character of an ecclesiastical func
tonary. Philip Slaney, too, was drawn. into
similar i0dulgencies, for ii was hard 10 resist
TIE genial seductions of his gifted compan-
io. and as lie was obliged 10 pay for both,
l. purse was believed TO have suffered even
a0rs than his head and liver.
Be this as it may, Bob Martin had the
credit Of having made a drunkard Of black
PHI SIaney'-for by this cognomen was he
Distinguished; 1 and Phil Slaney had also the
reputation Of having made the sexton, If pos
s.l.a, bigger bliggard' than ever. Under
these circumstances, the accounts of the con-
cefa opposite the turnpike became somewhat
eLt5nged: and it came TO pass one drowsy
summer morning, TIE weather being at once
s4lIry and cloudy, that Phil Slaney went in
to a small back parior, where he kept his
books, and which commanded, through its
dirty window panes d full view of dead
wall, and having bolied the door, he took
loaded pistol, and clapping the muzzle in his
mouth, blew the upper part OF his skull
through the ceiling.
This horrid catastrophe shocked Bob Mar
tn extremely and partly on this account,
Ell partly because having been, on several
iaie occasions, found at night in state of
abstraction, bordering on insens bility, upon
tie high road, he had been threatened with
tismissali and as some said, partly also be-
cause Of the difficulty of finding any body to
treat him as poor Phil Slaney used to do,
h7 for time forswore alcohol in all its com
b.nations, and became an eminent example OF
temperance and sobriety.
Bob observed his good resolutions, greatly
f. The comfort of his wife, and the edi6cat;on
O. the neigbborhood, with tolerable punctual.
~. lie was seldom tpsy, and never drunk,
al vas greeted by the better part of society
VT. all the honors of the prodigat son.
Now it happened, about year after the
gfsy event we have mentioned, that the Gu
rae having received, by the post, due notice
G funeral TO be consummated in the church
yard OF Chapeiizod, with certain instructions
respecting the site of the grave, dispatched
summons for Bob Martin, with q view to COM
nauIcale to that funtionary these official
Cstails.
was lowering autumn night: piles of
l-ld thunder Clouds slowly rising from the
earth, had loaded the sky with solemn and
bo0Ing canopy of storm. The growl of the
distant thunder was heard afar off upon the
dull still air, and ali nature seemed, as it
"ete hushed and covering under the op-
rFtsaIVe influence Of the approaching tenn
pest.
II VAS pas, nine clock when Bob, putting
oa his official coat Of seedy black, prepared
tr attend his professional superior.
Bobby, darlin',' said his wife, before she
delivered the hat she held in her hand to his
keeping, sure you won't Bobby, darlln'-you
WGh't-you know what
i don't know what he retorted, smarty,
gFgsplng at his nat
ou won't be throwing up the little fn-
grt, Bobby, scushla 2 she said, evading his
gasp.
Arrah, why would |, woman ! there, give
ne my hat, will youl'
Bul won't You promise me, Bobby, darlin'
won't yon, aanna 2
Ay, 10 be sure | wil-why not? there,
give me tRy hat and let me CO.
Ay, but you're not promisin', Bobby ma
Eoafneen you're not promisin' all the time
Well, divi carry me if drink drop till
coale back again said the sexton angrily
will that do you7 And nos0 will you give
me my hatf
Here ii is, darlin,' she said, and God send
you safe back
And with this parting blessing she closed
tie door upon his retreating figure, for il was
now quite dark, and resumed her knitting till
h's return, very much relieved; tor she
thought he had Of late been oftener tpsy than
" As consistent with his thorough reformation,
aHd feared the al:uremenls of the hall dozen
publics' which be had at that time to pass
cH his way TO The other end of The town.
They were still open, and exhaled a deli
ci)us reek of whiskey, as Bob glided wstlully
BY them; but hu stuck his hands in his
pockets and looked the other way, whIsiling
'eso'uely, and e ling his mind with the i'm
age of the curate ard antieipations of his
coming fee. Thus he steered his morality
safely througH these Tocks of offense and