Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1854-09-08


portion or subtle essence he had just
a made, for vessel containing a ruby
colored liquid was standing close by
the hole in which he was at work.
But as il was the custom of some
of the early alchymisi to bury GER
tain essences in the earth from the
commencement to the end of the
quadrature of the moon, in order
that nature might perfect their labors,
the old man dug away with a vigor
that was more in unison with youth
than age. But suddenly he struck
his spade against some hard sub
stance, and stopping, he said, ilol-
Ia ! have found either box Of
gold or a jar OF transporting fluid bu
ried here by my predecessor Ali
Ahp he went on chuckling, al
ways thought should find something
in this old laboratory if only dug
deep enough"
The old fellow went on leisurely
removing the earth, every now and
then stopping TO examine his prize
and at length he had removed the
soil from the obstacle, and then he
ascertalned that he had found a glass
bottle, something like those upon his
own shelves, and which one sees now
a-days in our chemists shops; and
we stand and stare al their flattened
sides, long scraggy necks, and mys-
FERROUS signs, as inlenily as Alchymy
did at the one he had SO unexpected
" found. The old man was, of
course, very much delighted with his
treasure-irove, for he expected to reap
the reward of some alchymst's la
bors, who had PROBABLY died, and
made no sign Of the secret he had
left in his laboratory. AT first he han
died and examined it curiously, then
he tried TO guess at It's contents, and
then did what most sensible people
would have done first, he looked at
the cork, aud discovered that 1t was
carefully aud heavily sealed
1t was not, however, the golden
seal Of Solomon that was stamped
upon the bottle, as that seal was only
used, according to Eastern hsion-
ans, when II was necessary to con-
fine a powerful geuii but 1t was a
seal of great efficacy nevertheless,
for il was the seal OF Prudence, the
meek eyed damsel Of Wisdom and
the device exhibited the beautiful
daughter Of Temperance, offering a
goblet OF water to exercise, aud 1t
was struck Hllh virgin wax.
Alchymy looked at the bottle a
gain and again presently he held 1t
up to the light, aud then he saw that
II contained a bright clear lquld
bu, somehow, though II looked even
brighter aud cleaIer than water, yet
there was fine. oily humor, lurking
and working about IN the bottle, that
told the old man that the vessel con
tanned a mysterious and subtle es-
sence. Fo!ed IN gratifying his Gu
noslty by the means he had adopted,
he held the bottle To his ear after he
had shaken il well All, >" said he,
Il thought so, and he appeared no,
to be disappointed, for at first he
thought he heard low murmurs, that
gurgled forth from the elastic bub-
bles given off by the volatile essence
that had now began to fermenl from
the shaking. In the excitement of the
momen, the phrenzled Imagination
OF the alchymlst heard bali formed
words, broken expressions, compos-
ed of curses, blessings, oalhs, aud
enlreatIes ; but the noise was as in
dlscIibable as bits of dreams, and,
like tale mouthed by maniac, was
full of sound aud Jury, and slgulhed
nothing that was intelhgIble.
Aud now a cold trembling crept
over the old man, yet he could not
help listening; he fell eniranced,
spell-bound, for the murmurs within
the bottle seemed 10 hold conmun-
ion with himself. aud to be answered
from the very depth of his BRAIN
He tried to speak, TO utter "a counter
charm-he made his caballsllc sign,
but all 10 no purpose; for hls tongue
refused to give voice TO the strange
workings and yearnings within him,
and an awful consciousness grew up
IN his mind that a subtle spirit in his
own heart was converslng with subt-
lie spirits in the mysterious bottle.
HIS first impulse was TO fly his
second was 10 tear away The seal
with which Prudence had covered
the neck of the bottle. For an in
slant he hesilated but in rash mo-
ment, acting under the influence Of
some uncomfortable spell, he gave
the seal wrench, and settled the
business. For few moments Al
chymy stood somewhat astonished at
his own temerlty, as he started back
insiinctiyely, and placed the open
bottle on the floor of the laboratory.
But as nothing very alarming ensued,
he gradually took courage and ap-
preached the vessel and then he
discovered that subtle aud volatile
spirit was fast escaping from the APP
erture, and was rapidly filling the a
rartment with an overpowering and
intoxicating exhalation.
Alchymy regarded the vapor with
much surprise, but presently he felt
himself lrresislibly attracted towards
the bottle by the seductive odor of
the essence that escaped from it,