The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1859-02-16

TO be intruded upon, or TO be called out
Of his room, On any account whatever
At this moment Wool reappcared.
Shut the door, you villain Do you
intend To stand there holding i, open on
me all night ?" vociicrated the old man.
Wool hastily closed the offending por-
ttls, and hurried 10 his masters side.
We'll sir who was it rung the bell Pc
"Sar de Reverend lr. parsou Good
win, and he say how he must SEQ you
yourself personally, alone"
See me, you villain! Didn't you tell
him that had retired ~
e. Yes, Marsc, l tell him how you were
gone to bed and asleep morne'n an hour
ago. and he ordered me to come wake you
up, and say how it were Il matter O. life
and death
" Lie and death p What have l to do
with lie and death? won't stir If the
parson wants to sec me he win have 10
come mp here aud see me in bed"
" Mos | fetch him reverence up, sar?'
Yes, | wouldn't get ~ and 90 down
to see-Washmgton--shut the door, you
rascal or III throw the bootack at your
wooden head "
Wool obeyed with ataclity and in time
to escape the threatened missile.
After an absence of a few minutes he
was heard returning, attending upon the
footsteps Of another. And the next min
ute he entered, ushenng in the Rev Mr..
Goodwin, the parish minister of Bethle-
hem, St. Mary's.
How do you do? How do you do ?
Glad TO see you, sir! glad to see you,
though obliged to receive you in bed. Fact
is, I caught n cold with this severe change
of weather, and took q warm negus aud
went to bed to sweat it off You'll ex-
cuse me! Wool, draw that easy chair up
to my bed side for worthy Mr.. Goodwin,
and bring him glass of warm negus. 1t
will do him good after his cold ride"
Il thank you, Ma or Narfeld l will
take the scat, but not the negus, if you
please, tonight"
Not the negus Oh, come now, you
are joking Why, it will keep you from
catching cold, and be a most comfortable
nightcap, disposing you to sleep and sweat
like baby! OF course you spend the
night with us2"
" thank you, no | must take the
road again in a few minutes"
Take the road again tonight Why
man alive it is midnight, and the snow
drifting like all Lapland."
"Sir, am sorry to refuse your prof.
iered hospitality and leave your comfort
able roof tonight, sorrier still to have to
take you with me-" said the pastor,
gravely."
take ME with you! No, no, my good
sir no, no, that is too good joke-ha
ha !"
"Sir, l fear that you will find it very
serious one Your servant told you that
my errand was one Of imminent urgency ?"
" Yes, something like life and DEATH"
"Exactly-down in the cabin. near the
Punch Bowl, there is an old woman dy-
ing"
There | knew it. was Just saying
there might be an old woman dying But
my dear sir, what's that to mo7 What
can do ?"
" Humanity, sir, would prompt you"
But, my dear sir, how can help her?
! am not Il physician to prescribc---"
She is far past a physicians help"
Nor am | a priest to hear her con-
fcssion---."
"Her confession God has already re.
ceived."
"Well, and I'm not Il lawyer to draw
up her will"
g No, sir but you are recently APP
pointed one Of the Justices Of the Peace
for Allegheny"
eyes well, what Of that. That does
not comprise the duty of my getting up
out of my warm bed and going through a
snow storm TO see an old woman expire"
" Excuse me for insisting, sir; but this
is an official duty" said the parson, mild.
ly but firmly.
"Pll-Ill throw up my commission to.
morrow" growled the old man.
Tomorrow you may do that but
meanwhile, tonight, being still in the
commission of the peace, you are bound to
get up and 20 with me to this wcman's
bedside."S
"And what the demon is wanted of me
there 2"
ITO receive her dying deposition"
To receive dying deposition f! Good
Heaven was she murdered then ?" ex
claimed the old man, in alarm. as he
started out of bed and began to draw on
his neither garments.
BE composed she was not murdered, ;
said the pastor.
"Well, then, what is it7 Dying depo.
sition 1t must concern n crime" ex-
claimed the old man, hastily drawing on
| his coat,
1t does concern crime"
What crime for the love of heaven ?''
" am not at liberty to tell you. She
will do that"
" Wool, 60 down and rouse up Jehu.
and tell him to put Parson Goodw:n's
mule in the stable for the night. And
tell him to put the black draught.horses
to the close carriage, and light both the
front lanterns-for we shall have a dark,
stormy Ioad--Shut the door, you Internal /!
i beg your pardon, parson, but that
villain always leaves the door ujar after
him."