Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1861-07-12
M AN ".
The Old sexton.

They have voted to pull the old churcl
down."
locked IN. The warm, sweet breatl
of The July afternoon lost half It's fragrance
and through the open window came, as /
were, "A momentaty chill Why?
Out in the dusty stree. stood Nathan
/ Burploss the Squire Of The little eountr,
/ village. wipiug the perspiraiion from hi;
1 pleasant face and seemingly happy all over
Just by him old Jude, The lame sexton
leaned against the rickety fence, tapping
ner, ou-ly the ground witt, his smooth crutch
his wrinkled face thoughtful and inquiring
They've voted 10 pull the old church
down." said the Squire, in louder tone.
! laid down my pen and listened.
You know its getting old and leaky,
and besides il aint large enough either
last Sunday was too much, so hot and
crowded; the society lave been thinking
and talking the matter over long time, so
this afternoon we've called meeting, and
concluded TO build anew, You wasn't in .
Didn't know ii, said The old man, mus
ingly. +" Didn't know it. I'm Citing old,
aud they don't come to me as much as they
used to. ] should ha' voted agin it though ;
voted agin it,"
The Squire stood uneasy after this re-
buke, and set to wiping his glowing face
vigorously again.
"Wby?" /"
IL c'uldn't do it. No, Squire Burgloss,
couldn't do it, coaldntdo it. That old church
is my mother; eishty-six years. Tuesday
last week, poor widow woman hid herself
from party Of British hounds under it,
and there, Squire Eurgloss, | was born !;
that woman was my mother. She lived a
week, and went where neither British nor
tory could worry her any more, 10 heaven.
The neighbors found and maintained me
till | was ten years old. Then was put
in the church: swept it and beat the drum
Sunday mornings. Later, | rang the bell
and built the fires. 1t has been my home.
my father, my mother. | was gicen TO it.
| never knew where my mother came from;
nobody cared, don't now. | love it. No,
couldn't pull it down. Don't do it Squire,
ill I'm dead and gone. | was born under
il, anil, please God, want 10 bg buried un-
der it, tuo
The Chairman of tie Society's Commit
tee came rumbing up the street in his easy
carriage. Nathan Burgloss jumped in with
well, we'll see,' and the two ratified
away.
The slaniing suu-rays fell broal on the
face Of tile old man, half binding the little
sight that the big tears in mercy seemed to
leave him, as he hobbled this way and that,
felt Tor the fence here, and CROPPED his way
ti.ere slowly along. Suddenly he stopped,
and heard him repeating the words Of the
Apocalypse !" and God shall wipe away
all tears from their eyes; and there shall
be no more death, neither sorrow, no cry
ing, neither shall there be any more pain;
former things have past away"
was stranger, and but few days
resident Of Dalton. Thither AN invalid
from the hot walls Of the city, had come
TO sniff purer air among purer scenes.
viii go and see this old church, | said; per-
chance learn more OF him, lis foster child.
l stood before the theshold of the doomed
sanctuary, The old sections so-called home.
Time had warred it well! his battery Of
winds and storms had Numbered upon it,
well-nigh TO lis falling. Eighty-six years
since hunted woman crawled beneath ii,
and there gave birth to him, the life draft
ed sentinel and guard of the holy castle
over him! Ahi aud all the years down
from thence, and their burdens, who can
know them; When the long doorstone
shall lie dusty and neglected by the road
side, no one shall think of the robed infants
crossing il in childhood, of the robed maid
ems crossing it for love, of the robed dead
crossing it for heaven: none shall remem-
Der the feet which have passed over and up
to the altar within; and yet such Is and has
been the world, from the green leaves Of
Eden until now.
The door was slightly aiar, and passed
in; all pLin, sincere, unosientatious. No
= long drawn aisles' nor shadow sculp-
tured niche" no grained arch or lofty fres-
coed dome, neither blind nor curtain shut
ting out the geein cataracts of light pouring
through the tall, wide windows.
Aud they would pull this down, unused,
slowly passing up the narrow aisle No
wonder the old man loves it so we'll: No
wonder, being kept, he would be buried
here. | paused. just down before the
desk lay form bent and cold. II was the
sexton's. lie was dead, with his head ly-
ing on The well-worn pulpit Bible
The bell tolled. the tuneral passed, and the
old man lay with the many dead whom all
along his life he had levelled there. Bus
mess called me suddenly away, and it was
many months before | set foot in the vii
age again. Then another spire told of
new altar there. The old church was gone /
ct around its site ran a neat iron railing, in
closing a simple marble slab.
" Whose is it F." inquired of friend.
jules = the old church's sexton"