Juliet signal., 1863-09-22

Please TO hear me, Mr.. Gardener. /
feel that we have been wrong, aud if we
may depart, we will make reparation, ana
give you all the money in our pockets
We laid our purses on the table before
him.
The Lord has delivered you into my
bands. 1t was go revealed to me in a
dream. We shall soon be in another
world. Pray-let US pray And down
he fell on bis knees, close to the table with
the candle burning, and the ugly flint and
steel in his hand. He prayed and prayed.
/ thought his prayer would never end. At
last be appeared exhausted. He stopped
and eyed the purses and then empted them
out on the table. He appeared surprised,
and l thought gratified, at the largeuess Of
their contents. Ryder, who was close be-
hind Tom and myself, whispered softly:
i have unfastened the door; when you
hear me move, your make a rush,
The old gardener then, pouring out the
coDteOts of the second purse, exclaimed:
why there is almost enough to build
ourpnew house Of GOdl Let me see what
the contains
He took up the third purse.
Now whispered Ryder, make rush.
We did so, and at the same moment
heard the old fellow hammering sway with
his flint and steel. The front doar hewev-
or few open before US: the next step we
found ourselves in the garden. The night
was 2itcby dark. We rushed blindly
through the nursery ground, scrambled
through brsmbles and priokly shrubs, ran
our heads against trees, then forced our
selves through q thicket hedge. At last, with
scratched faces, torn hands, and tattered
clothes, we tumble6 over bank into the
high road. This was the work of but q
few minutes. If our faces could have been
seen, it would have been thought from our
horror stricken eountenances, that instead
Of having risen from prayer, we had been
pursued by Old Nick himself.
Our horses were sOOn found, and we gal
loped to Ryder's residence. Lights were
procured, and We sat down. We were
black, ragged and dirty. We looked at
each other, and in spite of our miserable
adveAeure. rOared With laughter.
I'VE may laugh! exclaimed Tom, but if
this adventure is blown, and we are found
out, Cornwall will be too hot to hold us for
the next seven years. We have made q
pretty night of it. We have lost our mo-
ney; been obliged to pretend to pray for
two hours before heap OF guDpowder
while that iron faced. ugly, red capped
brute, threatened US all with an immediate
passage into eternity. And our money
must go to build Methodist meeting
hOusel BAIL 1t is truly horrible. The
fellow has played old soldier on Us with a
vengeance. and we shall be the laughing
stock OF the whole country
The affair was not yet ended. Reports
were thai three men, disguised as black
demons, with horns and tails, had entered
the cottage of the old gardener, who had
not only terrified them, but had frighten-
ed them out of good cum Of money, which
he intended to devote to the building of q
new Methodist meeting house. It was
given out that on the following Sunday the
old gardener intended to preach a sermon,
and afterwards solicit subscriptions for the
new meeting house, when be would relate
the remarkable manner in which he was
so ,providentislly assisted with funds for
the building. Our modification was COM
pIete. Tom, whose hatred of Methodism
was intense, declared he would blow uo
the meeting house as soon as it was
built. Our curiosity, however, was excl
ted, and we all determined to hear our
adventure Of the night related by the old
gardener, if we could contrive to be urrs-
ant without being suspected.
Sunday evening arrived. The meeting
house was crammeG to suffocation, and
with the dim lights then burning in the
chapel. we had no difficulty in coDcealing
ourselves. The sermon was short, but the
statement of our adventure was relsted
most minutely aud circumstantially in the
Cld mans quaint, bOmelJ and humorous
phraseology, This evening he seemed to
excel himself, aud was exulting humorous.
The old fellows face glUwed with delight
and satisfaction. i never saId he, saw
black faces pray with greater devotion. l
have some doubt, however, be silly obser-
Ved, if their prayers were quite heaven
ward. They sometimes turned their faces
toward the door, but lifting of the flint
and steel kept them quiet
He thea added, With q knowing shake
Of the head and exulting laugh: but they
had not smelt powder like the old soldier
whom they had come to rob. No, no; it
was large beap-ay, large enough to
lrighten old General Give himself. The
candle was lighted, the flint aud steel were
ready. You may ask my friends, if my.
self was not AFRAID. No, TO; nv dear
friends shouted he. This large heap of
guupoxder vast was my stock, nv
whole years stock, of leek-seed.'
The whole congregation somewhat ir-
reVerentiy laughed; even the saints almost
shouted; many clapped their hands. was
for moment stupeied ct the announces
ment, but at last could hardly suppress my
own laughter.
We subscribed to the fund, to avoid sus.
ricion. and left the meeting. After the
sermon We joined each other, but could
not speak. We could hardly chuckle leak
seek and then roared with laughter.
1T was good joke. though not exactly
to our taste 1t has, however, more than
once served for subsequent amusement.
The chapel was built with the money
collected BY the gardener. Time aud cir
oumstaDces now induce me to thick that
there has been no detriment to morality or
religion by the erection of the meeting
house, named, The Leak Seed Chapel
st. James Magazine.