The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1869-08-19
bed clothes. Jacques plunged himself
bOdily under the bed

he might come back, Jacques took his
breeches and resolution to run for the
curate, who would beat the demon if any
body could.
Slowly and silently the sexton opened
his door; then making himself as small rs
possible, and, commencing his soul to the
Divine protection, he stumbled and Scram-
bled along close to the church yard wall at
the best dOg-t he could raise, and found
himself, to his agreeable surprise, uninjured
and uninterrupted, at the curate's door.
Whether the honest villagers were in
the habit of leaving their doors unfaStened
(as some New England villagers still do),
or whether a certain divinity hedged the
priest and made ordinary precautions un-
necessary for him, there was no bolt or bar
to the curates modest dwelling, and
Jacques was making his way to the bed
room, when the shrill voice Of the old
housekeeper arrested him
who's there?"
Jacques, the sexton
"And what does Jacques, the sexton,
mean by coming here at this indecent
hOur?"
81 must see the curate ut once" said
Jacques, glancing round in the dark, as if
he expected to see the Drat at his heels.
"Jacqucs, is that you?" called out the
priest from his bedroom.
The sexton knew the house well enough
to find his way i'm the dark; the next mo-
ment he was at the curates bedside, and
pouring into his ears the terrible nara
tive
The curate congratulated him on his
escape, praised his pluck, and not willing
to seem behindhand in courage, rose and
dressed himself in spite of his old wOmans
grumblng remOnstrances armed himself
with the largest pot of hOly-water in the
chapel, and started for the dangerous spot,
followed by the sexton
Poor Ivernetl When his fright ut
being left alone had somewhat abated, he
began to be tired of waiting for his com
rade. There was a tempting walnut
branch within reach as he walked back
and forward He gathered some nuts and
began to crack them with the help of his
knife and stone.
The first batch was successfully disposed
of, but, in operating on the second, he
missed his aim and bruised his fingers.
The pain forced an oath from him, and, in
his vexatiOn, he threw away the stone,
without looking whittier it went. Then,
sensible of the noise which he had made,
he was so frightened at it that he lodged
away for several hundred yards and seve-
raj minutes, thus contriving to miss the
sexton when the latter emerged from his
house Then he returned to his post, but
i'm such scare that, though it was warm
August night, he shook in every limb He
started at the wind, he jumped at a bird, he
cursed RamOunet thousand times Sud
denly he saw man, or rather the shadow
of "a man, approaching
"IS that yOu?' he asked in low voice
"The Draft" shrieked, the sexton,
crouching down behind his superior.
"Apage! Vade retro! In nOmine Pdtris
et Flu ct" Losing his head, and hardly
knowing what he did, he let fly, mechan-
ically as it were, the holy water, pot and
all, i'm the face of the apparitiOn.
Drenched by the water, bruised by the
pot, terrified by the exorcism in the un-
known tongue, the unfortunate butcher
recOiled, then, with one fearful yell, the
Drat !" he turned tail, covered three miles
of ground in quarter of an hour, and fell
senseless at his own door
He was found there next morning and
put to bed We may be allowed to antici-
pate the course of events by remarking
that his fright, fatigue, and bruises com.
bined, brought on an illness which lasted
several weeks. Still he felicitated himself
at having got off so cheaply, and offered
up six pound candle to his patron saint
who had delivered him from the Drat.
Let us now return to the startled but tri
umphant officials.
"Phew" calculated the sexton, recOv
ering courage and speech, "what stencil
of birthstone the scamp has left behind
him! Don't you smell it, sir? BY tn,
lord, if | were to live thousand years,
should never forget the caper he cut wher
he felt the hOly-water. And that yell
What yell he did giveT
Because it burnt him"
"And didn't he run! think | can set
him running there yet. What's that
BoO-OO-OOr' The sexton remained like
one thunderstruck, his mouth open, hi.
forefnger stretched out
The priest looked in the direction of the
outstretched finger. Fear rendered hin
also speechless.
He beheld-what?
A mysterious, gigantic form was coming
down straight upon them. 1t was large
than man, had two legs, two heads, ant
apparently several arms. 1t advanced
rapidly but not silently; hoarse CUR
Cling groan mingled with the sound of it,
heavy steps.
Alas, must their glorious victory b,
changed to defeat Defeat without re
sistance, for the holy water was expended
and the very pot thrown away. FrozeI
with terror, they crOuched against tn,
wall, and lifted their eyes and their heart
tO Heaven"
Cursed brute" cried gruff voice
I" cant choke him he soM make row
and he is so fat and heavy that | can't carry
him any farther. So | shall just cut hin
up here"
The affrighted spectators could nov
make out, i'm the dim light that the phan
tom was composed of two parts, one car
rying the other, and that the form ha,
"the outward semblance of a man." as Ser
geant Buzfuz said of Mr. Pickwick. Thi
probable or possible man-as M. VictQ
Hugo would have called him-threw thi
burden on the ground, drew a long knif
IA deed Of blood was about To he done
The priest and the sexton fell on thei
knees; their eyes closed; their mouth
opened in cry Of horror.
A diabOlical laugh answered them.
was some seconds, perhaps some minutes
before they dared to look up; then the,
caught "A glimpse of something like tn
phantom in its original guise, vanishing
in the darkness.
They remained on their knees som
time longer, thanking the Lord, who ha,
a second time saved them from the terribl
Drat.
Next day, RamOunet's customers f0un,
his shop closed. He had disappeared, an
no one, not even the police, ever discoy
cred any traces of him. Wherefore, th