Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1871-07-21


ceed. The deacon resided in the neighbor-
hood of the South Park, and his place of
business was at the lower end of State
street, near the river.
Early one afternoon the good people of
Hartford, or at least that portion of them
who happened to be on Main street south
Of Central Row, witnessed spectacle which
almost struck them dumb with amazemcnt.
The astonishing sight was nothing more
nor less than the worthy Deacon Brown
seated in his-sons skeleton buggy, with the
rcins wound round his wrists and that
sleepy looKing quadruped going up the
street at n fearful pace. The doacon's hat
was pulled we'll Down in front, and his thin,
long-tailod summer coat was streaming out
behind, parallel with the road he was so
rapidly leaving in the rear. II was John
Gilpin's breukneclx ride over again, with a
slight variation.
The deacon's countenance, as he went
hying along did not wear its usual air of
g.enityi on the contrary, 1t appeared
aasghtly purturbed. The horse was doing
his level best, and if the driver did not ap-
preciate it, the spectators who lined the
sidewalks, certainly did. To say that the
looRers-on were astonished, would but fee
bly, express it. They were thunderstruck.
If the eangel Gabriel had sounded his trum-
pet then and there, the deacon would have
divided houors with him.
Some thought that Deacon Brown must
have gone mad, others that the old gentle
man was acting out his nature, and still
Others by mysterious winks and mods in
timatcd that he was a sporting character ut
heart, and had made the most of his fortune
in betting on horse races. Tho matter was
not allowed to rest here. The church sOcie-
ty to which he belonged took it up, and the
deacon was compelled TO make a clean
breast Of it, which he did in a contritc and
humble way, rs will be seen below:
brethren, am aware that circumstau-
ces are against me. l acknowledge that /
did drive horse up through Main street at
an unseeming pace
Here one of the brethren interrupted him
with, "What about the skeleton buggy,
brother Brown?"
81 came here TO make clean thing of it
the skeleton buggy with the rest. on that
terrible and disgraceful day, my son came
home in bad condition, leaving his horse
and buggy at"
skeleton buggy" interrupted another
brother, in sarcastic manner.
The deacon sensibly groaned, rs he re-
piled; "Yes, it is, | believe, skeleton
buggy as well as "A skeleton horse As |
was saying Frederick left the team at the
door, and as he was not in fit condition to
leave the house, | thought ii would be an
act of humanity to drive the horse to the
stable and have him properly taken care of.
| freely own that had some conscientious
scruples a. to the propriety of riding in
such a looking vehicle.
The same brother who had once before
maliciously interrupted him, again suggest
ed skeleton buggy" and intimated that
brother Browns testimony would have
quite as much weight if he -wnnld call
things by their right names.
"As ! was remarking,' humbly conlinu.
ed the deacon, as if the rcbuke had proper
ly impressed him, II had my miseivings
rs to the skeleton buggv, (hcre the brother
nodded approvingly,) but I unfortunately
imagined that the sleepy appearance of the
horse would more than counterbaance the
wde-awake and sinful looks of the rest.
When l had seated myself in the skeleton
buggy, l had fully determined, let come
what would that the horse should not 90
faster than Il walk. With this object in
view | stopped forward, took double twist
in the lines round my hands, and although
pull ON him so that he should not by any
mishap proceed faster than walk. Now
comes the strangest part of my adventure.
No sooner had | commenced to hold him
than tho pesky creature commenced to 20.
At this l braced my feet much after the
manner of sinful men and pulled with all
my might. And strange to relate, for every
fresh effort made, the maddened brute In
creased its speed, until it seemed as if ii
was dying. II fairly took my breath away.
Big drops of perspiration rolled down my
back and limbs, and so desperately did |
tug at the lines that my eyes seemed as if
starting from their sockets. Whenever |
cast my eyes towards the sidewalks, i'm
agncd that all my friends and acquaintan-
ces were there, watching with amazcment
my headlong ride. | caught glimpse of
fcw familiar faces. but I wos nv tbcm so
onick that | could NOT onnrociote to tbo
fullest extent the different oxnrossiors
,ybich tbei. countenonces ossrmod Rnt I
recollect that brotbor Jopos's ro,o wore tbe
sano pnzz,cd look and vacant Stare or an
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