The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1871-08-03
nrAcoN nnou ninr

uld tAuI ii4s btrh EttaN"A " H'F arg
as lor oma years therefore we uiIl
not consider jta breach q eeel man.
ucrs 10 publish the following aetaal ac
emrcnce, which many of oug citizens
can youch for. The subject qL Qur
sketch was deacon ia one &c our
churches. and bis character was above
rcproaeh while his picty was pattern
for Christians 20 follow He depreea.
ted from the bottom 81 his heart the
many sinful habits Of the world that
came under lH- observation but none
more So than The populu one Of horse.
racing. We may soy hero that the
GROWING sorrow oflis declining years
was caused ~ The dissoluto habits oi
grown up son. THIS young man had
broken loose from the parental restraint
aud enjoyed TO the fullest extent the
vices Of the community, and rcyclle3
in the company Of loose characters and
loved the wine cup and fast horses, o..
though his father was not aware OF his
wickcdnes5 in the latter respect. To
be sure, the deacon had noticed that
his son vas never SO happy as when
driving about the streets in a skeleton
buggy with a sleepy looking horse,
which the old gentleman had never
seen go faster than trot But the
truth of the matter was. this rack OF
bones could, If occasion required, step
of in less than the historical 2'iO,
This was kept scrupulously secret from
the deacon, and the latter wondered
why his son could see any pleasure in
driving such sorry cob as that APP.
pearcd to be, lie even demonstrated
with his son for starving lis horse un-
Ill he rcsembIed a living skeleton.
Fred, that was Lis sons name as
snmod a knowing look, and answered
with a smile:
A skeleton horse and a skeleton bug
gy should 60 together
The deacon smiled grimly, as if he
comprehended The facetious reply
With this brief introduction, we will
proceed. The deacon resided in the
neighborhood Of the South Park, and
his place Of business was al the lower
end Of State street near the river,
Early ore afternoon the good people
Of Hartford, or at least that portions Of
them who happened to be on Main
street south Of Central Row, witnessed
spectacle which almost struck them
dumb with amazcment The aston
ishing sight was nothing more nor less
than the worthy Deacon Brown seated
in his sons skeleton buggy, with the
reins wound round his wrists, and that
sleepy locking quadruped going up the
street sc fearful pace The Deacons
hat was pulled well down in front, and
his thin long tailed summer coat was
streaming out behind, parallel with the
road he was so rapidly leaving in the
rear 1t was John Gilpin's break-nock
ride over again, with slight varia-
ton.
The dcacon's countenancc, as he
flew along, did not wear its usual air Of
serenity on the contrary, it appeared
slightly disturbed. The horse was do
ing his level best, and if the driver did
not appreciate it, the spectators who
lined the sidewalks certainly did. To
say that the lookers-on were astonish.
ed, would bGt fcebly express it. They
were thupderstruek If the angel Ga
briel had sounded bis trumpet then aud
there, the deacon would have divided
his honors with him.
Some thought that Deacon Brown
must have gone mad, others the old
gentleman was acting out his nature,
and still others by mysterious winks
and mods ntimatcd that he was a sport
ing character at hcalt, and had made
4 the most Of his fortune in betting on
horse races. The matter was not al
/ lowed forest here The church society
to which he belonged took it up, and
the deacon was compelled to make a
clean breast Of it, which he did in a
tontrite and humble way, as will be
seen below;
Brethren, am aware that circum-
stances are against me acknowledge
I that did drive a horse mp through
Main street at an uBsecmiug pacc
Here one # the brethren interrupted
him with, What about the skeleton
! buggy, brother Brown?
! came here to make a clean thing Of
/ 1.-THE skeleton buggy with the rest
7 On that terrible and disgracefll day
I my son caac home in 4 bah condition,
leaving bis horse and buggy At
Skeleton buggy, interrupted another
brother iH sarcastic manner
The deacon casibly groaucd, as be
replied: Yes, il is. believe, a skcle
ton buggy AZ well as a skeleton horse.
50 | was saying, Frederick lef tie