Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1872-04-03


fal landscape sprrsd co. miles around
living white snl ,rsaquil IN the mysieH
9us Ii.ht. There uas no sound, save Dos
aud then the disiaui lark Of some farmer
dog. and the faint ra.h Of the stream owe
the mill-dam.
Alter moment. Majesty spurrei her
self to Chamber up farther. She could noi
help 4 it Of trembling as she beheld the
bell. bat she bravely walked straight &c
the plank again. Again she asceuded H.
and again she ela'chei the large aud
slender wheel. Turning quickly from
this. she placed her foot for the second
time upon the broad erOss-beam beneath
which hung the awful monster which had
nearly killed her. aud also for the second
time she put her hand upon the ceiling.
Up to this point. her actions were but
counterparts Of those she had performed
earlier in the day but her next cue was
different.
She placed second hand upon the
ceiling, add. rising to he tips OF her toes
she CROPPED with the other near the edge OF
the fracture 10 the plaster. Her arm VI
brated few inches either way, and 6nal-
ly stopped, while at the same time cry
of icy burst from her lips. She sank
back upon her feet, careless Of danger,
saying to herself:
IL dar'nt take it down, for it may not
he the right one, after all. But wouldn't
itpleasehcr! 1t must be the right one AT
any rate, we'll see"
She again thrust her hand into tho
hole, aud in a moment she withdrew from
its hiding.place lether-covered book, an
inch thick, aud fifteen by eighteen inches
in size. A glow of delight Overspread
her face, and she tried to see the date
upon the back of the binding, but the
gliding had faded so she carefully drew
the tip of her finger over the embossed
figures.
=" Eighteen hundred and ifteen!' said
she, with laugh.
In a moment she had scrambled down
the plank, holding her treasure close, and
conjuring pictures of her friends delight,
1t was not until she got to the porch
again that she stopped and asked herself:
"How came the book in the belfry
ceiling?"
Majesty's faith in human kind received
a shock.
1T must have been the wicked clerk,
thought she. 80 Maple! l did not
think it of you; and you we're so kind a
manm
She slowly emerged fr'm the church
door, and locked it. Then, with both
arms claspiug the musty book, and with
her keys hanging from her finger, she dash
off down the flags and over the stretch Of
Of turf.
Midway in her flight. running figure,
Fastening in an opposite direction and ez-
actly for the church-dOor, sprang upon her
as if from the ground. 1t was Maple the
tOwn-clerk. He was white as a ghost.
Majesty " cried he, catching her by
the muflcr.
"Oh! is it yen, Maple ?" Faltered she
sinking with terror.
"What have you been Doing, miss p
cried he. Been taking books from my t
rom, Majesty? Is that it? Is thatit?"
mo, | did not get it from your room
| gotit out Of the bcIfry ceiling, where !
you put it." 5
For an instant, the sallow- faced man f
glared upon hers and then, moved by a q
savage impulse, he suddenly lay hold on
book with all his strength, and tried saw
agely to wrest it from her. A piercing
scream issued from her lips, while she =
desperately chung to her prize.
Suddenly Naples heels flew up into the ;
air, and his head and shoulders disappear :
ed backward, while In their places appear q
ed the rough face of the sexton, while L
Majesty. at the same instant, was folded
in the protecting arms of her best friend. ! !,
They had come to search for her. and, /,
having discovered the absence of the keys o
Of the church, they were Fastening thither, &
thinking it reasonably indicated that she a
was there. =
The sexton had no mercy for Maple, o
and, with a rough hand a: his neck, and e
a harder one at the small Of his back, hs "
pushed him off toward the rector's house. r r
while the other two went back 10 the sex. :,
toms. 5,
'0h Majesty, my brave little darling" e
cried the lady, in trembling voice, a
what can | say to you to tell you how : !
happy and how grateful you have made !,
me :? How my children in their cradles at 2
home will thank you some day and how
much better than all the fairy tales will 2
be the true story about you and the ring r