The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-04-16

length ahead of me, and my matches
and lantern were slowed away In the
saoristy.
was soon feeling for the key. hole of
the iron-c clad door that separated the
sacristy from the body of the church.
The key-hOle found, the next thing was
to pick out the right key from the huge
bunch that hung by my side. This
done, found no difficulty in fitting it
into the lock. Before turning it ]
paused a moment to listen. Death like
stiffness reigned supreme.
One f.-. ---,.- e-
1t was the iron voice of the big clock
overhead that broke the silence in such
an awful manner that my heart Jumped
in my bosom like a frightened bird in
its cage. #s-l isa
THO
A peculiar feeling, that succeeded the
startle, began to creep over me as ]
stood there in the utter darkness that
seemed tingling aad vibrating with the
Earring blows of the midnight hours.
Three! ~
The atmosphere Of the old church was
damp and moldy, and smelt like the
air of an unsunned vault.
-Four! aaL Il.
A horrible feeling of faintness came
over me, and humming in my head
like the buzziDg of swarm of bees. ]
put forth a great effort and listened
more carefully.
Five! ..'-.a
Then the sound seemed to resolve it.
self into that confused rattling of ropes
and pulleys which precedes Immediately
the ringing of bells.
Sir!
1 was dreadfulIy puzzled to account
for this sound. I knew the bell-ringer
was not up in the tower, for / had left
him home sick in bedl
Seven!
Besides, had the belfry keeps in my
belt, and how could any one have gained
access there without them?
Eight!
By this time the giddy sensation had
passed away and l had begun to chide
myself for my delay and for being such
an arrant coward.
Nine! .......
How foolish to imagine myself fol-
lowed, peeped at from behind a tomb
stone, or hearing strange noises in the
church.
Teny
The wind, said 1, often makes very
strange and remarkable noises about the
towers, and angles, and windows of an
old, dilapidated building.
Eleven!
And Holtug church was rare instru-
ment for that famous old musician to
play upon.
TtUeLUe!
The last stroke of midnight found me
standing thus debating before the sa-
crlsty door, instead of being up in the
belfry, ready to pull, pull with a vim,
and pull with might and main as soon
as it had died away. knew that there
was not moment more to lose.
What was to do?
My unfulfiled promise now seemed
to lash me On. / knew that at that very
instant hundreds of ears were eagerly
strained to catch those chimes that
until now had never before failed to
proclaim : "Peace on earth, good will
to men,"
soon succeeded in lighting the can
die and sticking it in the lantern. But
at best 1t gave miserable poor light,
because the thick, yellow horn sides
were rendered semi obaque by dirt. 1
put some billets of wood under one arm,
and holding the lantern aloft I started
for the belfry. Just as / was shutting
the sacristy door behind me heavy
hand grasped my arm. / shrank back
and exclaimed, Who's that ?" The
lantern dropped to the floor and the
light was extinguished, leaving me and
the unknown person in total darkness.
The only way the latter answered my
question was by seizing both of my
arms frem behind and with great force
attempting TO keep them firmly against
my back.
As soon as the men had lit the Ian
tern, one of them came up to me and
said in harsh, firm voice, "Give me
the keysI' "You can take them"
said /, cas- I am not in a condition
very well to refuse you. All you have
to do is 20 take them from my belt. I
am as helpless as baby and can't pre-.
vent you" The man then took the
keys from my belt. Said I, 81 can
cheerfully volunteer the information
that all the church treasures are in safe
keeping in the village, and that with
the exception of few bottles of sacra.
mental wine and few rat gnawed wax
candles, there's nothing in the church
worth the trouble of your stealing"
Danger sometimes makes us very pre-
sumptuous, and / suppose there must
have been something CALLING in my
tone that irritated them, for the elder
of the two, short, thick.set man, de-
manded of me, with harsh voice and
fearful imprecation, where the parish
registry was kept. This was an unex-
pOcted question, and to it I remained
silent. He then repeated the question
with an oath, and could see that he
was getting mad. Said I, after a pause,
81 shall not tell you where they are, for
great misuse could be made of the
books. "Come, where are those
books ?" said he, in very threatening
manner. You have mistaken your
man" was all said in reply.
Oneg"
l sat and listened. Time seemed
suddenly rolled back, and my whole
life was flashed before me. In the
agony of my desperate situation l lifted
a condensed aud passionate prayer to
God for deliverance of salvation.
TtUO -
felt the muscles of that portion of
the scalp against which the cold muzzle
of the pistol pressed twitching fearful
ly. Death never stood so near me be-
fore. 1t was a moment of higher ex-
element and darker and deeper agita-
ton of the soul than any that 1 had ever
hitherto known, or care ever again to
experience.
" Three g'
Notwithstanding death stared me so
grimly in the face 1 determined to &C
cept it rather than break a VOW, made
in the very sanctuary of Coda sin
that / thought would bring a more fear
full curse upon me than any death could
do. No with my teeth set hard to-
gether, and my soul braced to meet my
expectant fate, I sat and listened to the
slow, mechanical words, as they fell
from the lips of my cruel captor, and
when he said Three / muttered 81
defy you, death -
He saw it was no use. He had ex-
torted an answer, but it was not the
one he wanted. He laid the pistol back
again upon the table, and began trying,
one by one, the iron doors of the vaults.
AT last he found the vault which con-
tanned the register. They then piled all