Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1875-02-19

! manded. "Our rather
"Ou' Farver."
"Who art in heaven
"Eb'm."
"Hallowed by thy name.'
"Arvld be name."
"Thy kingdom come
MOP
"Thy will be done"
"No; SAINT"
Botolf crept away; not, however, be-
cause the prayer had touched him indeed,
he had not marked that 1t was prayer |;
but while he looked at and listened to the
children, he became in his own eyes, a
horrible wild beast, unfit to come near Ell
ther God or man. He dragged himself be-
hind some bushes, so that the children
might not discover him he was more
afraid of them than he had ever been of
anyone in all his life. He skunk off into
the forest, far away from the high road.
Where should he go? To the empty
house he had bought and furnished for
Aasta7 Or should he go somewhere fur
ther away? 1t mattered nothing; for
wherever he thought of going, he saw Aas-
Ia standing there. 1t is said that when
folks are dying, the last object they see is
pictured upon their eyes; so, too, when
man awakes to consciousness after doing a
wicked deed, the first object he sees is pic
tured upon his eyes, and he can never get
rid OF it. Thus, when Botolf saw Aasta,
she no longer appeared 10 him as she had
upon the mountain-slope so short time
before, but he seemed 10 be little inno-
cent girl-in fact, to be Agnes. Even the
picture he had retained Of her figure while
she was sinking down the steep, was that
of Agnes, with her little hands up-liited.
In whatever direction he turned his
thoughts and remembrances of the suffer-
ing woman he had so suspected, they were
met by this innocent child, whom he had
just heard repeating the. Lords Prayer. In
every scene of his life with Aasta-from
the night of the shipwreck to this Sunday
morning-the child's face appeared. The
thought of this mysterious transformation
so preyed upon him, both in body and
mind, that in the course Of few days be
became unable to take his necessary food,
and little while alter was compel ed 10
keep his bed.
sobNh Out Nohth stt ht W %
preaching death. He whose mind is bur-
dened by some great life-enigma acquires
peculiar manner, through which he him
self becomes an enigma to others. Even
from the day Botolf and Aasta first came
to live in that parish, his gloomy tactur-
nifty, her beauty, and the loneliness of the
life of both, had been the subject of fire.
quent gossip among the neighbors; and
now, when Aasta all at once disappeared,
the talk increased until the most incredi-
bic things said were the best believed. No.
body could throw any light on the matter |;
for none OF all those who lived upon the
mountain ridge, or the shore beneath, or
who were accustomed to go there, had hap
pened to be looking toward the steep just
when Aasta flung herself over. Neither
did her corpse ever drift to land, itself to
give evidence.
Even while Botolf was yet alive, there
fore. no end OF strange spiri,ualistc stories
were told about him. He became dreadful
to see, as he lay there with long, sunken
face, red beard and unkempt red hair,
growing tangled together, and large eyes
looking up like some dark tarn in a noun
tain hollow. He seemed to have no wish
either to live or 10 die; and so the folks
said there was fight for his soul going on
between God and the devil. Some said
they had even seen the evil one, surround
ed by flames, climb up to the windows o.
the dying mans chamber TO call him
They had seen the evil one, too, in the
form of black dog go smiling around the
house. Others who had rowed past had
seen the whole place on fire while Others
again had heard a company Of devils shout
ing, barking and laughing come up from
the sea, pass slowly towards the house, en-
ter through the closed doors, rush furious
ly through all the rooms, and then go dowI
once more beneath the waves with tn,
Same awful row they made in coming out
Botolrs servants, men as we'll as women
left Immediately, and told all these tales t.
everybody. Hardly anyone dared to g
near the place; and if an old peasant ant
his wife, to whom the sick man had show
some kindness, had not taken care of him
he would have lain utterly unattended
Even this old woman was in terror whei
she .,Yas with him; and she used /
burn straw under his bed to keep Off IN
, evil one; but though the sick man wa
nearly scorched up, he still kept alive.
He lay in terrible suffering; and the oil
woman thought he must be waiting to Sc
some one. So she asked him whether sh
: should send for the clergyman. He shool
his head. Was there any one else he woul
like to see? To which he made no answer
, The next day, while he was lying as usua
, he distinctly pronounced the name Gag
| nes." Certainly this was not in reply t
the old woman's question of the day be
! fore; but she fancied it was, and she ros
gladly, went to her husband and bade bin
harness the horse with all speed, and drv
over.to the parsonage and fetch Agnes.
When he reached there everybod,
t thought there must be some mistake, an
q that it was the clergyman who was sen
q for but the old mad said it was the littl
Q girl. She herself was indoors, and hear
l the message, which frightened her yer
, greatly; for she among the rest, had hear
the tales about the devil, and about tn
0 company of devils rushing up out of th
j, sea. But she had also heard that there wa
3 one whom the sick man was waiting I
4 see, and must see before he could die an
she could not think It anywise strange this
= that one should be herself, whom his viii
9 had so often fetched over to the house bt
It fore. Agnes's sisters told her, too, tina
: one must always try to do what dyin
If folks wish; and that if she prayed nicel
s to God, nothing could do her any harm
So she believed this, and let them DIRE,
J. her to 60.
d IL was a cold nlear auaninn uharain ah