The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1878-12-05
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whieh was born, sBd where my isihel
bad been The minister OF the dissculDg
shspei.
! called bin my mlnistsr--you wil
know Why wbee you heAr what have e
cay. he came inlo the parish just betor'
my isthefs death. ssw him 1rst whet
was tossing upon my bed, reckless witi
lever ,and doing my best to follow father
None Of ibe seAisring folk could man
aRe ne. and cid Jsue,, my housekeeper
did poi know tba, had . relative 10 the
world. Nor bad oBe TO whom il wsuld
have been well TO send
Old Christie al the cove told the rector
was 10, when he went With bis young
wife 20 comfort her for ber drowned boy,
BE stopped al my gate before be weuI
home. Amer little talk With Janet, he
came into my room, never waiting uu,iI
she could speak 10 me. My eyes @erc
closed, bnt ali st once heard q low, tirm
voice saying, The Lord gave, aud the
Lord bath taken away bles,ed be the
name of The Lord hardly know what
followed, only | cannot forget the soft
4 pity iu his eyes told bim | did not
want 10 live, aud be did not gainsay me J.
HE only said: You must not die lill you
iind out what your iather wanted. No
one has touched bis papers, OF shall til
you GET about again.
After that slowly crepl back 10 lie I.
Every day some strong broth OF delicate
poor Janet could never have managed. !
did not know till long alter that the rec.
tor himself came to heat bis wife's broth,
or laid the dripping 1sh across the Goals
/ just al lbe right minute. II ! did not
/ know il, surely no one else did
| have often thought that II the old
rector had been like The new one, thele
never would have been any dissenting
chapel. The old rector lived six miles
away. lie preached once every Sunday,
and gave away flannels at Christmas, out
OF some old dole belonging TO the church !;
but he never knew any OF the people, nor
did they know him.
When the new rector came there we're
all sorts OF stories about him, but no one
really knew who he was. Some OF the
better sort said he was OF grand family,
aud only took to the church because be
bad Loot the succession to great proper
TO be a Clergyman by way of terrible
thing that had happened to him when he
was boy.
/ lie was handsome, brave, athletic
lad, more than six feet tall, and staying
at home Tor = while, between school and
college, when be saw registering squire
fell a poor little hunchback in the village
street with q blow from bis heavy whip.
de dsrled to the help of the poor boy,
but to his horror the half-drunken man
dropped dead at bis feet just as be put
out his hand TO shake him like wet kit
ten. Poor lad lie stood over the dead
body as white as sheet, aud mover
moved til the officers came.
1t was day or two before he knew
that some artery had burst In the brain Of
the angry man, and that he himself had
nothing to do with his death.
But | might have done II all the same,
he said to the old family doctor, who
came straight to him from the inquest
and until he made up bis mind to enter
the church be did not know a moments
quiet.
He came into large property while be
was in college, but he gave it all TO bis
mother to help her bring up the dozen
boys and girls his father had left.
No one knew how he came TO Stargate.
His wife was a lovely, shrinking litle
creature, who had seen some sorrow, and
they had one beautiful boy = Harold
who danced along by his fathers side
/ like sunbeam hardly knew as much
I OF him gs this when fell III OF the fever,
which bad been creeping through the
| fishing Village ior month or two. Ny
father aud my self had been with the SEX
great deal, aud just before the fever
broke my father died suddenly. They
said an old heait trouble had been grow
ing worse and worse, through al tho
work aud worry but did not even know
/ OF his death until he bad lain week 10
/ biz grave by the clili.
| There was no one 10 break il to me.
When Janet brUnght in my porridge
asked for him, aud in "A moment she let
1 drop The bowl, aud gave one wild shrek
/ that told me all. From that moment un.
I'll ] heard the calm voice saying, The
Isoid gave, aud the Lord bath taken
away, could not even think.
Your father knew he was going to die
soou; be has surely left some message
for you, the rector would say as be came
or went; and so be kept my courage up,
until at last found myself before the
/ open are Ia the library, where my father
aud had sat together night alier night
for 50 many years. The house was q
pleasant one. Au Old family nest, given to
my mo.ber when she was married, aud |
knew slready thai need not leave it, II 1
could only Gnd work and companions
where ! was. II not, must sell the
place sud 90 away to some large town.
Il wss 81 the rector found me the firsl
time could get dowu, aud until saw
the CLEAN OF pleasure fisb through his
eyes bad Bever known how handsome a
man be was, nor how strong. ! was glad
to know bow stroag be wss when heard
whal bad bappcsed the next day.