Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-11-06

I nice taste in it. lam quite sure I'll
: devil has played me this trick
} am quite determined not to use I'll
: meter again, all the worse If I'll
; 'liquer' is not tasted enough, or FIJI
, ished 1p."
Heavens protect US from such
resolution" answered the prio
sharply. 1--WE must not displeas
our customers. All that you can ds
now that you have u lesson, will b
to be more careful. Let US SEE
about how many drops does it tax
| to make up your account? Fifteel
or twenty"
"Twenty, / should say"
tThe devil would be very cleve
to catch you with twenty drops
Also, in order to prevent any futur
accident. l will permit you to sa!
your evening prayers in the distil
lery, instead of coming to church
And now go in peace, my reverend
father, and please take care to coun
your drops.n
Alas, the poor reverend father
counted them in vain; the devi
held him and would not give him
up. Strange noises came forth from
the distillery. During the daytime
everything was quiet. The father
was always calm; he prepared his
chafing dishes, his alembics, care
fully sorted his herbs-they were all
herbs found in Provence, rare ones
and gray and variegated ones ex-
haling strange perfumes. But at
night when the simples were in
fused, and the elixir was cooling in
immense brass caldrons, the poor
mans martyrdom began. Seven
teen-eighteen- nineteen-twenty
The drops fell from the pipe into
the pewter goblet. All these twenty
drops the father swallowed at one
gulp, without much feeling of de-
light. But the twenty-first he
longed after. Oh, to taste that
twenty-first drop; so in order to
escape temptation, he would go and
kneel quite at the extremity of the
laboratory, and his thoughts were
for some time in his Pater Nosters.
There rose a little perfumed smoke
from the still heated "liqueur,"
which envelOped him, and, whether
he chose or not, brought his thoughts
back to his caldrons. The ''liqueur"
was of a beautiful golden green
color. Meanwhile, orders were
pouring into the monastery-it was
a great blessing they received them
from Nismes, AK, Avignon, Mar
seilles. Gradually the monastery
became a small mandatory. There
were brothers who packed, brothers
who ticketed, others who wrote,
others who managed the transport
business. In this way they became
very lax in their religious duties
the bells were very rarely rung
but / assure you the poor country
folks were no losers by the change
Well, one fine Sunday when the
treasurer was reading the account
Of the year which was ending before
the whole assembled chapter, the
hearty canons were listening with
eyes and smiling Inns.
when quite suddenly Father Gau-
cher rushed in among them crying:
1T is all over now. will make
no more. Give me back my cowsI !
"What is the matter, Father
Taucher ?" asked the prior, who,
however, had his doubts as to what |
was the matter!
"tWhat is the NATTER my lord i? |
The matter is that / am on the high |
,oad to perdition, an eternity of
iames and of pitchforks. The fact |
IS that drink like fish,"
"But l warned you to count the
1rops."
ooh yes it was all very well tc |
count the drops, but now l should |
nave to count the goblets. Yes,
'evereDd fathers, l have reached to |
hat depth of degradation l take
my three bottles nightly. You un-
lerstand that this cannot last, there
ore you must find some one else to |
,oncoct the elixir for you. Let the |
everlasting fire consume me if ! |
neddle with it again."
/ can tell you the whole chapter
lid not laugh when they heard |
.heSe words.
"But, unfortunate man, you will |
De the cause of our ruin," cried the
reasurer, agitating his enormous
book.
"Would you prefer that 1 should
De damned ?"
At these words the prior stood up. |
Reverend fathers" he began, ex-
ending his beautiful white hand,
IN which was the pastoral ring,
everything will be arranged for the
)est. 1t is at night, is it not, my
lear son, that the devil tempts
you ?"
Eyes, holy prior, regularly every
hight. AS soon as evening closes
n, 1 find myself perspiring at the
yery thought of what is going to
happen me, like Capitou's ass at the
hought of his burden"
every well calm yourself. We
will recite st. Augustine's prayers
hem a plenary indulgence. BY
hese means you will be quite safe.
t is actually giving you absolution
While you are in the act Of SHINING
"Oh, well, many thanks, my
ord PRIOR" and without further
do Father Gaqeher returned to his
listillery as gay as lark. Surely
rom that day forth, every evening
It the end of the evensong, the Off
iating monk never missed saying:
Let us pray for our poor Father
iaucher, who sacrifices his eternal
happiness to the interests of the
"Oremus Domino"
Then when the prayers of the
oWled monks sounded through the
lave like the blowing of an easterly
Wind amid snow, at the other ex-
remity of the monastery Father
1aucher, behind the blazing win
low of his distillery was heard sing
ng with all his might:
am Paris there lived White Monk,
Palatin, Palatan," etc.
Here the good cure stopped, quite
frightened. "Mercy!" cried he;
my parishioners were only to hear
ne!''
Gov. JOHN G. BRowN's old war
Iorse, "Lexington," died at the
Pond Hill farm, on the Goth inst, at
he advanced age Of % years. Up
N his departure for Texas recently,
iov. Brown left this venerable ami
nal in cha. ge of Mr., w, III. Tun-