New-York tribune., 1880-01-11

IL
latter must leave some marks behind them'
So Brother Lawrence had the whole. 1agged
pavement of the larder strewn with flne saw
dust. In the morning what do you THINK they
foundf ~,
The sawdust bore. In at least fifty places, the
imprint of the passage of some fonr-io1teu ta
animal of immense size; and following these
footprints there were long sinuous disturb
ances' Of the sawdust, as though caGseu W
the unduIation of the tail of the SAID animal:
'The old serpent exclaimed the, Sub-prlor,
when the sawdust had been with rear anu
trembling examined. IL
sSerpents have not got feet interposed the
Lord Abbot, fetching his. subordinate sounu
cuff on his tonsured pate.
'Benedicitep murmured the smitten one,
folding his hands over his breast and OoWh8
low. 1t was the Sub-Prior who, had penne,d
the neat little pOulct in medieval Latin Whicn ;li
the Abbot had found in his breviary, and IN
which he was threatened with strangulatiion non
if ne did not discontinue the casugation
of his brethren. You shall pay, for thaI
crack over the crown, my lord ABBOT anu
self. as he unfOlded his hands, and with
penitential sniff awaited further orders from
his superior.
But ali this cutting the Sub-Pror over the
mazard or even kicking the cellarer to a whlch
process of investigation my Lord Abbot subse-
quently rcs0rted), did not materially tehu 10
| fIucidate the mystery of the four footed Deast
with the unduating tail. Clearly there Was %
no use in striving TO exercise INC u%omsteI, nous iol
| il had beeu comminatvely and clerlcally cursed
| with bell book and candle over ana over
| again: and il would be waste or g0od Dees-
| wax and bad Latin TO try 10 exercise the beast
| if il were beast-any more. Nbat Was 10 w
| doneP The community lntefr0gated each oIiieI
| with looks of blank uncertainty. Ii was clear
| that something must be done, and that swiftly
| for the beef and the other etceteras con-
tinued to disappear with the same alarming
rapidity and the same appalling phhctuailty
| tr1 hot a.
| that must be done to save the Abbey OF prags-
| bury from utter wTack and ruin, nor VINO was
| to do il. n
| I'm this desperate cOnuncture Johannes rug,
! the maker of salsamentlm' came uDeXRecicuIy
To the front Pug had been born viilein on
the abbey-ands, but had been maDumltted IN
| consequence Of his extraordinary Skill III pick
! ling and saltiug. Salt provisions were III pro
dIglOus request in medlGval tunes not ohly
/ because the frequent fass OF the Churcn de-
mandcd a constant and plentiful supply OF
! cured fish, but also because the habltual Hesh-
| food OF the poorer classes was saited. ne
| modern British husband eats bacon When ne
can get il, which is not often bnt the medic
val kind got as much salted swinesflcsh as
! he wanted all the year round, iast-days lnclu-
| ded Salt beef was also universally consumed
| and fresh meat was very Iareiy eaten,
save at Christmas and Eastertide. thus my
| Lord Abbot had acted with discretion as wei as
with humanity in manumittlng Johannes rug
| since the presumption was that the expert III
! pickling might some day or another show the
| Abbey of Dragsbury a clean PAIR OF heels, ana
devote his talents Of Sdisdmenfum- making 10 thc
service OF some other monastery wnefe lie
| would have had fair treatment ana gOOd wages
| For good salter was in those days an artist as
much sought alter rs good cook II now he-
member that the Salters' Company are YET tA-
| tant a most ancient, honorable, and athuent
guild. Johannes Pug was little round-should-
| cred man OF about fifty years OF age, with q
! cOuntenance of a dull mahogany hue, shOck
| of coarse black halr fecked with gray, and very
! brown horny, slnewy hands. Altogether he
| looked as though he had not passed thirty years
! III constant contact with salt, vinegar, ana SAT-
| petre for nothing, and as though he had De-
! come himself, after manner, picked, Or al least
| cured.
prostrating himself before the Abbot 81 have
salted down many thousands of oxen, calves,
| sheep and swine, and | am not AFRAID OF any
! beast that has four feet to walk upon or t.lll
| to shake. / will keep watch ana ward IN the
| larder tonight, if your reverend lordship VIII
suffer me ; and you may send Tor the shcrlh oil
| DaIsyborough isybOrOugh was the county
| town., and hang me ~ high as the church,
II, eple il do not confront this beast, Tor All
| his horns--il he have any-tor all his hoOis,
| and for all his tail"
Johannes Pug attached only one condition
| to his heroic offer. He required. he SAID, no
armed guard aud weapons OF offence or de-
| fence Providence and ST. Benedict would
take care of him, he piOusly remarked lie
| made sine qua non that throughout his
parlous vigil he should have the society OF
| his wife Gillian and his daughter Lillian. he
| former was "A pOrty and not uncOmcly matrOn
OF forty; and the latter remarkably rosy
checked, bright-eyed. and generally pretty
damsel of eighteen. Johannes Pug, his wife
and daughter, and sundry small Pugs, who
| have nothing to do with the incidents OF this
veracious chronicle, lived IN small cottage
about half mile from the Abbey. Pug coming
| to his work IN the pickling-shed at six o'clock
| IN the morning, and returning home just
! before curlew. The only objection to his
| request 10 he accompanied by his vile
Gillian and his daughter Lillian being granted
arose from the circumstance shat, by the rule
of st. Benedict, the presence of any female
at any time or under any circumstances what
ever was strictly prohibited; but, as Brother
| Lawrence shrewdly put 1t to my LORD
Abbot, three courses were open TO them
in the matter-irst, they might plead
the emergency of the case TO the
Superior of the Order; next, they might
obtain an indemnity from the Pope; and
about il. The last course was the one which,
| in the exercise of his discretion, the Abbot
resolved to adopt, and only a very few of the
officials of the Abbey (and they were sworn
| TO secrecy were apprlsed of the proxmate
| PROCLAMATION by petticOats OF the precincts of
Dragsbury Abbey and the bulk of the
munlty were soundly snoring III their cells
| when Johannes Pug, together with Gillian, his
| wife, ana Lillian, hls daughter, were aullltted
| by Il secret door, the existence OF which was
known only TO the Abbot and certain OF hIs
familiars, and which led into the cloisters.
The resolute pckler and his family were con-
Quoted to the kitchen, and n basket OF pro-
visions, not forgetting heg OF strong beer,
was placed before them. Two great waxen
torches were then fixed in iron sconces and
lighted and Johannes Pug, devoutly kneeing
TO receive the Abbot's blessing, preferred n
final request that no notice might be taken
| 1 in Ina DT
however violent, were heard. Then my Lord
Abbot solemnly bestowed his benson upon
Johannes Pug and his family graciously prom
sing that a liberal number OF MASSES should be