Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-12-23
THE BELLS OF CONNYvILLE.
A4CHRIsTNAs STORY.

On beautiful summers afternoon, more
than fifty years ago, the good people OF
Connyville hunga chime of bells in the ivy
mantled belfry of st. Johns Church; and
after the good parish minister had preached
q sermon appropriate to the occasion, it was
voted, as their sexton was growing feeble,
that Ezra Potts should in future be in
trusted with the care of the little church and
Just been hung in the belfry. So Ezra Potts
was made sexton, and though thirty years
had passed away since the day the chimes
were hung, yet he still performed the simple
duties OF his long continued office. .
He had grown to be nearly fifty mine years
old, and though his dark hair was tingcd
with silver, his step was firm and light
and his strong frame was still unbent. He
was sturdy fellow, this Ezra Potts, with a
broad, smooth, genial face-a good and
wrinkles-and his eyes were as brimful of
mirth as they could be. In fact, this Ezra
Potts was rs good a man as you often meet.
and the children all loved him dearly and
called him Father Potts, and the older folks
all loved him, too, and would shake the hon.
est hand and speak to him as Brother Potts.
Yes, he was nearly fifty-nine the Christ
mas eve he lighted his lantern and left his
cosy cottage to go up the hill through the
snow to chime the bells, as was the custom
came to Connyville. He was very happy
that night as he walked up the village street,
past the shop windows gay with toys and
bric-a.brac, and merry with the groups OF
children gathered round to feast their eyes
and chatter with their boisterous tongues,
for>he had in mind the happiness abroad
that night and the joy that would be awak-
ened with the children in the morning. Be-
sides, he mad bought his wife a new gown
and a. large print Bible, which he knew
would please her very much, and a little
lame girl down the street would find we'll
filed stocking beside her bed in the morn
ing, and she would guess that Father Potts
put it there.
happiness there was something that troubled
him. and q sigh escaped his lips, and invol-
unfairly he walked slower as he assembled the
hill to ring St. Johns bell; and as he wend-
ed on his busy thoughts were drifting ten
wears back, when his daughter Kitty was
seventcen-a bright, pretty girl she was, Pc
tite in figure. and with fascinating grace
in manner that made her favorite with all
the good people Of Connyville. He, Ezra,
loved that girl with all his great might and
mind: she was such a winsome creature it
would have been hard, indeed, for anybody
to do otherwise; but ii he loved her too
fondly he was reb,rAed, God knows, and Bit
terly, too.
As the modest little belle Of that quiet vii
Inpe. Kitty had many suitors, for the right
scrt of q girl will turn the heads OF half the
swnins In any village; but the most favored
one was Ephraim Bates, . reputable young
farmer Of sterling qualities, whom Ezra
loved al. he would have loved his son, and
after varied courtship of little ups-and-
downs, for they had their quarrels and
reconciliations which go to make up the
tf5fcv sum of human love affairs, he, in the
early sering time, in his bashfu1, awkward
way. asked f6r her hand, which she-she
loved to tease the fellow-granfed him, at
f4r Keeping him in agony for month watt
f6r for her answer, when she could have
toid him on the spot he might have it If he