Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1881-07-01
STAUNTON, VIRGINIA. FRIDAY, JULY l, 1881.

The girl and her companion stopped
The moonlight revealed tall shapelY fig
ure, with bright handsome face; a Per
feet face so far as features and coloring
go. But it did not correspond with the
voice. There was childish weakness
about it. There could scarcely be an cd
der contrast to her beauty than the figure
beside her presented at first sight. A mis-
shapen man, his head half. buried between
supporting bulky body. The face was
the only redeeming point-a fine sensitive
face, with delicate, clear-cut features, and
a kind of poetlcal beauty about it which
made many people say that DIR. Peleg had
the face of an angel"
''Meetin's consid able lively, hain't
they?" pursued Mis- Sanders. The girls
brow contracted a little.
s"Yes. the people are very excitable
ITAnd they believe it so firmly. I can It.
Pm afraid I don't quite wish to. The
thought terrifes me. 1 like this world
and want it to last.''
sim afraid most folks does-poor sin
full creturs that we be, y said Mis- Sanders.
''And agoin' to work and settin' day
whsn you've got to give it up don't make
no great difference-b bein' vain i'm
aginations. p"
Mis- Sanders addressed this remark, in a
very aggressive manner, to DR.. Peleg, but
the hunchback's face was gently impassive
as if he had not heard her.
'sThe Deacon he thinks DR.. Peleg amt
such fool, after all, " said Mis- Spettigue.
sHe thinks he's got some of the wisdom
of the serpent along with the harmlessness
of the dove. He amt got book learnin' to
be sure, but he's terrible knowledgeable
abous roots and YARDS, and he cured old
Uncle Daniel Spettigue' s rheumatic when
the doctors had given him up. He is one
of them that's born with better under
standing of Matters works than others.
The Deacon says he's real child of
Mater"
"He ain child of grace or he wOuldn It
be shoutin' Millerite, that's certain. " said
Miss Sanders, sharply.
"Well, [ don't know. Some of 'em do
seem to be real Cody given" said Miss
Spettigue. s'And it would be kind of
queer, now, wouldn't it, if the world
should come to an end?' 'Twould sur
prise consid able many"
In the meantime the young woman and
her companion had reached large farm
house, on the outskirts of the town. Even
! tot in,hf IF ho fho
place had neglected aspect, the gate
hung, half unhinged, the garden paths
were growing plentiful crop of weeds,
and unframed vines ran riot over every
thing, and switched their long tendrils in
the faces of those who ventured to enter,
gith the air of reckless triumph which
nature always has when she is having her
own way again, in place where man has,
for time, subdued her.
Hneas Sinclair-corrupted by Stillwa-
ter dialect to Enus Sinkley-had been one
of Stillwater's most prosperous farmers,
until he became a Millerite. Since then
he had done nothing but wait for the
sound of the last trump. Even his hair
and beard were left unshorn; everything
that it was not necessary to do to support
existence was left undone, in his zeal to
be found ''waiting FOR his Lord" A fear
was growing among his friends and neigh
bors, not of the faith, that he was becom-
ing insane. But were not all the Miller
ties more or less so? And were they not
all left to follow the devices and desires of
their own hearts? Nobody ventured to
offer any advice to Enus-not even those
of his brethren in the faith who had a
saving remnant of worldly wisdom min
gled with their faith in their immediate
ascension.
DR.. Peleg left his companion at the gate,
| and turned to go, without word.
{ The girl gently laid OBTAINING hand
upon his arm.
"You are not like yourself tonight DR..
| Peleg. You have scarcely spoken to me.
| You didn't sing and you were willing to
leave the meeting so early. Is anything
| the matter?''
"I'm a hypocrite. Judith. I've just
found it out tonight, and I didn't dare to
sing or pray. don't dare to 60 to meet
| in s no more. I've let woman's face
come between me and my Lord and there's
nothin' but the fires of his wrath that'll
hide it! His Judgments are sure; he's a
lettin' me feel them fires Already"
The girl had turned away little i'm pa
tient first. Her healthy nature was
thoroughly wearied of the morbid atmos-
phere in which she lived. The can't of the
Millerites had become uncomfortable. But
J as the hunchback went on, his whole frame
trembling with his emotion, she turned an
astonished face upon him.
GA woman's face2 You, DR.. Peleg!--
What are you talking about?
He shrank as if from a blow.
"Of course I might have known you
wouldn't know. And yet sometimes I've
been crazy enough to think you had
thought of it, too! I'm man, Judith,
after all-after all; and you've been jest
like the breath of life to me ever since
you was little gal. It's come acrost me
tonight, kind of realizin' sense that the
Neav Jerusalem haunt 7aever meant 1aothSn'
| to me but you! You and me enterin' in to-
gether was what see in them visions that
folks thought so wonderful. And I'd got
rid of this poor mis'able body that
makes you hate the sight of me. I forgot
the Lord and put a mortal creature in his
place, and he is Furnishing me!'
The girl looked at him in utter amaze
ment. It occurred to her that all the Mil
lerites were probably going mad, and DR..
Peleg's madness was manitesting itself in
this extraordinary way. She had heard