St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-07-29

'Guess they haln't a-cOmin' tonight"
he said mildly. Likely they stopped
to the halfway for all night
But no one else stirred, and the old
man sat down, to wait a moment
longer. The spell of coming calami-
ty seemed to be over them all.
Suddenly they all started and turned
pale. There was hand outside fumb-
ling at the latch. Then "A hoarse voice
said, weakly "Let me in"
a dozen sprang to open the door,
when one of their neighbors, who had
ridden down that morning with Seth
Plunkett, stumbled in, more dead than
alive from the severity of the storm.
They brought hot drinks for him and
rubbed his nearly frozen limbs; and
soon he was able to say, brOkenly:
"Seth's comm, but Pelt's stage is all
broke up, down below the bend in the
straight cut Lost the road an run
Oft. Somebody go fetch two they had
to leave and the horses"
Several men started up to go, and
hastily gathering together such things
as they needed, they pushed off to find
the wreck, leaving "A team to follow.
They had hardly gone when the door
EFT entered, bearing in his arms, as if
it had been baby, the apparently life
less form of Pelt Cressy. The village
folk had learned the news in an in-
crcdibly short time, and came tiOcking
in, in spite of the storm which ragged
outside, till the store was full. Seth
cOuld not speak at once but he man
aged to call for the things that he
wanted, while some one took his eX-
hausted horses to their stable. Three
male passengers had alighted from the
coach. Between them they bore the
body of a woman. She was one of
their neighbOrs, and was taken to her
home, near by.
Pelt Cressy was stretched upon a
settee by the fire, with a coat for pill
low. They brought snow and rubbed
his frozen feet and hands. There was
an ugly cash on his forehead and the
doctor announced that one of his ribs
was broken.
Under the genial influence of heat
and stimulants, however, the poor fell
low began to revive, and the white
face, which no one would ever have
recognized as the handsome young face
of Pclt Cressy, showed Il little color
once more. The watching crowd
heaved a sigh ol relief.
Hes all right" said the slow old
doctor, counting his pulse. Better
get him home at once" Then he
stopped and looked around him in per-
pleXity. Pclt Crcssy'S home was back
on the hills, five miles away. He had
boarded sometimes ut the tavern.
Should they take him there
Seth Plunkctt. who had been sitting
in semi-stupor by the fire, got up at
this point with sort of wrench, and
shook his shaggy coat ike a colossal
dog.
''Takc him to my house," he said, in
a firm voice "Het'll take care of him"
The men looked at each other in
amazement; but silently fixed the
young man according to the doctors
directions, and bore him through the
storm to the warm cottage of the
Plunkctts. There he was laid in Sctll's
own white bed, and for many days
thereafter, till he was strong and well
once more, "Het" joyfully ''tOok care
of him.
The week after the storm the meet
iugS which had suffered a temporary
relapse under the OVerpOwering sensa
tinn of the hour, took on a new vigOr.
One of Pclt's horses had been killed,
and he had declared that he would
never carry the mail again. SO it was
finally arranged that Seth Plunkett
should take his old place and pay, and
harmony prevailed once more among
the distracted inhabitants of Clear
pond. They could even joke about the
furious passions which had divided
them only Il few weeks before. They
could not, however, clearly understand
the mental processes i'll Seth and Pelt,
through which these extraordinary
changes had been brought about. No
body but themselves, of course, knew
anything about it, and they had been
mystcriously silent as to the particu
lars of their reconciliation. Even the
most adroit of the village gossips inter
viewed them, only to be batlled but at
last it all came out.
Seth Plunkett grew more and more
interested in the revival as the spring
wore on: but he was IA man of deep
feeling and the work of conversion III
him was not rapid. He rose for
| prayers night after night at the meet
| ings The brethren all labOred with
! him: but he said he couldn't seem to
see no light"
One night, after the elder had made
an uncOmmOnly moving appeal, the
! last part of which Seth Plunkett had
come in in time to hear, the latter rose,
with vchemcnce which nearly upset
| the seat in front of him, and began to
| speak earnestly. The Judge was there,
| and even the Deacon had stepped in
.'tO see the fun as he expressed it,
and all hung anXiOusly upon Seth's
words.
.'Friends and neighbors," said the
poor fellow, while the sweat OOzed from
his temples and trickled down his rug
ged face. give been a-tryin' and a-try
! in. but YOU know ! can't seem to see
no light: an it's come to me, friends
and neighbors, that mebby I've got
suthin' Orter confess. Before men,
You know. I've confessed it to my
! Maker and the rough man looked up
revercntly; "but hain't confessed to
yOu. an mebby, if | do, I'll find that
peace they've been a-tellin about.
!" You see, my friends and neighbOrs'
his voice grew deeper and the silence
became paintul-''yOu see, | almost
committed murder last March, only
the Lord saved me. III tell You about
it. You remember the night o the
twelfth q March? Likely none on us
won't never forget it. Wal, | didn't
love Pelt Crcssy then, | hated him an
as | see him that day, full o passen-
gers, goin' out o Selborn, with his spry
Young team, didn't love him no bet
ter. | was cold and cross. 1t was an
. awful night, an it seemed to grow wusi