The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-01-01
THE BELLS OF CONNYyILLE.
A CHRISTMAS STORY.

ON beautiful summers afternoon, more
than fifty years ago, the good people of
Connyville hung 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
the ringing Of the fine musical bells that had
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 tinged
with silver, his step was firm and light
and his strong frame was still unbent. He
was sturdy fellow, this Ezra Potts, with
broad, smooth, genial face-a good and
merry heart will smooth over sight of
wrinkles-and his eyes were as brimful of
mirth as they could be. In fact, this Ezra
Potts was as good 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 whine 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
on every Christmas eve since the bells first
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 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.
But amidst all this gayety and his own
happiness there was something that troubled
him, and 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
years back, when his daughter Kitty was
seventeen-a bright, pretty girl she was, pc
tite in figure, and with a fascinating grace
in manner that made her q favorite with all
the good people Of Connyville. He, Ezra,
loved that girl with all his great might and
would have been hard, indeed, for anybody
to do otherwise; but II he loved her too
fondly he was rebuked, God knows, and Bit
terly, too.
AS the modest little belle of that quiet vii
lage, Kitty had many suitors, for the right
sort Of girl will turn the heads Of half the
SWANS in any village; but the most favored
one was Ephraim Bates, a reputable young
farmer Of sterling qualities, whom Ezra
loved as he would have loved his son, and
after a varied courtship of little ups-and-
downs, for they had their quarrels and
reconciliations which go to make up the
spicy sum Of human love affairs, he, In the
early spring time, in his bashful, awkward
way, asked for her hand, which she-she
loved to tease the fellow-granted him, af-
ter keeping him In agony for a month watt
ing for her answer, when she could have
told him on the spot he might have 1t II he