Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-01-05

| his wife, and the plan finally agreed upon was
that Friar Gui, after leaving his purse behind
him, should be sent back to the convent with
a severer discipline than his shoulders had
ever received from any penitence of his
own.
The affair, however, took more serious
turn than was intended for when they tried
to raise the friar from the ground he was
dead. The blow aimed at his shoulders fell
| upon his Bhaven crown, and in the excite
ment of the moment Martin Franc had dealt
heavier stroke than he intended. Amid the
| grief and CONSERVATION which followed this
discovery the quick Imagination Of his wife
suggested an expedient of safety. A bunch
of keys at the friar's girde caught her eye
Hastily unfastening the ring she gave the
! keys to her husband, eXclaiming:
''For the holy Virgins sake. be quick One
Of these keys doubtless unlocks the gate Of
the convent garden. Garry the body thither,
and leave it among the trees :"
Martin Franc threw the dead body of the
monk across his shoulders and with heavy
heart took the way to the abbey. II was a
clear, starry night and though the moon
had not yet risen, her light was in the sky,
and came reflected down in a soft twilight up
on the earth. Not sound was heard through
all the long and solitary streets save at inter
walls the distant growing of cock or the
melancholy hoot Of an owl from the lofty
tower Of the abbey. The silence weighed
like an accusing spirit upon the guilty con
science of Martin Franc. He started at the
sound Of his own breathing, as he painted un-
der the heavy burden of the monks body,
and it, perchance, a bat fitted near him on
drowsy wings he paused and his heart beat
audibly with terror At length he reached
| the garden wall OF the abbey, opened the
postern- gate with the key and bearing the
monk into the garden, seated him upon a
L Al Al
! his head resting against stone column up
on which was sculptured an image of the
| Madonna. He then replaced the bunch of
keys at the monks girdle, and returned home
| with hasty steps.
When the prior Of the convent to whom
| the repeated delinquencies Of Friar Gui were
| but too well known, observed that he was
again absent from his post at midnight pray
ers, he waxed exceedingly angry and no
sooner we're the duties Of the chapel finished
than he sent monk in pursuit Of the truant
sacristan, summoning him to appear immedi-
ately at his cell BY chance it happened that
| the monk chosen for this duty was an enemy
| of Friar Gui and very shrewdly supposing
that the sacrstan had stolen out of the garden
| gate on some midnight adventure, he took
| that direction in pursuit. The moon was Just |
| climbing the convent wall, aud threw its sill
very light through the trees of the garden,
and on the sparkling waters Of the fountain,
that fell with a soft lulling sound into the |
| basin below. As the monk passed on his way |
he stopped to quench his thirst with draught |
of cool water, and was turning to depart,
when his eye caught the motionless form OF |
| the sacrstsn, sitting erect in the shadow Of |
the stone column.
How is this, Friar Gui - quoth the monk. |
'Is this place to be sleeping at midnight, |
when the brotherhood are all at their pray |
ers Z"
Friar Gui made no answer.
'Up, up! thou eternal sleeper, and do pen
ance for thy negligence The prior calls for |
thee at his cell 2" continued the monk grow
ing angry, and shaking the sacristan by the
shoulder.
But still no answer.
Then, by st. Anthony, I'll wake thee :"
And saying this he dealt the sacristan a
heavy box on the ear. The body bent slow
ly forward from its erect position, and, CIV
ing headlong plunge, sank with heavy
splash into the basin of the fountain. The
monk waited a few moments in expectation
of seeing Frar Gui rise dripping from his
cold bath, but he waited in vain for he lay
motionless at the bottom of the basin, his
eyes open and his ghastly face distorted by
the ripples of the water. With a beating
heart the monk stopped down, and, grasping
the skirt of the sarcristRn's habit, at length
succeeded in drawing him from the water.
All efforts however, to resuscitAte him were
| unavailing The monk was filled with ter
roT, not doubling that the friar had died un-
timely by his hand and as the animosity be-
tween them was no secret in the convent, he
feared that when the deed was known he
should be accused Of murder. He therefore
looked round for an expedient to relieve him
self from the dead body and the well-known
character of the sacristan soon suggested
one. He determined to carry the body to
the house of the most noted beauty of Rou.
en- and leave it on the doorstep so that all
suspicion of the murder might fall upon the
shoulders of some jealous husband. The
beauty Of Martin Francs wife had penetrated
even the thick walls Of the convent and
there was not friar in the whole abbey of
st Anthony who had not done penance for
his truant imagination. Accordingly the |
dead body Of Frar Gui was laid upon the
monks brswny shoulders, carried back to
the house Of Martin Franc and placed in an
erect position against the door. The monk
knocked loud and long and then, going
through by-lane, stole back to the convent. |
A troubled conscience would not allow Mar
tin Franc and his wife to close their eyes
but they lay awake lamenting the doleful
events of the night. The knock at the door
sounded like a death knell in their ears 1t
still continued at intervals, rap-rap-rap -
with a low dull sound, as if something heavy
were swinging against the panel for the
wind had risen during the night and every
angry gust that swept down the alley swung
the arms of the lifeless sacristan against the
door. At length Martin Franc mustered
courage enough to dress himself and 90 |
down, while bis wife followed him with
lamp in her hand but no sooner had he lift
ed the latch than the ponderous body of Fri
ar Gui fell stark and heavy into his arms
"Jesu Maria" exclaimed Marguerite
haze he l.
Eyes, and dripping wet as if he had Just
been dragged out of the river"
"Oh, we are betrayed" exclaimed Mar
guerite in agony.
''Then the devil himself has betrayed u.s."
replied Martin Franc, disengaging himself
from the embrace of the sacristan for l
met not living being; the whole city was
as silent as the grave"
saint Martin defend us I" continued his
terrified wife Here, take this scapulary to
guard you from the Evil One and lose no
time. You must throw the body into the
river, or we are lost Holy Virgin How
bright the moon shines !"
Saying this, she threw round his neck a
scapulary, with the figure of a cross on one
end and an image of the Virgin on the other
and Martin Franc again took the dead friar
upon his shoulders, and with fearful misgiv-
ings departed on his dismal errRnd. He kept
as much as possible in the shadow of the
houses, and had nearly reached the quay,
when he thought he heard footsteps behind
him. He stopped to listen; it was no vain
imagination they came along the pavement,
tramp, tramp and every step grew louder
and nearer. Martin Franc tried to quicken
his pace, but in vain his knees smote to-
gether, and he staggered against the wall.
His hand relaxed its grasp, and the monk
slid from his back and stood ghastly and
straight beside him, supported by chance
against the shoulder of his bearer. At that
moment a man came around the corner, tot
tering meath the weight of huge sack. AS
his head was bent downwards he did not per-
ceive Martin Franc till he was close upon
him and when, on looking up, he saw two
figures standing motionless in the shadow of
the WALL he thought himself waylaid, and,
without waiting to be assaulted, dropped the
sack from his shoulders and ran of at full
speed. The sack fell heavily on the pave