The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-04-13

have duplicate Of tho deed"
He waved his hand. Tho Same flaming char
acters. enormously enlarged. danced now all
over the ground where the meeting house
should have stood. The Parsons head swan
a. his eyes sought In vain to decipher the un-
hallowed inscription. There lay the claimants
title. burned into the top Of the hill. Tho dry
grass caught ire. the twigs and blueberry bush
stems cracked in the heat and for moment
the tall stranger was enveloped In smoke and
flame that cast lurid light over the features OF
his forbidding countcnancc. He stamped his
foot and the unnatural confederation was i'm
mediately extlnguishod.
You perceive that my title Is perfectly valid.
Nevertheless. am not hard landlord. You
have set your heart upon this location. Sup
pose you occupy It rs my tenant at will. 1t will
only be necessary. as the merest form. to sign
this little"
mo. s,n.- snuureo the Parson. now thorough
~ aroused. II mako no compact. Whether you
be indeed Beelzebub In person. or only one Of his
subordinate devils. your claim Is q lie. your
title Of IRE 10 forged. and shall defy you and
all your works In the sermon which I shall
preach tomorrow morning In that brick meet
ing house. no matter II It is on the hill or on
the marsh. no matter II you have meanwhile
spirited II away to tho bottom Of the bottomless
piti'
Il shall do myself the honor to listen to your
discourse" replied the stranger. with an exas-
perating grin.
When tho Parson reached homo his daughter
Susannah heard his story. gave him another
glass Of hot rum teddy. tucked him oomforta-
bly, in bed. and then despatched the hired help
to the other end OF the village with instructions
to arouse Peletiah Jackson. first mate OF the
hermaphrodite brig Sister Sal.
II.
After beating through all the streets OF the
little settlement. and sailing In great circles
over several OF the outlying pastures without
making q port. Peleg Trott found himself
about an hour after midnight half way up the
hill path. with heavy sea on and the wind still
dead ahead
He sat down on . rock to take his bearings.
"Pelegp he shoute6from his lookout on the
forecastle deck.
Aye. aye. Cap'n Trostl" he responded from
the wheel.
"Howz helluma" he demanded from the
forecastle.
"Har' down. Cap'n Trott." he reported from
the wheel.
Maxim much starnway2"
Beats mater. the stairway. Cap'n Trott."
Shake down the centreboard a neg. Peleg.'
It's clean drapped now. Cap'n Trott."
Lee hear box 70 oompash. B'lieve ye're
drunk agen: 70 clapper-clawed -"
"Sartainly. Cap'n Trott. Cod. codcodnsh.
Goldfish becod. Goldfish: goldfish beish; flshcod-
fish. fish becod. FISH. Capt Trott."
"Whazzat hight. Peleg. bearin' goldfish becod.
half flshp"
Make 1t out for the moon. Cap'n Trott."
"Orright Peleg. Heads she Is till the moons
astarn. then mako half hitch an drap anchor
to lew'rd new meetin'house to take 'zervation'
70 wezzercock."
Aye. aye. sir" and the difficult navigation
was resumed. with Peeg and Trott both on deck.
At tho brow OF the hill Trott encountered the
same surprising fact which had stupeaed the
Parson an hour or more earlier In the night.
Tho meeting house was not there.
Salt me down Of tho gale hain't bowed her
OF her moorin's." no muttered.
After carefully scrutinizing the horizon on
every side. he continued:
I'll bs sailed an faxed Of she haln't adrift
yonder on the ma'shr'
Peleg studied the situation attentively. In
none OF his nocturnal voyages had no run
against anything so extraordinary His spirit
ual interest In the new edifice WAS perhaps less
than that OF any other inhabitant OF the Har-
Dor. since he never went to meeting. Yet no
had transported several cargoes OF brick for
the church from Wiscasset in his celebrated
four-cornered clipper. the scow Dandelion and
his interest In the progress OF the building had
been greatly enlarged by an incident which
happeHed several weeks before tho night Of
which We are speaking.
One afternoon a tall. dark man. in an out
landlsh cloak stood on the wharf at Wlscasset
watching Peleg as he thrust bricks into the
capaclous NAV OF the Dandelion. Whats
h,,Il q,
English. "Meetin' house." said PeleR. "Ortho-
dox 2" persisted the inqutring stranger. mo.
Parson Purin'ton's. at N'wsggen." replied
Peleg. CURLY. "Ahw said tho man on the
wharf. "Ihave heard OF that eminent divine.
I am glad he IL to have new church. Have
they everything they need9"
Peleg was about to say yes. for that was tho
last cargo Of bricks and the other material was
already on the ground. But his eye happened
to wander to the steeplo OF tho Wiscasset
church. and an idea struck him. Ell you're
minded to contribute" said he. they're des-
prt for q rooster vane like tibet there" The
mysterious benofactor smiled. IN send them
abird." said he. In due course OF time there
arrived by schooner from Portland a fne
wooden woathercock. properly boxed and ready
for mounting and gliding. Peleg's story had
been received with some incredulity at New
presence Of mind was highly commended by
the deacons Of tho church. and they presented
him with half barrel Of Medford rum. BY the
time the weathercock went aloft the half barrel
was empty. and Pelsg was chock full Of rum
and theological enthusiasm.
There was tho meeting house. fully quarter
Of q mile OF Its anchorage. There Was tho
well-known ohanticleer-Peleg's especial 10Y
and pride-resplendently conspicuous In the
moonlight. But what strange spell was ON the
world that nightp As Pelag gazed upon the
bird 1t appeared to him to be disproportion-
ateiv large. There was no wind. and yet 1t be-
gan to revolve violently. Peleg distinctly heard
q shrill and prolonged crow. and the great
gilt rooster tapped it, wings as II about to os-
say flight into tho upper air. True enough.
up II went. carrying the meeting house with It.
the church swaying and the bell tolling sadly as
rose. until the brick walls Of tho structure ac-
tualy collapsed tho moon. Then the weather.
cook and It's quarry slowly settled back to
earth. lowering an instant over the waters OF
tho harbor. and finally landing not in the mea-
dow. but on top OF the hill. not q dozen yards
from whore Peleg stood. his knees shaking his