The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-06-02
4 FINE CELLAR OF WINE.

y
the c'se,t If Norfolk
leXis'l'ri ih- EJIy simpL~t u far. in the
hunitt L"u~s II INV friend, and nlv exr..,ta.
teiiS' - Tar a. fish, fowl, ami fish wer,. con
t'-IilsSi, We're rr:tl.zt,L Eut when hal ta,reS,
"a SLiS' ~ i"s, Was >trlI 4 with the tx
tr'.orti-ll1y iissn>s ii it, favor. it, Ia.lv,
aiid IL '@f. tRt. tiEgt | Wa, olAi-,,i 10 as
Llm st.'sl4hs,t ~l'-.e. h. managed 10 pick IN
>si' d a In a-,lse' l.. t,-- ,ia,> ~ aiultrratr,n
and high prizes
TIL sou '"~m"fr"w, b. nplisd after
s''a have Va .t',l my charrh .
rtie aSs's'iati"a Of splendid port wine With
an olsfure Norfolk church SEEMED a. ntt. 1,
little remote, hut kr,.w from the ID gtntk-
mans nEntrr that he hal /. story ~ ten. NJ |
said no more
Accordingly the neAt morning accom-
panied him 10 the church II was one If
tAos' spacious, imposing e'iifi,> >n frequently
10 lie seen IN the eastern couhth built al
most upon the verge of the sea. Nh hist
showed me very oh tomb with a battered
canopy AMI some halt tifacrl cutchdolls ami
aitl,h dcicate traoerg.
Tomb of the first lhnl of the manner" ex-
pitintti my rlrronc. Name unknown. date
unknown, hut popularity called Sir Dicks
sE,h There are lots Of similar tonls about
here rs about everywhere But You don't s.c
ANYTHING extraordinary about the structur,.
OF the tomb itself. No, Wen, I'm not s.r-
IriS'd at it, But look here"
80 saying he place.! his thumb on the topof
the helmet sGrmounting the ,lefac,yi ,uat Of
arms, AMI Immediately the whole If the 'front.'
Of the tomb under the slab hegan 10 sink l..-
bow the pavement, at tho same time distressing
dark vault, up which canc that damp,
earthly smell peculiar 10 crypts and charnel.
h"ti>rS Then, sto"ping down ami pressing
nie llftle stone helmet again, h. call,,Sl tho
stone 10 aSvni to it, normal Position.
tf course my curiosity was intensified, u.d
wanted To hear the story at once. But thu.
sli gentleman said
NO, although its not bong yarn, II can't
very well le told as We nre standing here; so
we'll have il over another glass of that old
port tonight"
81, when We had drawn our chairs r,i.
the fire, aud taken our first sips of the FAM.
port, he l"gan:
I've lscn here nearly fifty years, AMI when
| was first appointed there wasn't hotter
place in all England for smuggling
perhaps, Cornwall or scotland or Rumney
marsh.
II never saw my predecessor, for the very
cool reas"H that the living hal been vacant
for ten years prey lously for reasons which
You shall hear presently. My surprise, there
fore, may !" imagined M!rn, in the cotrs,, VI
my inspection of the premises, came upon a
cellar iilld with all sorts of wine AM! spirit
How 1t was that they had remained unlisro,
erred and untouched during the ten years H.
tcrval between the departure Of my pred
re>sor could not lind out, until took int
my service Us gardener an old fellow who
told me ahat follows:
"rhe last rector, the Rev. Mr. Airport, was
appointed here in i,l2 Not many days after
his arrival he came into the church for some
purpose or other, and, discovering a curious
odd register IN the rcstry, took it into the par
sonal,e pew, whlrh stands exactly opposite
Sir III k, slab to examine. Over the vol
,i,,e he fell asleep. When he awakened the
rhur,'t was quite dark, AMI, as il was mid.
winter, very cold OF course h. iumpcd up,
anlaz Vi and not a Titled awed at his position,
for there WI. "a, much superstition in those
days amongst educated folk as there is now
amongst the lower classes. He was about 10
prola hi, way out of the pew, when he was
arrested 10y an extraordinary noise which was
not the sound of rats nor Of the wind, but
which seemed to ie suppressed subt,rranean
th.,nler.
"Siijanly he saw faint ray Of light where
h. knew was Sir Dick slab Brighter and
broader it grew, and then, much To his relief.
An L. 4. =. 4.
head appeared inside the tomb, followed BIZ
;he remainder of a very big and hurly human
body, which was succeeded by more heads
and bodies, until group of half a-lozcn men
stool on the pavement Of the aisle
"Stnurgler, If course they were, and now
the poor palson was seized by dread The
st Edwards smugglcis were notorious as n
desperate crew. Many Of them had been
pressed for the French war, had escaped and
as there was price on their heads, and their
hands against every mans. they regarded
desperate crimes rs necessary incidents Of
their calling.
They were evidently in high spirits, and
inopppl their hrows a. they sat, some on
.ht tomb itself, some on the Wuslrn seat
near, passing rounda big leathern Jack of
liquor talking in an almost incomprehensi-
Bile dialect, and even going 50 far As to light
their pipes The Rev. Mr.. Airport was no
coward when dealing with ordinary human
itv. anil as he crouled in the pew, rcering
at the weird group through an opening in the
curtains, he r,yolved in his mind what his
n'At move should be
a notion struck him suddenly The YES.
Try was within Il few yards of him, and he
could g,t 10 it by n door at the other end of
the Jew. Silently and cautiously he groI.l
his way along, and IN a few minutes reap
l'ard with white surpli,e. Arranging il
81 that his face was completely shrou,led be-
slh1t the opportunity of Il hull IN the SNUG
ghrs talk, AMI, standing ON Il huss,gk.
stretched ont ON. sll.tttd arm, and uttered a
stpn'iral grnn
The effect was magical Tllcse big.
bearded fellows who cared for no man, who
face,l danger with laughs If defiance, were
seized With the most lidlicrous panic, and
tnnil,l Il heal over heels through the opening
nllc tomb leaving the church in utter lark
h's, and the ls,i,un master Of the situation
Tie reverend gentleman, deli,, bted beyond
iseisillt at the succt~S Of his move. lost no
tine la getting out Of the church and home
He knew very well that il was a. much AZ
hE life was worth not to keep silence about
the discovery he had made Curiosity, how,
f.ut- hut