Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-09-09
COW BELLS

still the Cuileless Oliver OF my boYhood,
willing to spend with me every hour not
devoted TO his clerical duties.
/ was seated by him on the stone bridge
which spans the village stream. The sinai
low river makes a loop here, running
through the fiat lands. and here came the
cows from the woody slopes leisurely
munchng the tender grass l heard the
pleasing tinkle of the COW bells, and to me
there is no sweeter music.
"OHver." said ]. ''to a tired man no
sound is so mellow-toned as the one COW
bell rivcs. This is Sabbath rest to me,
as consoling as was your sermon yester-
day." Had ! unwittingly touched on
tonic painful to the pastor? Oliver was
trembling.
"XNhat have done?" / cried. alarmed.
/ took his hand in mine.
"Do You remember in that busy life of
yours to have. at my request. looked over
n patent claim | sent you?' he asked.
IL have hundreds OF such in the year. l
try to forget them. In your case ! did not,
for in thirty years You may have honored
me with a half dozen letters. OF course,
recall it, ! have a mechanical trick OF re
membering when want 70. Name OF par
tv. Gaines. but what the claim exactly
was escapes me. What has that to do
with your trouble? Can l do anything in
a legal way
at is past your cure. God alone can
save" said Oliver Austin. sOlemnly. Then,
seated on the bridge, he told me his story.
Eyes. Gaines. Matthew Gaines is right.
The name was once Gheyn. ! care little
or nothing about tracing mems origins
but Won will see, as 90 on. that it must
have had something to do with this case
/ used to laugh at heredty, deeming 1t
nonsense. ! still think il is rather over
strained process. After seeing strange
conclusion to life, we bark back to sup
posititous causes. Gaines is the English
ing. however, of a Flemish name.
"This Matthew Gaines's grandfather
came to New England in the early part of
the last century Our state historical so
ciety informs me that there was certain
Gehnys in 1879, who set music to sundry
hymns, and was paid 3s. for writing the
notes thereto Then, again, he was re-
warded with SIS for the fashioning of a
trumpet which discoursed martial music as
good as the best He mended pots, pans,
pewter platters, repaired clocks, fowling
pieces, muskets, also pistols likewise
locks l have copies of all these old no
tees. When he died, his son succeeded to
the business. but he, in time, shut up his
shop and carried a musket and blew bu-
Gle during the Revolution When the wal
was over he settled in Connecticut and
made shoe and harness buckles He was
practical and hard working man, and
when he died in 1885 left what was thought
TO be a fortune for those days, which his
son inherited.
"There are no doubts as to the career OF
Matthew the third. He went abroad, anC
when he came home, sober Connecticut
people were amazed when, asking The
young man what pleased him most in Eu
rope, his reply was The bells OF Malines
/ have read since about that big bourbon Of
ST. Rombard. which must have struck
some sympathetic chord in Matthew
Gaines brain. Bells and organs occupied
his attention. New England at that tim,
cared little for either. There seems Il
have been much that was visionary in tn,
mans mind. | have found an occasiona
paper of his, printed in the scientific trans
actions of the time, which | am free Il
confess | cannot understand, probably be
cause my studies were never directed IL
those lines. This Gaines married late il
life. He spent all his money in expert
menting with bells and organs. He an'
his wife died when their fortunes were a
them.
"Ten years ago, before the railroad ha'
uuickened our dull ways, our village had II,
manufactures, bat it soon went into busi
ness. Hitler came young man OF twenty
who became foreman in Hobbs S brass fOun
dry. His name was Matthew Gaines. Their
never was an Austin that had not som
pretensions toward music. At least, W
all could turn a tune and sing true solo
mon Potter was organlst of our church
He behaved badly, was rarely sober, an,
had to be discharged. He got wind of il
left us abruptly, and so we were wlthou
an organist.
con a certain Saturday Matthew Gaine
called on me and offered his service. re-
membered that once when my daughte
Mary had a headache and a rehearsal for
SUNDAY school festival was likely 10 b
pOstponed, Matthew had taken her plac
at the piano and had acquitted himsel
creditably. Still some stories / had hear
had rather prejudiced me against him. 4
lady, a summer visitor at the hotel. Ina
told me that she had recognized in Game
piano performer she had heard a humble
of wears before. He was, so she insisted
the youthful prodigy of some low pei
Torrance.
Nv hen Matthew asked me 10 let MI
take the place of the organist on the con
ing Sabbath / remembered the story and
hesitated. His hands were rather rougl
and suppose looked at them rather tina
at his face.
'''Mr. Austin, he said, your examin'
tion OF my fingers l do not take amis
Copper and brass poison the flesh, still m
business pleases me, and l have not III
least intention of leaving it. / do NJ
want to be your organist, though / believ
/ could fill the place better than Potter
"That speech of Gaines's rather di
pleased me, for l thought it savored OF a
rOgance ! said TO him.
Neither / nor the choir were awal
that MI Potter's abilities were to be cri
icised, no matter what might have bee
his moral failings.
"'EXcuse me, Mr.. Austin, said Game
the man has been playing on an orga
which has been out OF tune for eight month
He never knew but two voluntaries, whic
he ground out over and over agaiI
Strangers who came TO service, KNOWN
something about music, have found TAU
with his bungling ways. Your sermon
which breathed peace, hops and charity