Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1893-11-03

rasped through all better sounds in the
church choir His face was thin.
peaked and bloodless, his eyes restless,
his hands were always moving about
as II searching for more coin to add to
his store. He was reported to be worth
twenty thousand dollars-a large for
tune for that day and place. Behind
his back people called him hard, Pc
nurious man; in public he was referred
to as ''our leading citizen,"'a model of
piety," "a pillar of religion"
In common with this mans unhappy
family, suffered all the severity Of
patriarchal government, and all the
torments of religious fanaticism, du-
ring my sojourn in his house. At sum
set of Saturday, the Sabbath was
deemed to have begun, and disci-
pline harsher than that of the peniten-
tiary was enforced The Scriptures
were read and expounded through
Deacon Halleck's nose. Morning and
afternoon the family was marshaled
forth to the meeting-house on the hill,
barren of shade, where the people
sweltered in summer and froze in win
ter, as stoves in the latter season
would have been deemed a suggestion
Of the adversary, At all times in the
week levity was frowned upon and
discouraged. The stray copies of the
Boston papers that had been my de.
light were vigorously confiscated, as
the deacon had not the time to go
over them with the scissors and clip
out the sinful paragraphs The few
volumes of history and poetry which
l had accumulated by long and patient
self-denial-my precious books!-were
seized and put under lock and key,
until this Cerberus could look them
over and see if any of them were fit
to escape the flames Meantime, pend
ing this decision, | was recommended
to peruse the volumes of the deacon's
small but select library, of which Bax-
ter's Perseverance and Rest of the
Saints" the lurid sermons of Rev.
Jonathan Edwards, and "Fox's Book
of Martyrs" may be cited as speci-
mems
Ny existence heretofore had been
one of toll and poverty; but love and
kindness had lighted it. To say that I
hated this new existence and its condi.
tions, is very feebly to express my feel
ings.
In the December before my majority
the deacon's barn, situated some dis
tance from the house, caught fire, and
was burned to the ground. 1t was
filled with hay, part of the crop from
the owners farm, and some old disused
implements, all of which were con-
sumed. The deacon promptly collect
ed the insurance, and it was cautiously
whispered about that he had succeeded
in getting his loss appraised at about
double the actual amount. But people
were very careful about repeating this
story.
The restraint and discipline to which
was subjected brought on an explo-
sion that winter. 1t was soon after
my twenty-frst birthday. 1 had been
waiting little for my austere guardian
to inform me that was no longer un-
der his direction, when was resolved
by hook or crook to make my way to
Mississippi. In the meantime resolved
upon a little unwonted personal lib
erty. A young peoples sleighride to a
tavern up in gap of the mountains,
with a supper and dance, had been
projected. L well hutW IL nOu1N Do
fruitless to ask permission; so I re-
solved to attend by means of that ex-
pedient which the sailors call taking
French" In other words, 1 climbed
out of my chamber window at nine
o'clock, when the family were asleep.
Disaster attended our homeward
way in the early hours of the morning.
The harness broke; delay attended its
repair; it was long after daylight when
we reached the village. know that
my clandestine absence must have
been discovered, and 1 resolved to put
a bold face on the matter. The deacon's
family were at breakfast when 1
walked in.
The tyrant at the head of the table
glared wrathfully upon me.
"Where have you been, sir?"
Sup at Snediker's, with the sleigh
ing party"
"Wretched youth! Your depravity