The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-10-03

vey's wrath until at last in sheer desper
alton, she determined to listen no longer
and fixed her eyes on the deacon. Mean
while IA mischicvous fly, taking advan-
tage of the deacon's condition, with the
pertinacity known only to August flies,
returned again and again to the bridge of
the deacon's nose, quietly viewing the
congregation from the vantage point I'M
til routed by the waving hand of the semi
aroused sleeper.
With quick movement tho Clergyman
bent forward across the slight desk that
separated him from the people, and in
penetrating whisper that reused the nod
ding sleepers far more effectually than all
his previous oratorical flights said,
Brothers, sisters, which one of us, think
you, when that last great day shall dawn
and the searchlight of Gods holy battery
shall be turned on each heart here present
which one of u.s. think you, will show the
pure white heart of tho lily of the fleldp
Brother, will it be your Sister, will it be
your"
AS the last breath of the whisper died
away a tremulous hush fell on the waiting
people. Suddenly shrill laugh, that
seemed to vibrate through the tensely
strung atmosphere in hollow mockery,
rudely broke the silence. Scarcely had it
ceased than 1t was quickly followed by an
other, and, as it seemed to the startled
listeners more derisive peal. The Rev.
Jared turned red, then white, with inward
wrath. Could 1t indeed be that the devil
in human shape dared defy him even in
the very sanctuary itselfP Again rang out
that unearthly laugh Minister and peo-
pie, reused at last, gazed toward the plat
form whence these evil sounds appeared to
issue. There sat Miss Nervey, pale, but
to the eyes of pastor and people alike with
defiant look upon her face, her handker-
chief pressed tightly over her mouth in
the heroic effort to stifle another outburst
of this unseemly mirth. The concentrated
gaze of pastor and people, with look of
such acute dismay depicted on their star
tied faces, suddenly sobered Miss Nervey.
The white set lips of the clergyman, and,
bitterest of all, that look of grieved aston
ishment on Deacon Buckly's gentle face,
cut her to the heart.
An Indifferent effort was made to close
the service with some outward show of
orderliness, but after one or two vain at
tempts the closing hymn was given up
and the benediction pronounced With
solemn faces and hushed voices the people
passed slowly down the aisles and out of
the church door, gathering here and there
in groups of three or four to discuss in
subdued tones the strange event. AS
Miss Nervey passed out, the women drew
back without their customary interchange
of friendly gossip, the men lowered their
voices, stopping long enough in their talk
to acknowledge her presence, meanwhile
glancing sheepishly aside at their wives
and daughters, fearful as to how ''the
wimin folks" might regard this slight
temporization with the guilty party. Miss
Nervey felt the warm blood mount to her
pale forehead, but with firm step and
erect head, looking neither to the right nor
left, she passed between the scattered
groups out on to the open highway.
When she had walked some quarter of
a mile or more of the maple shaded way
and no longer felt the curious eyes of her
fellow church members turned upon her
in stern rebuke, she began to collect her
scattered senses and wonder how it had all
happened. Why had this strange dis
grace fallen upon her? The very sudden
ness had for the moment paralyzed her
power of thought. But now, as she be-
! gan more calmly to review the different
events, she saw plainly their logical Sc
| quence. First her struggle to resist the
drowsy charm Of the sleep laden atmos-
phere; then her inward wrath against
the Rev. Jared's ignorance about lilies,
which she had tried to forget by fixing her
attention ON Deacon Buckly-ah, that was
the secret of her whole trouble. If her
whole mind had not been SO concentrated
on the deacon, she never would have be-
come SO interested in the movements Of
that wretched fly, Probably she alone of
all the congregation had witnessed the
| deacon's sudden awakening when the min
listers solemn whisper had penetrated even
his dulled ears. Doubtless her eyes were
the only ones that saw the accommodating
insect precipitated by the elders unex-
pected movement into his unluckily open
mouth, the deacon S gasp and cough being
SO effectually covered up by her own ill
starred laugh that it was matter of
doubt as to whether the deacon himself were
aware of the occurrence. Even now she
felt wicked impulse to smile as the mild
face of the deacon, with its open mouth,
rose before her mental vision, but the re
verse side of the picture soon sobered all
undue inclination to mirth.
A sound of approaching wheels caught
her ear, and soon out of a cloud of dust
appeared the face of the deacon S old white
horse. AS the wagon came abreast of Miss
Nervey the old horse abruptly stopped his
|
side of the road. An undulating motion
Of the reins and gentle cluck from the
deacon served only to cause him to gaze
around at his master in mute astonish-
ment and look once more at Miss Nervey.
But such an undreamed of thing as a cut
from the deacon's whip was not to be mis-
understood; so, with sore feeling of I'M
merited punishment ranking in the heart
of the dumb beast, he plunged forward,
in the act almost precipitating the good
deacon over the dashboard. Then poor
Miss Nerveys spirits began indeed to ebb
as with sinking heart, accompanied only
by her own somber thoughts, she, for the
first time in many years, walked home
from church
AS Miss Nervey arose the next morning
after restless night some soothing influ
ence from the bright sunshine and til,
cooler air, the fresh look of tho flowers
and grass after the nights shower, seemed
to creep into her heart and inspire hel
with trembling hope that things might
not be quito SO bad, after all. But wheT
in the afternoon the deacon drove by, anC
instead of bringing the mail to the dool
and exchanging bit of gossip about the