Year: 1869

In one OF the small interior towns of
New England, where the superstitions of
our ancestors still possesses a hold on the
people, the facts occurred few years
since, of which the following is true
narrative:


An honest farmer and his family, pre-
pairing to celebrate Thanksgiving at his
wife's fathers in an adjacent town, were
hurried and confused extremely on the
day preceding that festival, by the null
tiplicity of things which must be done
before they could leave home with safe
ty. The house must be banked" and
the gleanings of the harvest, cabbage,
turnips, &c, put in the cellar, that the
external entrance thereto might be clos
ed for the season. Having carried in the


vegetables, the boys were dispatched to
the barn for straw to fill the passage
with, while the good man himself was
busted on the opposite side of the house.


An old ram, the horned patriarch of
the flock of sheep kept on the farm, hav-
ing got taste of the scattered cabbage
leaves, unobserved entered the cellar.
and silently continued the feast. The
avenue through which he entered was
Immediately closed up, and all the nec-
essary works and arrangements being
completed, the larger boys and girls set
off on foot in high glee, the dog running
before them. Soon after the parents and
their little ones, having put out the fires
and fastened the doors and windows to
keep out thieves, started for the same
destination.


On the afternoon of the day following
the festival, the family returned home
accompanied by some young cousins.
Some of their youthful neighbors of
both sexes were invited in, and merry
Thanksgiving carousal was in full tide of
successful operation, when one of the
boys, who had been sent to the cellar
with a little two wick candle, which
just gave enough light to make darkness
visible, to draw cider, ran back into the
room with eyes glaring widely, uttering
the half-suffocating exclamation:


"The devil is in the cellarw


"Pooh," said the father, you have
only been frightened by your own shad-
ow; give me the light


Saying this he seized the candle leav
ing the candlestick fast in the hands of
the boy, and boldly rushed to the cellar
stairs, but before he had descended half
the steps, the large saucer eyes and
enormous horns of the ram caused him
to retreat, as much terrified as his son,
exclaiming


"Sure enough, the devil is in the cell
lar"


The good man seized the great Bible,
attempted to read, but the candle sput-
tered, burned blue, and threw such fee
BILE light on the sacred pages, and the
book trembled so much in the hands off
the reader, that he could not distinguish |
one word from another. The little chill |
dren cried and clung to the mother, the
girls nestled close to the favorite beaux,
and the whole house was shaken with |
the agitation of its half demented inhab- |
itants. One bright thought, however,
occurred, and message was sent for the |
minister to come and clay the devil"


The parson, man more celebrated /
for good nature, piety, and fidelity, than
for talent and heroism, slipped a small
Bible into his pocket, put on his band /
and surplice SO he should appear as for
midable as possible to his great antago-
mist, and fastened to the relief of his
distressed parishioners.


On coming to the house the reverend
was implored by at least dozen persons
at the same moment to drive the devil
away. But few moments were lost in
asking that which no one knew, before
the parson pushed forward as leader,
with the same penurious light, into the
cellar, the most courageous of the COM
pany keeping close behind him. He
reached the foot of the stairs the eyes
of fire, and the shadowy outline of the
enormous horns, magnified tenfold at
least by the terror of those who beheld
them, removed all doubt, if any had ex-
isted in his mind, as to the internal ma.
ture of the being with which he had to
J.