owed his head upon his hands in silent
thanksgiving. Then he rose in the beauty of his tranquil and noble old
age, so touched with the message he had to proclaim to his people, that
the three deep furrows on his forehead, which some said he owed to
the three dogmas of original sin, predestination, and endless torment,
seemed smoothed for the moment, and his face was as that of an angel
while he spoke.

"Sisters and Brethren,--Rejoice with us, for we have found our lamb
which had strayed from the fold. This our daughter was dead and is alive
again; she was lost and is found. Myrtle Hazard, rescued from great
peril of the waters, and cared for by good Samaritans, is now in her
home. Thou, O Lord, who didst let the water-flood overflow her, didst
not let the deep swallow her up, nor the pit shut its mouth upon her.
Let us return our thanks to the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the
God of Jacob, who is our God and Father, and who hath wrought this great
deliverance."

After his prayer, which it tried him sorely to utter in unbroken tones,
he gave out the hymn,

"Lord, thou hast heard thy servant cry,
And rescued from the grave;"

but it was hardly begun when the leading female voice trembled and
stopped,--and another,--and then a third,--and Father Pemberton, seeing
that they were all overcome, arose and stretched out his arms, and
breathed over them his holy benediction.

The village was soon alive with the news. The sexton forgot the
solemnity of the Sabbath, and the bell acted as if it was crazy,
tumbling heels over head at such a rate, and with such a clamor, that a
good many thought there was a fire, and, rushing out from every quarter,
instantly caught the great news with which the air was ablaze.

A few of the young men who had come back went even further in their
demonstrations. They got a small cannon in readiness, and without
waiting for the going down of the sun, began firing rapidly, upon which
the Rev. Mr. Stoker sallied forth to put a stop to this violation of
the Sabbath. But in the mean time it was heard on all the hills, far and
near. Some said they were firing in the hope of raising the corpse;
but many who heard the bells ringing their crazy peals guessed what had
happened. Before night the parties were all in, one detachment bearing
the body of the bob-tailed catamount swung over a pole, like the
mighty cluster of grapes from Eshcol, and another conveying with wise
precaution that mon