let's see who ye be.' And, sure enough, down comes a man's head, and
settled on the shoulders straight enough; and Cap'n Eb, the minit he sot
eyes on him, knew he was Jehiel Lommedieu.

[Illustration: Old Cack knew him too, Page 020]

"Old Cack knew him too; and he fell flat on his face, and prayed the
Lord to have mercy on his soul: but Cap'n Eb he was for gettin' to the
bottom of matters, and not have his scare for nothin'; so he says to
him, 'What do you want, now you hev come?'

"The man he didn't speak; he only sort o' moaned, and p'inted to the
chimbley. He seemed to try to speak, but couldn't; for ye see it isn't
often that his sort o' folks is permitted to speak: but just then there
came a screechin' blast o' wind, and blowed the door open, and blowed
the smoke and fire all out into the room, and there seemed to be a
whirlwind and darkness and moans and screeches; and, when it all cleared
up, Ketury and the man was both gone, and only old Cack lay on the
ground, rolling and moaning as if he'd die.

"Wal, Cap'n Eb he picked him up, and built up the fire, and sort o'
comforted him up, 'cause the crit-tur was in distress o' mind that was
drefful. The awful Providence, ye see, had awakened him, and his sin had
been set home to his soul; and he was under such conviction, that it all
had to come out,--how old Cack's father had murdered poor Lommedieu for
his money, and Cack had been privy to it, and helped his father build
the body up in that very chimbley; and he said that he hadn't had
neither peace nor rest since then, and that was what had driv' him
away from ordinances; for ye know sinnin' will always make a man leave
prayin'. Wal, Cack didn't live but a day or two. Cap'n Eb he got the
minister o' Sherburn and one o' the selectmen down to see him; and they
took his deposition. He seemed railly quite penitent; and Parson Carryl
he prayed with him, and was faithful in settin' home the providence to
his soul: and so, at the eleventh hour, poor old Cack might have got
in; at least it looks a leetle like it. He was distressed to think he
couldn't live to be hung. He sort o' seemed to think, that if he was
fairly tried, and hung, it would make it all square. He made Parson
Carryl promise to have the old mill pulled down, and bury the body; and,
after he was dead, they did it.

"Cap'n Eb he was one of a party o' eight that pulled down the chimbley;
and there, sure enough, was the skeleton of poor Lommedieu.

"So t