The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1822-08-27

Il
10 comment on the virtues and errors Of
the departed. A tender husband'--' lis
very strange said The old man, leaning on
his spade, that | hescr found Il ont SOON
er he beat his wife once a week to MY
certain knowledge. aud she, poor SOUL Is
weeping for him now but 20 on boy
An aliectionate father aud brother
Stop there--he suffered his only son 10
wonder yagabond without a cent IN his
pocket, aud he cheated his broiller' his
heart was eyrr alive to charity. siIunphl
li,st as much so Us il Is now il was IA hard
- The aone that my pick Strikes y zen.
loas christian True, he attended meet
ins regularly, | cannot blame him there
: and an honest man. Right, believed
he never stole, We must remove that
stone, 10y, aud piece il nj The head of this
grave tho poor fellow that IL 10 rot here
IS much more deserving of the epitaph,
though lie died too miacrably poor 10 pnr-
chase, one we'd al all events, that stoiic
should be removed, and net replaced until
The being who now mouldels beneath il
lives IN the memory Of no QUE inter-
fnpted them, and discovered that This .li-
, legum was bestowed upon the reriaii,a Of
a wealthy ,ilager, whose funeral atiend-
ed n few weeks before. The old sexton
was somewhat ahashed at my having over
heard his remarks /; but a lie Of the strict
est virtue is no protection against calnnny
OF this kind; every little error rses in jidg-
nent against US here, while each good ac-
ton remains buried IN the grave or is re-
inembered alone where il can never be- for
gotien The shallow grave was soon iilI-
lsied--tlc setting sun had now quite disnp-
peasrd, and the old man expressed some
dHpcasme that the corpse had not yet ar
rived. mentioned that the grave WIS
scarcely deep enough 4: he eodIy replied
II is deep enough for Davy. For whom /?
For old Dasy, the village pauper.' My lips
began TO qal'er, aud fe.t a sudden tug At
The heart tear was stealing from til
turned away, ashamed 10 discover my
weakness, and suffered the foolish drop TO
n eongealad CT tie lid or commission, BY
The cold Indifference Of the person near me
the FIRST perhaps, TO follow him What
| snotc my heart | know not, was il the
death Of the poor old solder, OF 'hs deep
enough .jor DdgyP But this is oflittIe mo-
hent there ale many avenues 10 the hu
man heart, that the most skiIul auatomists
| have been unable to discover many that
are neyertrayolled q second time, u ] envy
not that man his feelings, who has not shed
fqlimany atcab without being able 10 assign
a reason.
No funeral rites, nor man IN mournfnl wecls,
" Nor po1rniul he'll shalt ring lis burial"
SuAK8fEAnR.
Scarcely ten days before this had sern
! naNt ~ L., -.
health, and though destitute of both home
aud kindred, he had the grace not 10 MUIR
muir, and starved 10 appear satisfed with
bis condition. Al length hr has found u
home, aud is now upon par with the veal
| ihlrst monarch since the world began On
mquirng Of the sexton abort bis death,
learnt thai IN consequence oflodging 10 the
open mir, he had contracted a violent fever
that deprived him of life in the short space
of three days. lie had died that morning
at the hut Of an old woman, who has the
reputation Of being witch throughout the
village +; but what degree Of belief should
be attached to these reports, cannot take
upon my 3elf 10 dccidc---Certain it is, There
re many y ondefhll stories in circulation,
and al the accidents that take place in the
81
10 her mishieyious disposition. Rot long
since, Jackson, The schoolmaster, was
thrown from his horse, and broke his arm
and the old woman at the same time was
discovered crossing the road with bundle
Of sticks drOn hcr head. The sexton had
the miH 1tune 10 quarrel with her, and The
next morning, when business called him 10
Il ncighboriag village, his nag was taken
With strong halt. And Betty, the mill,
maid, tells nae, that once having Ghurned
for illree hours without any sign Of butter,
she .ooied iato the lid Of the chugn, aud
saw old mother Tanners face AT the bot
tom OF il, laughing AT her. Bat this was
intrustcd To me on the promise Of secre-
~, as she would not have il come to the
cars OF the old woman for the world.
We now observed the hearse approach
ing, at brisk pace, through the dark lane
Of thick cedars that led to the grave yard.
The driver whistled carelcssly on his seat
4 he rctinue consisted offour or FIVE ragged
urcbins, without hat or shoes, who ran al
most breathless, beside the hearse, 10 see old
Dary hurried each striving To be at the grave
yard first. But there was one mourner
whose sorrow was sincere he appeared
rs If he had lost the only friend that he had
in this world, for he had been the only
friend and constant companion Of the pau
per through all his wanderings. 1t was his
dog VINO troited dcjectedly beneath the
hearse with tail hanging T. head bent to the
earth was this reason! was the poor animal
conscious OF his loss or did he follow his
master to the grave merely from his habit
of being with him Man in his wisdom,
no doubt win call III powerful instinct--weIl,
be il 50 the name is Of little weight for
The warm tear of instinct, | hlmbly trust,
may plead as eloquenily at the gates OF Hea-
ven as that which is shed by cold, calcula-
ting reason,