Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1831-08-04
it-whet If those two brO,hers

,h"NinS d oeau STOP ana ioiaiiS hls arms on hii
breast.
Powerful follows, both OF thon.." nutteyed
E. We resumed our march-whon Tip,
advanced guard-a title no earned by anticipating
our steps about three inchcs-suddcny stood still,
let down the bag from his sfoudcrs-eevotcd boti
hands in lis,enng attude-and exclaimed
NV Enthusiastically my soul--,ohut was that7"
We oil paused in silence, looking palcy at
another-but could hear nothing except the drow-
sy auttSr of bat wheeling away from us little
| overhead.
''tait-an' wasn't its somebody spanking the
far side o the hedge, heardl" whispered Tip
| ''Pho-stuE, you IDIOT" | exclaimed, losing my
! temper. 'Comc, M and L, it's high time
! VIC had done with ell this cowardly nonsense, and
/ II we mean really TO do anything, must make
| haste. lis past twelvc--day breaks abou. four
and 1t is coming on wet, you see" Several large
drops of rain, Pattering heavily AMONG tho leaves
ana branches, cotroborated my words, by announ-
| eng coming shower, and the air was sultry
enough TO warrant the expectation of a thunder
storm. Wo therefore buttoned up our great. coats
TO the chin, and hurried to the ci,urciyard wall
which ran across tho bottom OF g. lane. This
wall We had to climb over to get into the church.
yard, and 1t was not very high ono. Here Tip
annoyed us again l told him 10 Law down his ba r.
mount the wall, and look ovor into tho yard, to
see whether all was clear before us, and as far as
inc hight would enable him, to looh about for
ihads grave Very reluctantly no co,nplicd, and
contrived TO scramble to tho top Of the wall He
mad hardly time, however, TO peep over into tho
churchyard, when tuttering streak of lightning
=
loud burst of thunder, Tip fell in an instant to
the ground like 4 cock-cha7cr shaken from an
elm tree, and lay crossing himself, and mutterinr
pdternostsrs We could scarce hclp laughing at
the manner III which he lumbled down, srnlltanc-
ousiy with tho flash of lightning. Nov look We
gentlemen" said he, still squattod on the ground
do yo name to give the poor cratur Christian bu-
rial, when we've done wild her An, will ve mi her
PACK again az We found hcr7 Case if you wont
blood an nouns'-
q" Now look ye, Tip" said I, STORMY, taking out
one OF brace of empty pistols had put in my
great coat pocket, and presenting it to his head
I'VE have hired you on this business Cor the wan,
OF better, you wretchod fellow and if you give
us any mere of this nonsense, by - I'll send
bullet through your brain Do you hear me Tip p"
" och, alsy, alsy wild you don't Inurther me, Bad
luck tome, that 1 ever came wild We! Och, an, If
vlr live 10 die, wont and bury nv ould body
out O. the rache of all the docthers in the world
IL don't d VII burn me !" We all laughed aloud
at Fps truly Hibernian eXpostuaton.
" Come, sir, mount over with yoIn said wa
helping TO push him upwards. Now, drop tn
Dag on the other sde," we continued, giving him
. ~ sack that contained our implements. We all
tnTee OF us then followed, and alighted safely in
the churchyard. 1t poured with rain; and TO en-
nance the dreariness and horrors of the time and
place, flashes of lightning followed in quick success
SION shedding transient awful glare over the scene
revealing tho wfito tombstoncs, tho ivy grown We
nerable church, and own figures n shiyerinp
group, come on an unhaliowed GRAND. | pcrfcct
" well recoect the lively feelings of apprehension
IIcl
the circumstance called forth in my own breast
and which had no doubt were shared by nv COM
panions
AS no time, however, to be lost left the
group tor an instant under the wall to search ont
The grave. Tho accurate instructions had receiv
ed. enabled me to pitch the spot with little diff
Guilty; and l returned to my companions who i'm
mediately followed me to the of operations
we mad no uElbroas, and our great coats were sa
turated with wet; but the brandy we had recently
taken, did us good service, by exhratinq our spi
rits, and especially those Of Tip. He united the
sack In twinkling, and shook out the hoes and
! spades, &c and taking one Of the latter himself
he commenced digging with such cnergy that ,vc
haa hardly prepared ourselves for the work before
ne had cleared away nearly the whole ofthe mound
he rain soon abated, and the lightning ceased for
considerable interval, though thunder was heard
occa6lonaiiy rull5ng sulienly in the distance as
II expressing anger at unhoIy doir,ps-at least
tet 1t SO. The pitchy darkness continued so thai
we could scarce one another's figures we
worked on IN silence. as fast spades could be
got into the ground; taking it in turns two by two
as the grave would not admit of more On-on-
on We worked, till we had followed out about three
feet of earth. Tip then hastily Joined n lone iron
screw or borer, which he thrust into the rround
fof the purpose of ascertanng the depth at which
the coffin yet lay from TO our yexation we
ionnd a distance of three feet had yet to be got
through. Sure and by the soul of ST. P,tricl,
but we'll not be done by the morning y, said Tin
az he threw down the instrument and resumed his
spade We wore ali discourag ed Oh how rroat
y iWished myself at home, in my snug little bed
IN the thorough How / cursed the Quixotism that
led me INTO such an undertaking! l had no time
however, Tor reflection ii was my turn to reieve
one oil the dIggers; so into the grave Jumped and
worked away as Justify before While was
thus engaged, sudden, neise close to our ears
startled nc So that protest thought | .ho,ld
crop down dead i'll the grave was robbiuo J,nd
my fellow digger dropped spades and all Cour
STOOD still Tor u second two, in an extacv of
fearful apprehension. We could not see more than
| few inches around us, but heard the grass trod
den by approaching feet They proved TO be those
OF an ASS that was turned at night into the church
yard ana mad gone on eating his way towards us:
ana whiie we were standing ia mute expectation
OF what was to come next, opened on us with an
astounding hee-haw hce haw hee-haw.
Even after we had discovered the ludicro,,s -,
turc OF the interruption, we were TOO aeitated to
laugh! Tho brute was actually close upon us. and
nao green tongue from under poor Tips elbow
having approached him from behend as he stood
leaning on his spade. Tip started suddenly bach
ward against the animals head and fell down.
Away sprung the jackass, much COMPOUNDED as
up kicking and scampering like a mad creature
among the tombstc.es aud hce- having incessantIv
as II hundred devils had got into it for the pur
pose OF discomhtng us. felt so much fury, and
tear, lest the noise should lead to our discovery
that could have killed the brute, if il had bcsn
within my reach, whiio Tip stanmered in an af
rlghtcd whisper Och, the haste! Och the bastar
! nc big black divil of haste. Tie yuurtbero,,s
hurIhcring' and great many epthets of tho
same sort. we gradually recovered from the ooi.
tatlon which this provoking interruption had occa
stoned; and lip, under the promise Of two bofIes ~
WHISKY as soon as we arrived safe at home with or
PRIZE renewed his cxcrtons, and dug with such or,
cTgy, that We soon cleared away the re,naird.r -
o gin ,t,e,,t