The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1858-12-02
MY Landlady's Story.
"Ths hnur o. nights black arch tho key.sta ne. !"
TOM o. sHAErER,

the facts UPON which the following little
story is founded; bot; strange, she does not
give the details. 1t was case strikingly
in point to her. Was it too horrible to pu,
In her book, or was she restrained by the
sathe delicacy that made every marvel mon
GER speak oil it in whisper!
II was told to me in Edinburg, BY my
landludy, Mrs. --. She was from Mon
trose, aud stoke in a well-marked Gallo
idiom, that greatly enchanced her descrip.
tive powers. 1t 10 o remarkable fact that
tiu language Is SO well adapted to the thrill
lipgi the pathetic and the huthorous, as the
dialect of the Scottish Highlander. Sir
| Walter Scott owes much of his success to il,
/ and the lyrics of Burns would be Eompara-
lively insipid without it. remembes once
hearing Mrs. S. jest with her husband
about some nonsense he perpetrated in his
courtship. She was 80 mitch amused at it,
and she fell back in her chair and exclaim.
ed: IL canno think o. it, but almost sp lot
me seeds lachins." The same expression
in plain English, II cannot think OF it, bu,
1 it almost makes me split my sides laugh,
Dg," is utterly tame by the side OF the other.
Mrs. S., moreover, hnd mariner
which made her vividly expressive.
1t was in the evening twilight, and we
were watching, from the parlor window, the
Inchksith in the Firth of Forth, throwing
out its flashes Of warning to the manner
forgut what drew from Mrs. S. the
awful recital, the interest of which have
(eebly attempted to mSintain-by drawing
upon my fancy for some slight umplifica-
,ion-bu. she began, in substance, as fol.
lows. occasionally tapping me OH The shoul.
der end reducing her voice TO Kissing
whisper:
1t is scarcely yeaf ego, since young
man died in the town of Haddneton. His
conduct hsd been SO outrageousIS dissoIute
that everybody repulSed him with ubhor-
renee. Finally he sinks down ia half.
starved condition ut the door OF his uEcIe,
an Old blacksmith in Haddiugtpn, md was
kindly taken in ind cared for. Everything
Was done for him that even ftCtion could
suggeoiI but be grew worse and worse, until
he went iuto de!rium, and uttered things
of such frshtful import that lew persons
could remain near him. There were certain
| IA hiPh ui.h
ment than others-iI deed, they drew tears
from thuse who heard Them, as we'll on ac-
count Of the earncstness with which they
were uttered, as the gesticuhtons accom-
panying them. He seemed to stare at some
distant otject-distant as q fixed star; and
| with his t,ltsuctchtd hands thrust forward
as il turcsis' the rapid approaching OF some.
| ding lie shout d III a voice bubbIing up
through hi@ deulhara,t!e-=
"Bnck baek Il AVA VI ye! 1t is noe
sac writer; TIM no, 10 5e braised No.
no, no! II is written that the seed Of the
women shall b;uise-awa'.wi ye-thercy |!
oh, mercy, mercy, metrye'
These rawlings at last ended III death.
1t is the custom In Scotland to set Up three
| nights NTH the dead. The corpse Of An
drew Allen, (ior that was the young mans
naIne,) was placed up stairs in back room.
1t rested upon ride table, consisting Of
| four benches supporting two boards. 1t was
wrapped in II sheet, and two haif.crown
pieces were placed upon the eyes to keep
! them shut. The blacksmith's house was
built upon very simple plan. The outside
door opened into q small hall down stairs,
and at the further end OF the hall were two
bed rooms. A staircase commenced near
the door ard led to the second story,iE which
there were what might be called an ante.
room, and the large apartment where the
body Of Andrew Allen Icy. A door opened
into this chamber from narrow platform at
the head Of the stairs. Any one descending
the stairs from the ante.room, must pass in
contact with this door. "
Evening came on, and the blaCksmith's
two sons, cousins of the deceased, were ap,
pointed to sit up the first night. They were
10 occupy the ante-room. 1t was too warm
for FIRE; SO they were provided with q couple
Of tnllow candles, jug Of "monntain dew"
and some tobacco and pipes. jamie was
just twenty--a finc. looking lad Of quiet de-.
me amor; and Industrious habits. Archie,
however, twenty two years of uge, was far
more sprghtly. He took great delight in
being Involved in love scrapes. In fuct, he
was what they call in the Highlands, "the
vera del amangthe lassies." Hour after
hour he entertained Jamie with his con.
quests, until the latter began to show symp-
toms of doubt.
"An' are ye sure, Archie," he asked.
"you're Da telling me pack O. lees!"
They had not given their cousin in the
adjoining room single thought. They
could not disguise the fact (nobody COULD
that they were glad he was dead; smother.
ing their qualification, however, under the
old comforting maxim. "Et was weel the
i puir body was relieved o. his suiferin'."-
The night dragged on. Archie continued
his amstory "reminiscences TO the great an.
( noyanee Of jamie, until the town clock
"strak the twal'--it was midnight. q Ell
i The candle required snufing, and jamie
E49Hr As