The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1874-12-24

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puir soul Ner, sune she began to trenI-
BILE all over and greet sair. | turned my
back, no to greet myself, and went aside
and ridded my claes Aweel, SIR, the
first word she spake was to Speer for me
She cries out quite sudden, 'Whaur's the
mon that gat me DOT for Guides sake
whaur is hep Sac the folk pushit me-
and behOUved tu come furrud, and max
my confession. Wife says |, Pm The
uIUn.' So she looks me all over. The
Lnrd protect ye, she cried. The Lord
bless ye e!-Im Il puiraul,l body say she
/ hae naeihng but my washing bay (Kj
But come You wi me; aud l'llpit away
nj gel We lwarte shillm for saving me
fra dea h."
"Hc,n, SIR, felt it awflt' keen it was
Just her livelihood, ye ken, her washing
nay and shed pit 1t i the pawn for me.
'Pnir aud body says /, and Is that a We
naeP And | just clappi shillin II
uer hand, anu | lrlPt her | needed nue-
hing; I'd guide wage. was warking
at SUmerville'S mill over the water
and says |, fye wait ior me Saturday
afternoons, when | lift my wage. I'll
whileS hae shillin Tor ye."
"And did sheW
INA, ma, said he; then, thOughtfully.
"She was over puir tu gle, and over de-
cvnt to taxi
All our other provincial dialects are
harsh and ugly; but the Scotch is gnttur-
at on the cunsonunls, and on the vowelS
livinely meIodious; | wish ! could con-
vey the exquisite melody of James Lam
bert voice III speaking lhe,c words, Puir
-auld-body! an is that II We haze"
The story itself and the brave, tender
herO'stOne, were 50 manly, yel Sc sweet.
that they brought water into my eyes (;
and | thought this tale at least must touch
some chord even in the dull domestic
hcart. But no; ! looked at the young
woman, and she sal all of u heap, still
wr,pped in herself, dull, stupid, and
| gloom. beyond description, and the mar
ratiyc, far from touching her never eNcl
reached her That was evident sume-
how. Thought 10 myself, "Oh, but
y'arc Il dour wife, y arr"
Perhaps you will bc lncrcdulouS at nv
thinking in Scotch but the truth II, /
am llt.lc better than armmclrun take
,hc loul color Willy uIIy, Amer day
IN France, ! began iO think in French ;
in Scotland, Scotch. think in b 1t
French and b.d Srulrl-Nrry. But thai
In Il Ilimsy detail: the broad Mct rem Iu-.
So dubbed her "duur l. wife, aud
really lcll wrath that such pearl, Of
rue narrative should he poured ont be-
fore young Apathy and ancient MrdIOr-
rily.
OF MediOcrity there Is no cure; but
there is Of Apathy, at least in Scotland.
That cure is-Whisky. When whisky
will not thaw Il Scotch body ut all,
90 then be bold to say Ba,sanio's-dead"
So | beckoneI dirty but attentive
imp, that CLEANED, all. eyes, in Il dark
corner, and sent him out for great deal
Of whisky; and postponed my inquiries
till after Jhe thuw
But, before the imp could return with
Apathy's cure, several footsteps were
heard on the stairs, and three or four
men entered, all in good black suits. A
aud then they removed the white linen
cloth from what |. with my eagle eyeai d
love Of precision, had inyentOTied as the
best tea-service.
1t was the body of a little girl, lying in
her little coffin. The lid was not yet on.
She looked like frozen wax.
After the first chilling surprise, cast
my eye on the young woman. She new
cr move nor looked, but she shiyered
by the fire when tne men touched the
coffin behind her.
bn ,t.,u Z bn IanI -, III. nathan LH,n,,
lin spite Of my eagle eye-cOuld see
that now.
whispered to James Lambert, 81 have
intruded on you at sad time"
"Ye haena intruded at ALL" sal he
out loud. Then he told me- before them
all, what made it worse was, that the faith
er had gone away and not been seen
these three days
"Ay, but" said Mrs. Lambert, Eye
mauna let the gentlemen think he is ane
that drinks. Ma, he is real. quiet sober,
decent man."
"He is that" said the bereaved moth
er, speaking for the first time, but in a
crushed and dOgged way.
"Pm mo- exactly denying that" said
James, cautiously. But whaur is he
at The present time ?"
1t was evident that this quiet, sober,
decent man, upon the death of his daugh-
ter, had gone away on the fuddle, and
left his bereaved wife to bury the child
how she could.
Such are the dire realities of life, es-
pecially among the poor.
With what different eyes looked now
OH the poor creature, bereaved mother,
and deserted wife, whose deepand numb
ing agony l had taken for sullen apathy
with my eagle eye.
And now came in an undertaken, and
the coffin lid was to be screwed on. Be-
fore this was done all the men, myself
included, took last look at her, who was
taken away so early from the troubles of
the world
"Ay, sir" said the undertaken to me,
sit is just clay going to the dust :" and
never was truer word, nor more piCtO-
rial. That clay seemed never to have
lived.
The lid was soon screwed down, and
then, to my surprise, the undertaken de-
livered prayer. Now that was the bu-
sines> of the minister; and besides the
undertaken had the reddest nose | ever
saw. For all that, he delivered grave,
feeling, and appropriate prayer, and
and then the deceased was carried out for
interment, and l was left with James
Lambert, his daughter, and his wife. 1
asked James Lambert would not the
minister meet them at the grave.
ma" said he, there's nae minister
..,Na =. L
he'd be speering Why is ma the guide
man here?" and then he'd get pooblic
rebuke. Whisper, SIR. Haze We no OBJ
sairved that the wOmen-folk aye screens
II bllckguard"
Yes" whispered | especially when
they suffer by him."
So the poor wife let her child be prayed
over, and buried, by layman, sooner
than expose her husband to the censure
Of the Church.