The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-12-05
aAnd on the impassive ice the ushtnings play

"And on the impassive ice the Ightnings play
Pope
James Lambert, duly questioned, then re-
lated how personal friend of his had, been
seized with cramp in the middle of the Clyde.
''For, sir" said he, 1.-The Clyde is deadly
water, by reason of its hot and cold currents,
and sand-holes and ALL"
His friend had sunk for the last time;
James Lambert dived for him, and brought
him up from the bottom annd took him
ashore.
"And, sir, maybe you wadna think it; but
the resoolt was-I lost my freend."
''What do you mean?" said /, staring.
'He just avoided me after that. He came
to see me twarree ID times too; dut OBJ
sairved he wasna easy till he was away; and
bymby saw nae mair O. the lad" This he
said without passion, and apparently only 10
discharge his conscience, as a faithful mar
rator of real events, and men as they are in
life, not books. But I, who am no hero,
boiled.
took time to digest this human pill. and
then questioned him. But omit two cases
Ito use his own words-as they had no par
ticular feature.
"The next case, SIR, was an old wumman;
We ken the wives come on Glasgee Green to
wash. Well, this auld wife had gone DOT at
buc luICC olduCS W ulp lICI oIOup III Liz
water, and overbalanced herself and gone in
heed first, and the stream carried her cot.
The cry got up, there's a woman droonin'.
I was lang way off, but heerd it, and ran
down and into the water after her, clothes
and all. She was floating, SIR, but her heed
was down, and her feet up. never saw the
like in a. my life. I soomed up to her, and
lifted her puir auld gray heed out O the
water-a rale reverend face she had-and
BROUGHT her ashore on my arm as quiet as o
lamb, and laid her DOOM"
"Was she insensible?'' fF
sNot a. thegither, think, but nigh hand
it, just scared like DOT O. her senses, pur saul.
Vara sumo she began to tremble all over and
greet sair. I turned my book, no. to greet
myself, and went aside and ridded my claes.
Aweel, SIR, the first word she spoke 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
pusht me. and behooved to come forrud,
Pm the mon.' So she looks me all over.
THE Lord protect ye,' she cried. The
Lord bless ye!-Pm pur auld tody,' says
she, Il haze naethinS but my washing bav (K)
But come you wi me; and I'll pit it away,
and &c: ye twaree schellin for saving me fra
deeth." -.sids
"Hech, SIR, felt it awful keen; it was
JUST ner HFelinoOu, ye heu, Her WdsnlnS pay
and she'd pit it i the pawn for me. sPuir
auld body SAYS I, 'and is that a. We haze p
And I just clappit schellin in her hand, and
I telPt her needed naething; I'd a guide
wife, and guide wage. l was warking at
SomervilIe's mill over the water; sand,' SAYS
I, 'ifye wait for me Saturday afternoons.
when lift my wage, Til whites hae schel-
lin for ye."
"And did she?'
''Na, na," said he; then, thoughtfully,
She was over puir to gle, and over decent
to take''
All our other provincial dialects are harsh
and ugly; but the Scotch is gutteral on the
consonants, and on the vowels divinely me-
lodious; wish could convey the exquisite
melody of James Lambert's voice in speaking
these words, 'Puir-a uld-body! an is that
a. We hae?" aai.a
This story itself and the brave, tender he
ro's tones were so manly, yet so sweet, that
they brought water into my eyes; and l
thought this tale at least must touch some
chord even in the dull domestic heart. BIT
| no;I looked at the young woman, and she
sat all of heap, still wrapped in herself dull,
stupid, and gloomy beyond description, and
the narrative, far from touching her, never
even reached her. That was evident some
how. Thought to myself. ooh. but y'are
dour wife, y aar." Il.sl .
Prehaps you will be incredulous at my
,;.t1n AZ ovo1ch' puI tnG run rs, aln
i '..sa1 pe1.er Inan cnameieo5 take .ne
1oIal coioI WHY I1hy. Alter uay n riancs'
Sa nesan ~ , Lille ~ ETHEL, ~ oco.ianu;
S Stcl unin4 1 ~ ~. oao rle1un anu oau
.% ey Dut IIa' q niLsy Ietan
s'dour (L) wife, and really felt wrath that
such pearls of true narrative should be poured
out before young Apathy and ancient Medioc-
r't ~ M.d;oor;tv ,hero ;s no on,o h,t t,oro
". Msaiocrity tneIe Is mo oure' 0Mt tnere
!! - VI n!a'ny' az 1easI ~ cyotlanu lug cure
Sotsh nl i WI nen wniskey VIII noe tnaw a
0coten oouy at all
80 then be bold to say Bassanios-dead."
So / beconed a dirty but attentive imp,
that cleaned. all eyes in a dark corner, and
sent him out for great deal OF whiskey; and
postponed my inquiries till after the thaw.
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 few words of sub
dued greeting passed, and then they removed
the white linen cloth from what l, with my
eagle eye and love of precision, had invento-
ried as the best tea-services.
IL was the body OF little girl, lying i'll her
little conn. Inc lid was not yet on. She
looked like frozen wax.
After the first chilling surprise, cast my
eye on the young woman. She never moved
nor looked. but she shiyered by the lire when
the men touched the coffin behind her.
She was the dead child's mother. Even L
III spite OF my eagle eye-could see that now
whispered to James Lambert, Il have in
truded on you at SAD tlme."
"Ye haena lntruded at ALL said he out
lound. Then he told me, before them all,
what made it worse, was, that the father had
gone away and not been seen these three
days.
LAY, but" said Mrs. Lambert, rye mauna
let the gentleman think he is ane that drinks.
Ma, he is a real, quite, sober, decent man."
HE is thaat," said the perceived mother,
speaking for the first time, but in crushed
and logged way.
I'm mo- exactly denying that" said
James. cautiously. "But whaur is he-the
present tinae?
1t was evident that this quiet, sober, decent
man, upon the death OF his daughter had
gone away on the fuddle, and left his be-
reaved wife to bury the child how she could.
Such are the dire realities OF life. especially
among tue poor.
With what different eyes | looked now on
the poor creature, oereaved mother, and de-
SerLeQ Vile, whose deep ane numDlng agony