Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-07-04
Grave DIggers.
Robert Louis stevenson in Lonemans Magazine
My acquaintance with grave diggers,

Robert Louis Stevenson in Lonemans Magazine ]
My acquaintance with grave diggers,
considering its length, was unremarkable
| One, indeed whom l found plying his
spade in the red evening, high above AL
| Ian Water, and in the shadow Of Dun
| blanc Cathedral, told me of his acquaint-
| ance with the birds that still attended on
| his labors how some would even perch
above him, waiting for their prey, and, in
a true sections calendar, how the species
varied with the season OF the year. But
this was the very poetry of the profes-
sion. The others whom | knew were
somewhat dry. A faint flavor of the gar
| dener hung about them, but sophistica-
ted and disbloomed. They had engage
ments to keep, not alone with the deliber-
ate series of the seasons, but with man
kinds clock and hour-long measurement
of time. And thus there was no leisure
for the relishing pinch or the hour-long
gossip, foot on spade. They were men
wrapped up in their grim business ; they
liked well to open long-closed family
vaults, blowing in the key and throwing
wide the grating, and they carriedin their
minds calendar of names and dates 1t
would be Sin fifty-twa" that such a tomb
was last opened for "NIiss Jemimy." 1t
was thus they spoke of their past patients
-familiarly, but not without respect, like
old family servants. Here is, indeed, a
servant whom we forget that we possess :;
who does not writ at the bright table, or
run at the bells summons, but patiently
smokes the pipe beside the mortuary fire
and in his faithful memory notches the
burials of our race. To suspect Shakes
peare in his maturity of a superficial
touch savors of paradox yet he was
surely in error when he attributed insen-
sibility to the digger of the grave. But
perhaps 1t is on Hamlet that the charge
should lie or perhaps the English sex
ton differs from the Scotch. The good
man deliver" reckoning up his years of
office, might have at least suggested other
thoughts. 1t is q pride common to sex
tons. A cabinet maker does not count
his cabinets, nor even an author his vol
umes, save when they stare upon him
from the shelves, but the gravedigger
numbers his graves He would indeed be
something different from human if his
solitary, open air and tragic labors left
not broad mark on bis mind. There,
in his tranquil isle, apart from city clam
| OF among the cats and robins and the an
cient efiigies and legends of the tomb, he
waits the continual passage of his con-
temporaries, falling like minute drops
into eternity. AS they fall he counts them
one by one and this enumeration, which
was at first appalling to his soul, in the
process of years and by the kindly influ-
ence of habit grows to be his pride and
pleasure. There are many common
stories telling how he piques himself on
crowded cemeteries. But / will rather
tell of the old grave digger of Monkton,
to whose unsutfering bedside the minis
| ter was summoned He dwelt in a cot
tage built into the wall of the church.
yard, and through bull's-eye pane above
his bed he could see, as he lay dying, the
rank grasses and the upright and recum-
bent stones. DIR. Laurie was, think, a
moderate It's certain, at least, that be
took very Roman view of death-bed dis
positions, for he told the old man that he
had lived beyond man S natural years, that
ms life had been easy and reputable, that
his family had all grown up and been
credit to his care, and that it now behoov-
ca HIM unregretfully to grid his loins and
follow the majority. The grave digger
heard him out then he raised himself
upon one elbow, and with the other hand
pointed through the window to the scene
of his lifelong labors. doctor" he
SAID, 81 haze laid three hummer and Tower
score in that kirkyard an it had been
His will, indicating heaven, 81 would
haze likit weel to haze made out the Tower
hummer" But it was not to be this ira
gedian of the fifth act had now another
part to play and the time had come
when others were to grid and carry hun.