The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-09-07
THE BOWER OF HYMEN.
More About Gretna Green, the Fa-
nous Resort of English
Runaway Couples.
Career of Paisley, First Bishop of
Gretna, and His Three
Successors.
Kenown of a Certain Quality and Much
Money Brought to the 1nsignif-
icant Village.


GRE1NA GREEN, Scotland. Aug. l, $780,
! had tramped over the once great mail road
from Carlysle to Glasgow, from Eccle'
fechan, where Thomas Carlysle was born
and lies buried, towards the border &c
Gretna Green. So far as human eyes could
discern. not a soul had housing within its
half dozen ruinous habitations. Not 9
Youthful or wrinkled face pressed against
tiny window pane as 1 passed. No dirty
children skulked like grouse in and out OF
the pleasant hedges. Not even the snare OF
watchful cur contributed to the fact Of
arrival, or conveyed a sense of welcome.
kicked bravely at a few doors, without
even awakening an echo. Where echo il
dead it is silent indeed, reflected as
broke into the cid kirk yard. l could not
force the door Of the kirk itself.
Then prowled about the UNCOVERED
,nanse behind. Here lived, I knew
one of those remnants of a half-dead
and altogether GREATNESS ecclesiastic sys-
tem-the Established Church of Scotland
expiring from a TRANSMISSION of religious
blood and life into the vigorous young Free
church-a parish minister; but evidently
he, too, was past awakening. Then saun
tered among the graves. There was al
least interest, if not life, here. That ex.
traordinary priest of Hymen. the first
"Bshop of Gretna," he who had defied
bulls of popes, bullyings OF lord chancellors
and edicts of kings, fat old brandy-Guzzling
Joseph Paisley, lies there and the path to
his humble grave stone is worn deeper than
to that of purest life, or Of highest title,
WHO'S commoner in the same last mold.
His successors as priests of the irregular
Gretna marriages are buried near; and their
head stones are also shrines for the curious
could not but reflect that could all the
couples, or the descendants of all the
thousands of couples, in England and Scot
land, that these three men joined
together, unite in visiting the graves
of those to whom they owed
their connubial joys or miserles, what a
wonderful pilgrimage it would be. Why,
the old coach road would be nlassed with
folk, score abreast, away back over the
Sark and Esk to Carlisle. There would be
lords and earls and real bishops and even
preates among them, too!
Lettering outside the wall for a final
glimpse of the drear and grass grown place,
l at last became conscious OF presence.
Turning l saw nose of wondrous proper
tons with man of no proportions at all be-
hind it. The man stood motionless but the
nose seemed possessed of life. 1t gently
swayed, penaulum-like in the August breeze,
as II in compensation OF all else dead and
still at Gretna. The man was old and
bumped, and was clad in that beautiful cur
tailed garb of the British postman. with
the skirts at the waist, the waist at the
shoulders and the cuffs at the elbows, with
ounces cap, and the whole, wrinkling and
concentrating skyward; as if authority had
the British postman eternally in grip at the
nape of the neck to accelerate the action of
his neither extremlties. The hands of the
old man lowered about his wrists suggest
ing chilly weather; and his two green little
eyes, brighter in their green for the red and
rheum of their lashes, seemed peering over
and around his mighty nose as if the intel
lect behind were having hard time of it
setting the exact status of the stranger. If
l could not have anywhere recognized the
odd tumble of clothing and figure as be-
longing to British pOstman. the environ
ment, the recent kirk yard musings and the
unearthly silence at Gretna would have con-
jured the fellow as some gnome on postal
service from another world; and the first
impulse of the situation was to hold out my
hand for the forthcoming message. But re-
straining that, l fell in beside him with
civil greeting and we trudged on together
down the long street into Springfield. The
old fellow seemed still in deep study. He
close upon him at one side, he would sud
denly fall behind. bring up in the rear. and
patter along there in silence, or hug the
hedge at the other side of the Way but al
ways when l could get glimpse of his wick
ed little eyes, they seemed fastened on me
with glitter of intense calculation and We
nality. As we reached the edge of the vii
lage the sides of the old ramshackle houses
were fringed with sullen-looking kinds,
filthy and wrangling children and old danes
with short skirts and "mutch' caps, yellow
with age and dirt; and all these uncanny
folk, first eveing the old man and then my
self, INDUCED in shrugs and derisve smiles
that were disgusting indeed. There were
two inns, the Kings Arms and the Max
we'll Arms, equally forbidding and vile; and
chose the latter at the old IN ans recon-.
mendation, as it was first reached. Its pro-
prietor was vertiable Meg Merrilies" OF
woman, and the ground floor. chiefly
given over to drunken orgies and reekinl
with filth, was crowded with ploughmen
herdsmen and tramps in various stages OF
gard myself and my companion in the light
of such hilariously fortunate arrival, that
not until had paid reckoning for two
score thirsty Scotch outlets could l avoid
sundry demonstrations which sayored over
much of hustling ond secure the seclusion
Turning to close the door, the wrist-futter-
ing hands and the ogre-like face of the old
man prevented.
Moo, waur We seekin' the meenester?''
he asked with an uncanny leer.
The minister?''
"Oh, aye-the meenester O. Gretna.'
No, only those who were dead: whatever
could lind out about them; and perhaps
the old Gretna records, if they were to be
discovered: | managed to explain.
"Maun. be yer'e seekin' ony perteeklar
ains?''
'Oh. no. my good man; simply anything
of general interest,"
"Oh, aye" Then long pause with that
glitter of calculation flashing diabolically
from those specs of green eyes: and sud
denly, while his shriveled old hands rubbed
nervously together: ''Its no wantin' the
record, ye're seekin'?'
/ subsequently we'll understood the old
wretch's meaning. At that moment / did