Telegram-herald., 1890-09-07
AFOOT IN SCOTLAND
A Nal Read Framp Prom caxlysle
% Glasgow.
A Sasa 81 wesareas PFoesrtteas At
taehsa - = Bsfllsh fsstas,4a "a 80 frs-
vorrt8as-tyAs h4asrsa NsaFs ~
sREias sasld's aistslg.

great mA.l read ilslt CArlysle - utAs-
g01, from EcciefeenAn. wcere Thomas
Carlysle 9as bofH ana lies buried,
toward the Bosler to CgetHA Green.
- far a. human sse could discern, not
a soul bad housing within rs nalf
dozsn Fainous nabitAuons. Not a
youthful Or wTlakEed face pressed
against tiny Rlndow- pane a. I passed
No dirty children skglked. ike grouse,
ia and out Of the pleasant hedges.
Not even the suaEl Of Watchful cur
contributed % the fact Of arrival, or
conveyed a sense OF welcome. l
kicked bravely al few doors with
ouI even awakening aA echo. Where
echo Is dead, i . sllent indeed,
reflected, as bEoke INTO The
old klrk-yard could not force the
door of the Kirk ITSELF. Then | prOwled
about tile lgy-cOsered nlanse behind.
Here lived, I knew, one OF those rem
nauts Ol . nall-dead and altogether
breath.ess ecclesiastical systeni-the
Est4bUshed Church OF scotland, exDlr-
ing from TRANSMISSION OF religious
blood and lie iuto the vigorous young
Free Caurch-a parish minister; but
evidently he. too. WIS PAST awakening.
Then / s.ttlnlered AN 1ng the graves.
There WAS at least interest, II not
lie, here. That extraordinary priest
0t Hymcn. the first Bishop OF
Gretns, he who had detied bulls OF
pOpes, builyngs OF LOrd- -chancellOrs,
and edicts OF kings, tat Old brandy
guzzhng Joseph Paisley, lies here, and
tbc path 20 ms humble gIaye-stone Is
worn deeper than tO that OF purest
hfe. or or highest title, who Is COM
mOner Ia the same last mold. His
successors As priests OF the irregu-
lar Gretua marriages are buried
near, aud their headstOnes are also
shrnes TOR the curious. | could not
bat reflect that C0ald all the couples,
or the descendants OF ali the thousands
OF couples IN England and Scotland,
that these three men joined together,
unite IN visiting the graves OF those 10
whom they owed their cOnnubial JOYS
or miserles, what a wonderful pilgrim
age II woald be- Why, the Old coach
road would be Inassed with folk.
score abreast. away back over the SaTk
and Esk 10 Carlisle. There would be
lords and earls and real bishops. and
even prelates among them, too.
LOiterng outside the wall tor final
glimpse OF the drear and grass-grown
place, at last became conscious of
presence. Turning, / saw a nose of
wondrous proportions with a man of no
proportions at all behind il. The man
stood mOuOnless, but the nose seemed
possessed OF life. IL gently swayed
pendulum-hke IL the August breeze,
IS IL IA compensation of all
else dead and still at Gretna
The man was old and bumped, and
was clad IN that beautiful curtailed
garb OF the British postman, with the
skirts 1T the waist, the waist at the
shoulders and the cults at the elbows,
with a straight-vlsored cap like trun-
Gated ounces cap, and the whole,
wrlnkling and concentering skyward: as
II Authority had the British pOstman
eternally in grip at the nape Of the
neck TO accelerate the action of his
neither extremIties. The hands of the
old man lowered about ms wrists, sug-
Cesting chilly weather: and his two 1T
tie green eyes, brighter IN their green
for the red and rheum OF their lashes,
seemed peerIng over and around his
mighty nose, Is II the intellect behind
were having a hard time Of 1t settling
the exact status OF the stranger. If |
could not have anywhere recognized
the odd iumble OF clothing and figure
as belonging 70 British pOstman. the
environment. the recent kirk-yard
musings, and the uneartnly silence of
Gretna, would have cUulured the fell
low As some guOmo on postal service
from another world and the first IN
pulse OF the situation was to hold out
my nand for the forthcoming message.
But restraining that. feliin beside him
with civil greeting. and we trudged on
together down tne long street into
Springfield The Old fellow seemed
still lu deep study. lie would not walk
teside me. III / crowded close upon
HIM at one side. be would suddenly fall
behind, bring up N the rear. aud patter
along there I'm silence, or hug the hedge
at the other side of the way; but al
ways wnen I could get a glimpse of his
wicked little eyes. they seemed fastened
on me with glitter OF intense cslcula-
ti0n and veuahty. As we reached
the edge Of the village the SIDES of
the old ramshackle houses we're
friuged with sullcn-looking binds.
filthy and wrangIng children and old
danes with short skirts and "mutch'f
caps, yellow with age and dirt. and all
these unCanny f0lS. first eyeIng the old
man and then myself. lndulged I'm
Shrugs and derisIve smiles that were
disquietlug indeed. There were two
INNS. the Kings arms and the Maxwell
Arms. equally fOrbidding and vile. and
I chose the latter at-the old mans rec
onmendsti0n. As 4 was tne first
reached. Its proprietor was veritable
"Meg MerriEes' Of a woman. and the
ground floor. chiefly gwen over 20
drunken Orgies and reeking with filth.
was crowded with ploughmeu. herds
meu and tramps n VARIOUS stages Of
stupor or eiateu. ALI Of these seemed
e. regard myself and my companion IN
the ight Of such a nilariously Fortunate
arrival. that not until 4ad paid a reck-
cning for two score thirsty scotch gul-
lets could I AVOID sundry demonstra-
tons winch savored overmaCh Of
hnsti0g and secure the seciusl0n Of a
mustv. dark and vermin-hlied room
Turning o. close the door. the wrist
futtering hands and she ogre-hke lsce
of the old man prevented
"NCo. waur ~ seeSln' the ueenes-
ter he ssked with an uncsnny leer.
"The MN ster
cob. sve-the ueenestsr ~ efretrs
NJ. onlv those wno were deads what
ever I cOuld find oGt about them. ard
perhaps the old tiretna records. II they
we're to be q scovered. I managed t7
sxu.aIn.
MANN be ysr's seekin' ony perteck-
lar ANS
"Oh. no. nv good man. SIMPLY any
thing OF general interest.
aDh. ave. Their s ieng nause with