The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-07-03
1.-THE HEART OF MIDL OTHIAN''
BY SIR WALTER SCOTT
condensation by T. L. Hood Of Harvard University.

Inc Heart or Midlothian, by many
called the finest of the Waverley Nov
els, was published anonymously in
1918. 1t takes it name from the Toll
booth or old city Jail, in Edinburg
pulled down in 1870, the stony
heart" Of Midlothian, which reared it's
ancient front in the very middle of the
High street of the city.
On the afternoon Of September 8,
1876, Reuben Butler, assistant.master
Of the school at Libberton, and licens-
ed minister of the gospel, found him
self in unexpected trouble. First Of
all, he had become entangled with the
crowd of good citizens of Edinburg
in the Grass market, nlurmuring at the
postponement Of the execution of Cap
tain John POrteous Of the City Guard.
They were still in the heat of anger
from the events of the preceding day,
when Porteous had ordered his men
to fire, and had fired himself upon
the crowd, some of whom were at
tempting to cut down the body of
Scotch" Wilson, the famous snug
gler. Several innocent citizens had
been Nilled Now that the chief Of
fender seemed likely to escape, there
was no knowing what the mob might
az. NC quicC yOCuS pSUdSOSNS "Oulu
gladly have returned to Libberton.
Then, to his CONSERVATION, he learned
! that Effie Deans, the younger and
| more charming sister of his sweet
heart jeanne Deans, was imprisoned
| in the Tolbooth.
| When he had last seen Effie. more
| than year before, she had been a
beautiful and blooming girl, the lily
| of Saint Leonards. Many a traveller
past her fathers cottage had stopped
his horse on the eve of entering Edin-
burg, to gaze at her as she tripped by
him, with her milk-pail poised on her
head bearing herself so erect, and
stepping SO light and free under her
burden that it seemed rather an orna-
ment than an encumbrance. Now the
poor girl, scarce eighteen years Of age
lay in the Tolbooth, charged with
child-murder
The facts were that after working
for a time in shop in Edinburg, the
unhappy prisoner had disappeared for
the space of week, and then made
her appearance before her sister at
Saint Leonard's in a state that had
rendered Jeanne only too certain of
her misfortune. But to all questions
she had remained mute as the grvae.
until the officers Of justice had come
TO apprehend her
Before Reuben Butler could see her,
the Tolbooth was closed; and before
he could escape from the city a crowd
LOT rioters compelled him to return
with them to the Jail and administer
the last rites to Porteous, whom they
dragged forth to death
The leader of the mob. young man
disguised in woman's clothes, seized
A moment in the midst of the turmoil
in the Jail to beg 'Effie to escape
For Gods sake-for your own sake
for my sake-flee, or they'll take your
life" was all that he had time to say
The girl gazed after him for mo-
ment, and then. family muttering
Better tyne life, since tint is guide
tame she sunk her head upon her
hand, and remained, seemingly, as un
conscious as statue, of the noise and
turult which passed around her
In the morning, on his way to see
Jeanie and her father at Saint Leon
ards, Butler encountered in the Kings
park young man of noble bearing
but strangely agitated who babe hin,
tell Jeanne Deans that, when the
moon rises, shall expect to meet he,
at Nicol Muschat's Cairn, beneath
. Saint Anthony's chapel"
After attempting in vain to induce
Jeanne to explain the message, he
returned to visit Effie again, in the
? IolDooth. only to be compelled, on his
arrival there, to tell the whole story
lest he be convincted Of guilt in the
Porteous affair. And then he was sent
home, under bail not to leave Libber
ton. nor to communicate with any
member Of the family of Effie Deans
But ii his experiences were to him
lncomprehensible, they were by ne
means so to the authorities BY piec
ing together his testimony with tina,
or others. they rightly determined thai
the stranger in the Kings park, the
leader or the Porteous mob, and the
l father of Elites child were one and
+ the same person: namely. Georrie
Robertson, comrade of Wilson the
smuggler, and but lately ESCAPED from,
/ the very prison in which Effie Deans
, was now confined. Accordingly. they
planned to capture him that night al
Muschats Cairn. But before they
could reach that place, Robertson had
: time to beg jeanne to save her siste,
at the trial by testifying that Effie
had disclosed to her her condition
Then he escaped.
5 Merely that slight falsehood would
have removed the case of Effie Deans
from under the letter of the crue
Scotch statute. But Jeanne, steadfast
ly. devoutly truthful, was utterly I'm
able to placate her conscience in bear
, ing false witness. Nor could the dis
appointment of Effie herself, whom
she was at last permitted to visit il
!, the strong-room of the prison, alter
her resolution He wanted that
Ice L.
him that l daurna swear to an un
truth"