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Article THE MORT-CLOTH*. ← Page 3 of 3
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Mort-Cloth*.
would not do : and , throwing aside her wheel in vexation , she gazed upon the fire until her eyes became dim with tears . " What con d her I ief be ? " Alas ! she could not tell even to her own heart ; but the cay rolled on in sadness , and long ere the sun had sunk behind the blue mountains in the west , Martha Johnston was a sad and sorrowing widow ! The beam of a quarry , at which he was employed , suddenly witli its fragmentsthe husband of her
shotL , and covered , falling , he " Brino- in the corpse ! " said she , with a calmness peculiar to deep and settled grief ; " bring in the corpse ! and lay it on the very bed which I hae prepared wi ' V ain hands for its reception . More than these words L spoke not , but the fixedness of her blood-shot eye , and the heaving of the breast , too plainly told that the canker-worm was her
already at her heart , and preying upon yitals . The burial guound of the family lying m the adjoining parish , at some distance from the cottage of the deceased the funeral group assembled a short time before the hour of " lifting ( a p hrase peculiar to Scotland , and signifies the removal of the corpse from the house ) and in the ' same room which contained the coffin , resting upon two chairs , partook of wine , whiskey , and seed-cake , at will ; not a word being spoken by any one present during the " service — that being the term
usually applied to a repast of tins description , on me m . e luemucumy occasion ? At length it was announced by the " maker of the doad man ' s bed , " that as the company were now assembled they had better think of lifting ; which dire announcement struck upon the ear of the widow like the bell of condemnation to a criminal on the scatrold , ancl starring to a seat she silently wrung her hands m the hopeless bitternesfofher wounded spirit ; until the funeral procession moved slowly of the brokenhearted
onward to the low deep moaning - On arrivin g at the church-yard the gate was found to be locked , and the sexton or grave-digger , by order of the minister refused to deliver he S or admit the forpse ; unless the mort-cloth -belonging to that parish was either taken or paid for on that occasion : as the Kirk-session would not , on any consideration submit to be defrauded of its dues , by the introduction / to that church-yard of a mort-cloth from another uarish Every individual present shuddered at the baseness of the demand ' and for a few moments there was a pause in wonder and asto-* 1 < W J _ i -i i . _ . ! -.-.,- •¦ ., 1 . - » .- *¦ mrhflii tin snn uiu
nishment at the unnatural ana nearness piu .-. S . .. " . ^ _ --.- -- « of Andrew Johnston , who acted as chief mourner on the occasion , and who was in all the vigour of his manly strength , stepped suddenly aside from the head of his fathers coffin ; his face , for a moment became red as blood and again pale as that of his father ' s corpse . "Open the yett" said e ! with a voice of fixed determination- " Open the yett I or bythe blessed spirit o ' him wha will soon be in the models , 1 11 shiver it to splinters wi' that auld cart tram ; " and so saying , he seized upon and could stay his armput the object
the shaft in question , ere any one , of hi threat into complete execution ; and the massive cast-iron bars of the o-ate fell before his power like so many withered reeds ; in which there " is not the shadow of strength . No sooner was the coffin lowered into the crave , than he muttered as if to himself- " 1 couldna stand it—I couldna stand it—it was mair than flesh and blood could weel stand" —and at that moment a low and sullen murmur of disapprobation ofthe minister ' s conduct was heard amongst the people m retiring from the grave of honest Andrew Johnston .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Mort-Cloth*.
would not do : and , throwing aside her wheel in vexation , she gazed upon the fire until her eyes became dim with tears . " What con d her I ief be ? " Alas ! she could not tell even to her own heart ; but the cay rolled on in sadness , and long ere the sun had sunk behind the blue mountains in the west , Martha Johnston was a sad and sorrowing widow ! The beam of a quarry , at which he was employed , suddenly witli its fragmentsthe husband of her
shotL , and covered , falling , he " Brino- in the corpse ! " said she , with a calmness peculiar to deep and settled grief ; " bring in the corpse ! and lay it on the very bed which I hae prepared wi ' V ain hands for its reception . More than these words L spoke not , but the fixedness of her blood-shot eye , and the heaving of the breast , too plainly told that the canker-worm was her
already at her heart , and preying upon yitals . The burial guound of the family lying m the adjoining parish , at some distance from the cottage of the deceased the funeral group assembled a short time before the hour of " lifting ( a p hrase peculiar to Scotland , and signifies the removal of the corpse from the house ) and in the ' same room which contained the coffin , resting upon two chairs , partook of wine , whiskey , and seed-cake , at will ; not a word being spoken by any one present during the " service — that being the term
usually applied to a repast of tins description , on me m . e luemucumy occasion ? At length it was announced by the " maker of the doad man ' s bed , " that as the company were now assembled they had better think of lifting ; which dire announcement struck upon the ear of the widow like the bell of condemnation to a criminal on the scatrold , ancl starring to a seat she silently wrung her hands m the hopeless bitternesfofher wounded spirit ; until the funeral procession moved slowly of the brokenhearted
onward to the low deep moaning - On arrivin g at the church-yard the gate was found to be locked , and the sexton or grave-digger , by order of the minister refused to deliver he S or admit the forpse ; unless the mort-cloth -belonging to that parish was either taken or paid for on that occasion : as the Kirk-session would not , on any consideration submit to be defrauded of its dues , by the introduction / to that church-yard of a mort-cloth from another uarish Every individual present shuddered at the baseness of the demand ' and for a few moments there was a pause in wonder and asto-* 1 < W J _ i -i i . _ . ! -.-.,- •¦ ., 1 . - » .- *¦ mrhflii tin snn uiu
nishment at the unnatural ana nearness piu .-. S . .. " . ^ _ --.- -- « of Andrew Johnston , who acted as chief mourner on the occasion , and who was in all the vigour of his manly strength , stepped suddenly aside from the head of his fathers coffin ; his face , for a moment became red as blood and again pale as that of his father ' s corpse . "Open the yett" said e ! with a voice of fixed determination- " Open the yett I or bythe blessed spirit o ' him wha will soon be in the models , 1 11 shiver it to splinters wi' that auld cart tram ; " and so saying , he seized upon and could stay his armput the object
the shaft in question , ere any one , of hi threat into complete execution ; and the massive cast-iron bars of the o-ate fell before his power like so many withered reeds ; in which there " is not the shadow of strength . No sooner was the coffin lowered into the crave , than he muttered as if to himself- " 1 couldna stand it—I couldna stand it—it was mair than flesh and blood could weel stand" —and at that moment a low and sullen murmur of disapprobation ofthe minister ' s conduct was heard amongst the people m retiring from the grave of honest Andrew Johnston .