New Castle, historic and picturesque . e children dead, too. What a dreadfuldyin lot youve been, though. At this cheerful remark the old man turned to me and inquiredwhat I got for my potatoes this year. It was a faint attempt tochange the subject, to divert his own mind, perhaps to dissemblehis pain. I sympathized with him and pitied him; but was, Iconfess, too much absorbed in the whole spectacle, wliich real-ized to me more tlian I had ever seen before, on or off the stage:and whose pathetic and comic aspects, there in the desolate fieldbeside the lonesome sea, never can be forgotten and ne
New Castle, historic and picturesque . e children dead, too. What a dreadfuldyin lot youve been, though. At this cheerful remark the old man turned to me and inquiredwhat I got for my potatoes this year. It was a faint attempt tochange the subject, to divert his own mind, perhaps to dissemblehis pain. I sympathized with him and pitied him; but was, Iconfess, too much absorbed in the whole spectacle, wliich real-ized to me more tlian I had ever seen before, on or off the stage:and whose pathetic and comic aspects, there in the desolate fieldbeside the lonesome sea, never can be forgotten and never por-trayed— until I assist in the long expected great AmericanDrama. The grave-digger was now removing the top of the coffin^grown thin as veneer, but without a rent. I peered fearfullydown, attracted and repelled at once 1\y the ghastly clown looked up and asked if I supposed I»should see anyworms. I said no, I thought they must have finished their con-tract. Meetin-house talk, voung man: ministers lingo. There. HISTORIC AXD PICTURESQUE 13 aint no worms where dead folks be; the)- s as pertickiiler as tlierest on us ; they knows what they likes, and this ere sort of sugarwould nt melt in their mouth; nor they dont never go nigh sodeep, theyd be dead themselves first. They goes Ijout as deepas a plow, not a mite more, and dont care to tackle the under-pinnin of the airth, let alone yov mohugany coffin l;oards, silksand satins and them air best clothes old folks used to dress uptheir coi-pses in. They dont like no such things, these ere com-mon worms runnin roun the ground. Good nough meetin-house talk; but the fact is, young man — here he held up a lockof hair fastened to a soft, half fluid clot of black dissolution —well, if 1 liad this ere job of callin sinners to repentance, Icould give cm some pints wus than worms. Look at that airstuff! would nt they go forard lively for prayers now, if 30Ucould just pictcr out the raal state of the case in about
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