“‘Not look at a woman?’ sais Cran, ‘why, what sort of a guess world would this be without petticoats?—what a superfine superior tarnation fool he must be, to jine such a tee-total society as that. Mint julip I could give up, I do suppose, though I had a plaguy sight sooner not do it, that’s a fact: but as for womankind, why the angeliferous little torments, there is no livin’ without them. What do you think, stranger?’
“‘Sartainly,’ said Squatter; ‘but seein’ that the man had a vow, why it warn’t his fault, for he couldn’t do nothin’ else. Where he did wrong, was to look back; if he hadn’t a looked back, he wouldn’t have sinned.’
“‘Well, well,’ sais Cran, ‘if that’s the case, it is a hoss of another colour, that. I won’t look back nother, then. Let him he. But he is erroneous considerable.’
“So you see, Minister,” said Mr. Slick, “where there is nothin’ to be gained, and harm done, by this retrospection, as you call it, why I think lookin’ a-head is far better than—lookin’ back.”
CHAPTER XIV. CROSSING THE BORDER.
The time had now arrived when it was necessary for me to go to Scotland, for a few days. I had two very powerful reasons for this excursion:—first, because an old and valued friend of mine was there, whom I had not met for many years, and whom I could not think of leaving this country without seeing again; and secondly, because I was desirous of visiting the residence of my forefathers on the Tweed, which, although it had passed out of their possession many years ago, was still endeared to me as their home, as the scene of the family traditions; and above all, as their burial place.
The grave is the first stage on the journey, from this to the other world. We are permitted to escort our friends so far, and no further; it is there we part for ever. It is there the human form is deposited, when mortality is changed for immortality. This burial place contains no one that I have ever seen or known; but it contains the remains of those from whom I derived my lineage and my name. I therefore naturally desired to see it.
Having communicated my intention to my two American companions, I was very much struck with the different manner in which they received the announcement.
“Come back soon, Squire,” said Mr. Slick; “go and see your old friend, if you must, and go to the old campin’ grounds of your folks; though the wigwam I expect has gone long ago, but don’t look at anythin’ else. I want we should visit the country together. I have an idea from what little I have seed of it, Scotland is over-rated. I guess there is a good deal of romance about their old times; and that, if we knowed all, their old lairds warn’t much better, or much richer than our Ingian chiefs; much of a muchness. Kinder sorter so, and kinder sorter not so, no great odds. Both hardy, both fierce; both as poor as Job’s Turkey, and both tarnation proud, at least, that’s my idea to a notch.