Importing An Ancestor

Copyright, 1893, by American Presa Associa- -lion.J CHAPTER IX. &EV. WALTER MOWBRAY- FUNERAL ORATION AND CEREMONIES. Leaving iny father engaged in inaking bis many improvements in his plot of ground in the Pasonagessit cemetery, aided by the friendly counsel of Rev. Nautucket Sperm, Captain Shrimp and half the village besides, I went up to ííew York to loon after Rev. Waltei Mowbray. I found him in excellent liealth and spirits. He was so improved iu appearance that I bardly knew him. Both. face and form had plumped ont, and he hal a well to do look. The man actually looked 10 years younger taan when I had last seen him. He informed me that he feit nothing but disgust for all kinds of liquors ad for hia fói'mer coni'se in life. He said this feeling was so marked and decided that he was confidcnt it was due to his having beeu hypnotized, and added: "Your father was right in what he did. It has made mv new course easv for me - indeed my easiest course." He had finished the funeral oration to his entire satisfaction and was anxious to deliver it. It had been a labor of love ■with hitn. Not only was he glad of an opportunity of pleasing and obliging my father, bnt also of the chance afforded for making his exit f rorn his f ormer lif e in a manner so conspicuoiis and decided. At his first step he would rise to respectability. All being thus favorable, I wrote and informed my father that he might safely announce in Pasonagessit that on the occasion of the reinterment of the ashes of our ancestors there would be a discourse, historieal and explanatoi-y, by Rev.Walter Mowbray, a clergyman of English descent who had traveled in many lands, and who had been for a few months so' journing in New York. My next cai-e was to provide for my resurrected minister a new suit iToin top to toe as fine as con Id be made in the city. In this suit he might safely have ascended any pulpit in the Unión and would have been pronounced a clergyman of most distinguished appearance. Not only was he now a "man of God" in outward appearance, but also inwardly - at heart. Indeed he one day informed ine, with tears of joy in his eyes, of what he thought a strange phenomenon if not an actual miracle wrought in his case. This was the fact that all his old religieus fervor had returned to him or had been in some way revi ved in his heart; also with this had been restored to him much of his youthful religious knowledge - the love of the good men of all times. When I spoke of all this a few days later to my father, he said, "Sam, my boy, there is more in hypnotism than is 'dreamt of in our philosophy!' " When I returned to Pasonagessit with the magnificent caskets containing the reinains of Sir Archibald and Lady Eleauor, accompanied by the fine and benevolent looking clergyman, Rev.Walter Mowbray, nothing eise was talked of in the village. The undertaker at once becatne the most popiüar man in town. Nearly every man and about half of the women of the place invented some excuse in order to get a glimpse of the caskets and tombstones. The tombstones ■effectnally dispelled whatever doubts znay have arisen in the minds of any Pasonagessit person. They showed for themselves, and there was no disputing their antiquity. The undertaker would liave made a good thing could he have ventured upon charging a small admiseion fee. However, he contented himcelf with the glory of the commission that had fallen to him and made the inost of it. I even caught a glimpse one day of the Bradford of all the Bradfords as he va.nished within the doors of the undertaker. Prudence and 1 put this down as a "good sign." At my father's house Rev. Mr. Mowbray was treated as an honored guest. My mother and sisters were delighted with him, and he certainly made himself' very agreeable and entertaining. He and Rev. Nantucket Sperm at once became great friends, and even Captain Shriinp heartily enjoyed him. The great day appointed for the reinterment of our ancestors - bogus and genuine - at last arrived. All the truest, bluest blood of New England was present. There was great curiosity to hear the history of our ancestors from over the sea. It had been my father's planto ■convey the caskets to the cemetery and have the funeral discourse delivered in the open air, but it being represen ted to him that there were many very aged persons in Pasonagessit desirous of hearing Rev. Mr. Mowbray who would find the fatigue of standing too great he altered this part of his programme in def,erence to the generally expressed wish of the villagers. The people of the town begged that the discourse be delivered in the principal church, where all could be comfortably seated. My father cheerfully consented to this proposition. This change greatly pleased Rev. Walter Mowbray, the dearest wish of whose heart was once more to ascend a pulpit. In conformity with the change of piogramine all the caskets, seven in number, were transported from the undertaker's to the church, and the bright array was surveyed by my father with infinite satisfaction. I was glad to note the presence of Anaariah Bradord, even though crouched in an obscure corner. Prudence was of course present and I thought looking somewhat anxious, for she knew not what would be the tenor of the discourse and feared something might be said that would touch the pride of her father and perhaps aronse his WTath. While we were awaiting the gathering of the people Rev. Nantucket Sperm came to where we were seated and said to iny father: "It is good in these days, given too much to the whirl and rush incident tq the race affgrjwealth and the worshfp o;" ::.i:nno;, Co seo one man ín our ccumniüity who halts and turns aside to do honor to the bones and ashes i of bis aucestors. Mr. Johuson, yon have set an example ín this villa-e whieb is being folJowed. Your aoüon, sír, is ! ing good fruit." "It has always been the dearest wisli of my life," said my father modestlv. "to thus bring to one spot and pénnanently Ínter the ashes of rny anoestors, both those here and those still lying iu graves beyond the sea iu the mother country, lt was bequeathed to me, sir, as a saered duty by my Tather, and to lnm by his father. to bring the bones of I my great-grandparents to this country, but until recently circumstances havo alfaya preven ted the performance of that which has always been looked xipou by myself, as by my father and my fathsr's father, as a holy duty." "God will bless your pious work," aaid Rev. Nantucket Sperm. "Ifeel that he will," said my father. Itev. Walter Mowbray the focus of all eyeá as he airóse i:i the pit. He acquitted hiinself well and was listened to with marked attention by the sreat audience by which the church was literiiHy packed. He lightly touched the Johnston of the period of the saclring of Thetford by the Danes and passed over the exploits of oíd Geoffroi with a mere glance at his "several victorious i'and to hand contests with the foreign foe." My father thought he should have considerably enlarged upon the puissance of this old thane, seeing that he constituted the very taproot of the Johnson faniily tree. After ti'acing the history of the Johnsons during the days of their wealth and power, the orator came to where they were overtaken by misfortunes through being involved in costlj' litigation, inaugurated by needy lawyers and greedy neighbors. This brought him to Sir Archibald Johnson, my great-great-grandfather - by importation. He said that, harassed by litigions neighbors and reduced to comparative poverty, Sir Archibald at last in his old age deterniined to seek a home in the new world. He would Jaid an eternal farewell to a country wherein he had suffered so mnch at the hands of avariciousand unprincipled persons. With what could be saved from the wreek of his fortune he sent his only sou, Walter Johnson, to America, intending to follow as soon as a place of shelter was found for him in one of the New Engiand settlements. But misfortnne attended the family in the new world as well as in the old. Before Walter was able topermanently establish liimself and send for his parents Lady Eleanor died. Soon after Sir Archibald feil ill. When informed that his sickness was likely to termínate f atally, he dictated a letter to his son Walter in which he made it his dying request that as soon as possible his rernains should be taken to America for permanent bnrial. He could not endure that even his bones should lie in a country where he had suffered so mnch and among people who had so persecuted him. The various misfortunes which had prevented my great-grandfather and my grand father from fulfilling this sacred trust were then touched upon, and it was shown that my father was the only one of the descendants of Sir Archibald who had ever been in a position pecuniarily to bear the great cost of complying with the dying request made so long ago. But the dying request had never for a moment been forgotten. The removal of the remains of Sir Archibald and their reinterment in the soil of free America waa bequeathed as a sacred dutj' by father to son till at last we were vvitnessing the fulfillment of that duty in a most notable and honorable way. "Yes," said the reverend gentleman, "ie another hour the dying request made nearly 100 years ago will have been complied with, and the bones of Sir Archibald will repose in American soil." Here my fat tier buried his face in his i üandkerchief , and I could see by the cocyulsive shaking of his frame that his feelings were almost too much for him. My father was highly complimentecl by the speaker for the pious manner in whicli he had fulñlled the sacred trust bequeathed to him. He had indeed so far exceeded the strict terms of the dying request as to bring over the remains of Lady Eleanor. Hecarried in his breast a heart that respected the mandate, "Whom God hatta united let no man separate." Here I observed one of my father's eyes slyly peeriniï out at me from beneath the handkerchief that covered hii face. Our orator greatly extolled my father for the deep reverence he bore for his ivncestors as exemplified in the mournful task in which the people of Pasonagessit had seen him so long and earnestly engaged. I also came in for my full share of this praise, during which 1 eautiously turnea my head so far as to see that Prudence was slyly peering at me from behind her fan. Even old Am riah threw an eye in my direction. In speaking of the evil days when the Johnson family in Engiand feil iuto pecuniary embarrassment Rev. Walter Mowbray said Lhat so honorable was tíieir coürsé aiiu r,ame that they still füruied niatrimoüial connections with the highest families in the land. "Lady EleanOT." said t,ie orator, "was a Howard, the proaáest name in Norfolk, and Norfolk gives the title of premier, duke and per of England to the Howard family as descwidants of the Blowbrays." At this my father gave me a nudge and whispered: "There he got in a neat little stroke of work on his own account. As though by a mere slip of the tongue he sets the Mowbrays above the Howards, the Johnsons and all others in Norfolk. The Mowbrays indeed! Bnt, Sam, we can't help it. We must be satisfied with that which we can fairly and honestly claim as our own - ancestral rights which no one can gaiusay." The speaker did well with Lady ArheUa. As she arrived at Salem only 10 y-i.irs later than the landing of the Maytlower pilgrims at Plymouth, he made quite a featiu"e of her. In this part of his discourse he took occasion to highly compliment the Puritans. This of course earned him the gootl opinión of his hearers. nearljr every one ainong whom claimed to be descended from the pilgrim fathers. While working for our family, Rev. Walter Mowbray was not forgetful of his own interests. I was glad to observe this sign of reawakened ambition. iTo be oontimied.i