Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1850-01-24

and less. On the following day the soul
slckening processes of preparation for the
grave gave me frightful foretaste of my
impending fate. The undertaken came to
measure me for my coffin, taking the d.
mansions of my body with as much indlff-
tIence as if had been log of wood: and
observing with comp!acent smile, that he
had ready-made article al home that would
exactly fit-a lucky circumstance, as he
was SO much pressed for time. Two of his
men subsequently tumbled and turned me
over, without the smallest ceremony, TO in
vest me in my shroud-the couri-dress III
which we all present ourselves at the grand
levee of the King of Terrors. Something
there was at once ridiculous and repulslye
in the elaborate toilette with which they de-
corated CHASTITY corpse, shortly to become
a still more CHASTITY skeleton while their
coarse language was not less offensive than
the unfeellng familiarity with which they
performed their functions. say, old chap,
cried one, laying his dirty hand upon my
forehead, and moraliZlng with an evident
complacency upon my plight; 4 say, old
chap, all OF your money wasn't of 10 use,
you see, when II comes to this mere; and
they do say you wasn't over-nice in scra-
ping ii together. You wern't no better than
you should be, though YOU did carry your
head SO high: but there's one comfort, You
will be hauled over the Goals where you're
gong TO. If you was to give me all your
estate, and all your gold IN the bank,
wouldn't change places with you. All Joe
joe he continued, turning 10 a boy by ms
side; now you see how true ii Is that i
live dog is better than IA dead Ion
True enough, Mr.. Hodges was the re-
ply; It's all very well 10 be Dives, and
have your SWING among the bigwigs, in this
here world; but Lazarus has the besl of ii,
| reckon, in kingdom come
Well, Joe what can be fairer It's only
turn and turn about, You know
Such was the tone of the discourse 10
which | was condemned To listen, and |
need not state that it did not tend to dimn-
ISL the mental distress by which had been
already overwhelmed.
Thus Gid lie, as a victim dressed out for
sacrifice, counting The weary hours III nn-
imaginable desulalion aud despair OF spirit,
until the arrival of the fatal Friday that was
to consummate my horrible doom. Early
on that morning my coffin was brought in
and deposited by my bedside, my whole
soul reculling from II with an abhorfence
only the more Intense because my loathiu4
was unsuscepilbe Of uuerance or maniles-
tatlon. Ar. Hodges, the undertaker'S fore
man, drew up the window hlnd, exclaimina
as he returned to the bedside,
Well, I'm blessed if ever ] see a more
fresh looking stll-un,' (such was his brutal
nickname for corpse } one might almos,
swear that he was only asleep. TO be sure
he's only three days dead, and we don't OF,
ten screw 'em up so fresh. And he amt
sweled the least IN the world Some dead
'uns don't care what trouble they give, and
viii puff themselves out in such thought
less way after beng measured, that its d
good hours work TO ram and Jam them into
their wooden box. We shan't have any
such bother here; the old chap, you'll find
will fit as true as a trIvet. Bear hand, and
lets try
The coffin had been placed on tall tres
sells aud as was lifted from the bed to be
Land within It, my head was elevated for a
few seconds, and | caught through the WIN
dow clear view my last view, As ] then
belIeved-of the world without. Oh how
transcendentiy charming, how ineffably
sweet, and beautiful, and glorious did it ap.
pear Gods mid eve was radiant in the
uncouded heavens the birds were singing
gaIly, intoxicated with sunshine the shift
lng lights and shades gave picturesque vari.
ely to hill and dale and grove, to earth and
wafer; ali was life and motion in the fields
and in the contiguous paddock | caught d
glimpse of the white cob to whom | had
been indebted for so many pleasant rides
BY hedge-rov ela.s aud hillseks green,
and whose back | was never again to be.
stride Never had the face of nature
beaming with lowery smiles, appeared st
lovely; never had chung to life with s.
mech love and yearning as at the momen
when was about to be driven cut OF th,
world by
Murder most foul at the best l.,
But this foul strange, and unnatural
After | had been deposited in my narrow
receptacle, not without many Coarse anC
unfeelng scott from the parties who per
formed tins Office, | was again left to soil
tude and my own miserable thoughts
While was occupied in calculating th'
lapse of time with an ever-lncreasing her
ror, heard footsteps approaching; my
daughter bent tenderly over me, repeated,
| kissed my lips, while the tears fell fast upoI
my face; and whispering an almost maud
Idle Farewell forever, my dear, dear faith
er = retired sobblng from the room. Mos
sweet and dear was tins evidence of fila
affection, even although it could not for Al
instant defer the appalling catastrophe whicl
was about to oyertake me.
CHAPTER VIII
While rejecting upon the visit of my dea
and good daughter, which was not altogeth
/ er without a soothing influence upon IN,
! soul, was startled 10y the tolling of tn
church bell, at all times a solemn and i'm
/ pressire sound, but oh, how ndescribabl,
awful and narrowing 10 me, who heard /
toling for my own funeral, my own qIicl
! interment Whatever faint llngerlngs O
hope had hitherto clung TO my heart nov
/ died away, and my despair was consumma
! 81 ,rba,, tL foreman rafirnpd IN the cham