Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1856-03-15
MISCELL
The Miser's Stra tn gem.

John Farrowhy, the old niseI of High
ST., EdinSurg, at last lay upon his death
bed. IL bequeath to you, my child" said
he to his little daughter, while gasping
hard for breath. 'the grave in which |
am to be buried, am poor, very poor. +"
A CHASTITY smile spread over his sea-
lures; and the f1uttering red rags, that had
once curtainsd his miserable couch, gave,
as the sun poured through them, most
sardonic expression to the grim, DEATH
sruck face, enveloping it, as it were, in
flames.
For half century Miser Farroway had
been gathering gold. For nearly that
time his coffin, lined, as wonder-mongers
said, with lead, had rested under his mis-
cradle couch. OF all his children. but
one was left: the youngest. And now
she was gaunt girl Of thirteen-a poor,
hungry uneducated. willing slave.
Aud the miser was dying. He would
have no attendance-he was poor. he
sald-no one should pay doctors bill for
him. no one should put him in his coffin
but foolish Bill, who had been his man.
Of all.work nobody should bury him but
Tom Gall, the undertaken. W ho. If he was
drunk constantly. charged less Tor his jobs
than any other.
And the miser died and foolish Bill
ald HIM III his coffin, aud some good
hearted man read his viii, bcqueathing
nothing but his grave and all it should
contain 10 the weeping, miserable crea-
ture, his daughter, who sincerely mourn
ed for him. And the few who saw it, re-
marked upon the strange, fiendlsh chuckle
with which the old miser closed his life,
and which BODIED, they SAID, that he had
so successfully hidden his money that no
mortal could find it. And old Tom Gall,
the drunken undertaken. told, with plea
,iful sprinkling Of oaths how the miser
had taken advantage of his inebriation,
and bought the grave for song; and that
he should mt wonder if it was filled full Of
gold.
So crowds came to the funeral. The
chureh>yerd was filled, and fences were
lined, and in the mias, Of all stood the
poor wr-tched orphan, shedding burning
tears, and us,ering wailing sobs. The
grave had been dug, and dug deep. foo i;
deeper by far than any other in the old
church-yard, and 10 treasure had come to
hight, 50 that the scandalmongers were all
disappointed, and wondered they had been
such fools as to believe the rumors afloat.
As usual old Gall was drunk SO drunk
that he staggered; and the rope he had
provided was IA rotten one, (he used it so
very seldom,) and it broke at :he mouth
of the grave; and the coffin tell away
down, down into The deep pitt and thea
there was rafting, clinking sound. that
caused the great body Of people to sway
towards The grave, and a murmur to &c
up that sweelied almost to a Shout aud
amidst it all the miser's daughter never
lifted her head, but wept and wept.
"Gold !" cried one.
"Gola !" gold I" cried Others moving
towards the spot-"take the old fellow up
twas in his cofhn-ha! he tried to chea
the devil, but he couldn't cheat the
grave"
And now every hand was extended t.
the heiress whereas, when she was thu
miser's beggar. no one thought of he'll
But to the pityittg eyes that had overflow.
ed at her grief when the young lawyer
without much practice read the pityinl
will, the girl turned and leaned upon hi
arm. He did not ask her to. he did no
even congratulate her, or press forward
but her heart had told unerringy wher,
the trues' sympathy lay, and it fled to him
She was rich; the poor toiling creature
had now fortune that princess nigh
envy. And not many years passed before
she was the educated bride of the single
hearted man, who, in her restitution, hat
given her one kindly word. This wa'
the lawyer. And the stra;agem Of thu
old miser failed. He had cheated thu
devil oltcn but he could not cheat thu
grave.