Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1856-06-18
The Miser's Stratagem.

John Ferrowy. the old miser of High street.
Edingburg, at last lay upon his death bed
" bequeath to you, my child" said he to
his little daughter, while gasping hard for
breath, the grave in which l am to be bur.
led. | am poor, very poor"
A CHASTITY smile spread over his features
and the futtering red rag that had once cur
tanned his miserable couch, gave, as the sun
poured through them, a most sardonic express
sion to the grim, death struck face, envelop-
ing it, as it were, in flames.
For half century Miser Farrowy had been
gathering gold. For nearly that time his
coffin, lined, as wonder mongers said with
lead, had rested under his miserable couch.
Of all his children, but one was Ieft-the
youngest. And now she was a gaunt girl of
thirteen-a poor, hungry, uneducated, viii
ling slave.
And now the miser was dying. He would
have no attendance-he was poor, he said
no one should pay doctors bill for him. no
one should put him in his coffin bat foolish
/ Bill, who had been his man of all work no.
body should bury him but Tom Gall, the un
dertaken, who, as he wassdrunk CONSTANTLY
charged less for his jobs than any other.
And the miser died and foolish Bill laid
him in his coffin ; and some good-hearted man
read the will, bequeating nothing but his
grave and all it should contain to the weep
ing, miserable creature, his daughter, who
saw it, remarked upon the strange, fendish
chuckle with which the old miser closed his
life and which boded, they said that he had
SO successfully hidden his money that no NOR
tai could find it. And cid Tom Gall, the un-
der taker, told with sprinkling Of oaths, how
the miser had taken advantage Of his inebria-
ton, and ougbt the grave for a sou, and that
he should not wonder if it was flied with gold.
So crowds came to the funeral. The
churchyard was filled full, the fences were
lined, and in the midst of all stood the poor
wretched orphan shedding burning tears, and
uttering wailing sobs. The grave had been
dug, and dug deep, tco deeper by far than
any other in that old church yard and no
treasure had come to light, so that the scan
dal-mongers were all disappointed, and won
dered they had been such fools as to believe
the rumors ahoat. As usual, old Tom Gall
was drunk, so drunk that he staggered and
the rope he had provided was rotten one
The used it so very seldom) and it broke al
the mouth of the grave; and the coffin fell
q away down into the deep pit and there was
G rattling, clinking sound, that caused the
. great body of people to sway toward the
: grave, and murmur to 90 up that swelled
almost to a shout and amidst it all the mis-
ers daughter never lifted her head, but wep
and wept.
: "Gold - cried one.
: "Gold, gold," cried others, moving towards
f the spot" take the old fellow up" twas il
e his coffin" ha, he tried to cheat the grave
: And now every hand was extended to tn
, heirness, whereas, when she was the miser'
;. beggar, no one thought of her. But to tn
d pitying eyes that had overfowed at he
> grief, when the young lawyer without mucl
e practice read the pithy will, the girl turne'
d and leaned upon his arm. He did not as
Is her to, he did not even congratulate her, o
# press forward but her heart had told uner
. ringly where the truest sympathy lay, and
= fed to him. She was rich, the poor, toilin;
J. creature had how fortune that princes
ar might envy. And not many years passed be
ii fore she was the educated bride of the single
a. hearted man, who, in her destitution, had gi,
Or en- her one kindly word. This was the law
:. yer. And the strategem Of the miser failed
! lie had cheated the devil often, but he coul
" not cheat the grave.