The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1857-08-07

The New York correspondence OF
the St. Louis Republican relates the
following instance Of female courage
and what came of it:
A little romance in real life is a
pleasant thing, ecce signnm. About
one year ago, fine old lady, re-
siding in one of the pleasantest of
the many country seats on Staten
Island, departed this life so sudden
ly that several members Of her fam
lily were absent at the time Of her de-
parture. AS it was desirable to pre-
serve the body until their return, it
was packed in ice, and watched from
night to night in the customary fash =
ion. On one OF these evenings, MIR.
P, who had inst gone to the Island
to board thro' the summer, and who
was still quite a stranger there, was
somewhat non.plussed by a request
that he would 90 over to the house
of mourning and make one of the
Company OF watchers. No other
gentleman could be found-would
he be kind enough to gol P
had been promising himself ood
nights rest after the cares OF bnsiness
in New York; but nevertheless hC
good .naturedly waived his right tc
the sweet restorer, and consented to
watch. lie was told that two young
ladies', who were not disagreeable
would be his companions in this mel.
ancholy business; that his only care
would be to change once every houl
a cloth noistened with some antisep
tic, which lay on the face Of tht
corpse, and that during the rest o
the long hours he might smoke, reat
or talk, as the spirit moved him.
So, about IL o'clock in the evening
he went his way to the house o
mourning, and was there duly intro
duced to the fair females who wer,
to be his companions in vigil, ant
the sombre exercises commenced
Time wore on, when, just as til,
clock had struck the hour OF mid
night, the very hour when grave
yords yawn, the party were startle'
by loud noise proceeding from tn
I next room, where the corpse wa
) laid. WhereupoE one of the youn!
ladies tainted, or pretended to faint
and was laid ont on a sofa. Tn
Other, however. whom we will cal
Julia, caught up candle, and an
!, nounced to p, with quiet coul
! age beaming from her fine eyes, tha
J she would accompany him, to ascel
j tain, if possible, the cause Of tn
strange disturbance. Though some
what nervous, he fel. he could 20 a
most anywhere with such a compar
ion, and the two proceeded to tn
chamber of death.
: Imagine their feelings when the
i entered the room and saw the vel
> cradle corpse in the centre Of I'll
. floor, leaning upon the long ice boz
= in which it had been packed, on
u end of the box having fallen. Sti
}, Julia did not faint, but saying viii
y womanly thoughtiulness, that it wo
u be pity to disturb the family, wi
', were exhausted by care and grie
d assisted P to restore the body
l. the box, and the box to its place.
.e A little philosophical reasoning SUI
u gested that the ice in one end of
had melted much faster than in Il
~ ~ other, and being carelessly balanc'
- - OF its props it had suddenly fall'
'r and spilled out its contents in tn
:, sudden and startling manner.
70 The rest Of the night wore aw,
u without any further alarm, but il mi
% be supposed that P did not res
y much, and was not obliged to smol
u much to keep himself awake. 1t