The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1865-12-15
TALES OF AN OLD SEXTON.
The Midnight Apparition.


o OtTeaoherors night
Thou lend'st thy ready. veil TO every treason
And teeming mischief thriyes beneath thy shade.
AARON HUI.
Mr.. Colebrook was dead. He was a rich
man, yet slight acquaintance with him
would have convinced even superficial
observer that he was not happy man. lie
was misanthropic In his views though he
had the reputation In the street of being a
| kind-heartcd and benevolent man. Every
day seemed TO usher him into the arena OF
new strife with the powers of new
misery. Apparently he was tired of life.
and impatiently waited for the hour that
had now come, and which would place him
beyond the trials and woes of this sublunary
existence.
And yet many could remember when he
was guy aud cheerful person. Before his
marriage with u poor but beautiful girl
some seven years before his death, he had
worn n sunny smile, and his life seemed 10
him pleasant dream.
Though only thirty-flve when he mar
ried, people said there was too much diff
ference between his own age and that of
his wife, who was, | believe about twenty
two, From one extreme she went TO the
other She had been poor, and forced to
content herself with but few of the luxu-
rles and gayeties of life but now she was
rich, and her indulgent husband gave her
free access to his Golfers. Wealth fOstered
pride, and Mrs. Colebrook became "a leader
of fashion--the gayest of tho gay. Her
beauty and her influential position In so
ciety made her queen, and her smile was
c0urted by the brilliant and the dlssolute.
The house when she was at home was al
ways filled with gay gallants and lordly
ladies. 9.u .YaIH.a '
All the world could see this, and the next
thing 1t saw, was, that Mr.. Colebrook grew
sad and melancholy; that his wife looked
coldly at him, and there was little, IL any,
sympathy between them. Then people said
the poor man had married badly, and the
croakers all "knew that 1t would be So"
Mr.. Colebrook was dead. Whatever woes
had weighed him down, he was beyond
their reach now. People said he had died
of a broken heart; that the whirl of pleas
ure In his own home had been hell to
him; and that his gay wife had been y
scorpion who stung him TO death. y
For my part, / pay but little attention to
the busy tongue Of gossip. account all
It says whether good or bad, as mere
SANDER. Whatever stories | had heard
concerning Mrs. Colebrook--and / had
heard many-.-passed sin at one ear and out
at the other"
Mr.. Mortal" said man at my door
"That Il my name" |"I
"Mr. Colebrook IL dead, and Mrs. Cole
brook wants you 10 come up TO the house
and lay him out"
'.Mr, Colebrookl !" exclaimed, for the in
telligenee was very unexpected to me as
well rs TO the whole city, when II was an
nounced
had heard,that heAwas suffering from an
attach of bilious collie; but IL had not been
even rumored that he was dangerously
sick.
"Yes, he Is dead" replied the man, |,
"and Mrs. Colebrook wishes you 10 make
haste.r
II didn't know he was 30 sick"
"He got very bad last night and grew
worse ever since till twenty minutes ago,
when he died"
Mr.. Colebrook's house was not five min
utes' walk from home, and fastened there
TO perform the offices OF the dead. was
shown into the room where the corpse lay,
just AZ death had done It's work. The suf-
ferer had apparently died In the greatest
agony. The bed clothes still evidenced the
struggle between the tyrant and his victim.
With the assistance OF the man servant
who had gone to my house, | laid him out
and put the room In order.
was about 10 depart when the man SER
Want called me back.
"Mrs. Colebrook would like 10 see VOC" ("
he said, as he showed me TO parlor in
front of the room In which the corps lay,
She appeared 10 be In the deepest dis
present, using his best efforts 10 reduce her
10 state of calmness. He had succeeded
10 some extent; and she spoke 90 him with
tolerable self-poasession.
"You will make all the arrangements.
Mr.. Mortal" said she.
81 will, madam"
''Oh, 1t was terriblel" groaned she.
"Be calm, Mrs. Colebrook," )" intorposed
DIR. Browne.
81 can met docfor. 4 e.aI NJ tI,o,,,.l, 4
should become distracted"
NAY, madam, control YOURSELF and the
doctor who was young and very good
looking man, took her hand and uttered
some sentimental remark, which ! have
now forgotten. IHi iIrI
"Who viii watch with him :" she almost
gasped, looking eagerly at me.
Watch with him Z" asked DIR. Browne,
In surprise. 7
sYesn
al Is entirely unnecessary"
~ihe corpse must have Watchers she
added more calmly than she had yet
spoken. ~
"Thore Is no need Of them, but"
~ would not have him left alone for all
the world,F said she, with kind Of con-
elusive shiver. III I
"NO possible harm could befall him.
hut II seems so neglectfIl 10 desert the
body a. soon as the spirit has lod.' aHf
at Is entirely matter OF choicep |
added. lr I.
"Couldn't you watch with him, Mr.. Nor
tai ?" -
II you particularly desire It."
" i do; l could not bear 10 have his re
mains guarded by a mere servant. You
will oblige me very mueh.n
l consented 10 the arrangement and
promised TO return by nine o'clock In the
evening,
,.n.Iu.I fH tT.g OospIt s4t-.