Nebraska advertiser. [volume] (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]) 1856-1882, 1868-04-09
G q A P T ER ".
The Funeral

puzzled.
CHAPTER ~.
The Funeral
The news of the singular discovery
of the hundred pound note, and of its
still more singular disappearance, spread
like wild fire through the village. More
over, the tale was told with many ex-
aggerations. Ii vas reported that while
| was in the act of repeating the Lords,
Prayer. The note miraculously became
visible between the open leaves of the
Prayer Book, which held in my hand.
The old gossips shook their heads; that
hundred pound note was no real piece of
earthly paper, it owed its origin to dem.
Oniacal agency, and was permitted to ap
pear for the sake of stirring up bitter
enmity between Reuben and David. Ii
was asserted that they had not only
branded each other with the disraceful
name of thief, bul that they had exchang-
ed blows across their fathers corpse.
This latte charge was entirely without
foundation
hfr. Worth, the wheebwrighl. took
much more .prosaic view cf fhe affair.
Ee belleved the nOie Was 9 ennine note.
and he strove toeons0le bis pretty daugh-
ter--who nas'shsdding bitter tears be-
cause her beloved David was accused of
feIony-by telling her that if the note
had not been lost, he should not have
minded taking David as son-in-law.
For why? Fifty pounds was nice con-
foratabIe sum for young couple 10 begin
housekeeping with which as for Reuben.
the Objectionable brother, he had many
a time vowed that it was only want of
money that prevented him from trying
his fortune IN America,
Poor Maria vainly strove to take COM
fort from these tantalising remarks. Her
fater was willing to let David marry
her if-And that obstinate 'if' spoilt
everything,
Nearly week elapsed between John
Dymond's death and the funeral during
which time no communication took place
between the half brothers, for each OBJ
stinately presisIed in believing the other
guilty. At first Reuben fatty refused to
attend the funeral, simply because he
knew his brother would be there; but
on my pointing out to him that he would
never cease to reproach himself after
wards for having neglected such plain
&C. of duty, he unwillingly agreed to go.
felt unable to address him with any
cordiality, because strongly suspected
that he and his wife were in possession
Of the hundred pouId note. Il is true
that Reuben had never hitherto been
charged with felony, but be was a free
living, lax unprincipIed man, who would
be quite incapable of with standing sud'
den and powerful temptation.
Very we'll, Mr.. Woodward were
his concluding words, 'I'il come to the
funeral. though don't much fancy stand
ing near thief, and that thief my own
half. brother?
We had period of beautiful cloudless
weather since the great thunderstorm,
but on the morning of -AAe day appointed
for the funuFal, a change appeared
likely to take place. The old folks of
the village, John Dymond's, friends and
contemporaries were we'll pleased at this,
Happy is the corpse that the rain rains
on, says the old adage, and they hoped
that shower might fall, before the coffin
was deposited in It's final abiding. place.
Although it was busy season of the year,
and week. day for John Dymond had
expressed wish that his funeral might
not take place on Sunday-there was a
very full assemblage of persons in the
church:Yard. The worthy old laborer had
been much respected, and many persons
of a superior grade attended bis funeral to
do honor to ais memory. A large portion,
however, of the spectators had been
drawn together by lower and coarser
motives. 1t was rumored that some
scene of violence would take place be-
tween the half-brothers as soon as their
fathers coffin had been committed to the
grave; while others darkly hinted that
some preternatural appearance, some
palpable evidence of the enchantment
which lowering over the Dymand family,
would become visible at the conclusion of
the burial service: There was great
deal of staring and whispering among
the crowd when the two half. brothers,
who seemed instinctively to keep as far
apart from each other as possible, made
their appearance.