The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-11-25

shorter, yet is their strength renewed like tho
ravens that pick it out ard the young eagles
shall eat it.o She's a very good woman. is Mrs.
Hcrannel, and there's not passage OF Scripture
but what she has at her dpg RS ends.
Knowing that l could trust no one else,
made Alice my conadant, and she it was who
gave me the aid of cheerful countenance from
the hrtt moment when l commenced my coffin
TO the last moment when I finished it..
A beautiful work it was when it was all done,
mahogany of course, silver mounted (the little
fortune had lately come into enabled me to
bear the expense), and the lid reaching TO the
neck and there ending. From the aperture
above the face land often used to think what
satisfaction should feel in being buried in just
such cofiu) a sort OF wooden chimney
arose, furnished inside with O bell, rope,
and laGder. i didn't know exactly what
to call my coffin, for not understanding
Greek and Latin, 1 did not feel that /
would be good at getting up any Of those names
of ten eyllabes that had sometimes seen pa-
carde1 on the curbstoues when 1 went to Phila-
delphia. 1t did, indeed, once occur to me TO
call II the Phoenix coffin, because had often
read in the country newspapers about some
great politician rising a Phoenix from his
ashes. But then, on second thoughts, came TO
the conclusion that the Phoenix, by this time,
must be little tired of having so many people
com pared with him, and it would only be kind
in me TO give hiIn little rest.
While ] was in this quandary perfectly cer-
tain that had invented something that would
some day or other be found of use to the world,
Alice, who knew all my perpleXites and sym.
pathlzed with them, died, or at least appeared
to. In opposition to all my friends and rela-
tions, in opposition to the wish of even the
Rev. Lester Maverick, insisted on her being
buried in the coffin had invented. 1t seemed
to me that Providence had thus stricken down
my brothers. child TO prove to the world the
value OF my experiment.
We buried her, and for the four days that
visited her grave my friends laughed at me for
my cIedulity. / cannot say that ] had any con-
fdent expectation that she would rise from that
turf and be among the living once more. But
on Thanksgiving morning-the day she aud Rev.
Lester Maverick were to have been marued-
just before church let out (and, strange to say
a marriage service had been solemnzed there),
l repaired, full Of my own thoughts, to Alce's
grave, and leaned my head, as had done for
many times during the days che had been
buried, over the aperture OF the chimney, which
arose two or three feet from the ground. Tears
fell from my eyes upon the sweet face beneath,
and even while wept heard an inarticulate
sound below.
Opening my eyes, I saw Allces looking up
into mine.
In two minutes after that, with my help, she
had extricated herself, and was in my arms. In
five minutes more l had bethed her face from
brook that ran hard by, and carried her. faint
unto death, but living, and to live, in!o the
little chapel annexed to the church.
Rev. Lester Maverick was then leaning against
the wall, his hauds up to his eyes, as though
struck with sudden blindness.
! went out and left them both together there,
and never knew how they met each other,
and what was said aud done, and pn sue
can't imagine.
All know is that they were married few
days afterwards, old Mr. Maverick officiating,
and that when the ceremony was over, Mrs.
ScIannel-God bless her she knows more about
Scriptures than any woman l ever saw before
came up to me, and taking me quite kindly by
the hand, said, "Mr Bleaberry, happy, happy,
happy be thy dreams; ali we, like sheep, have
gone astray, for Of such is the kingdom of
heaveu.n