New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-08-23

L nOAO StdVs Au0 A. 2V0 VI my Os'Ss~> -
New York bury Adam Melton before pro
nounee him dead you will have to bury me
| with him. Do you understand that!
And the moment she was alone she had
my head in her arms, and sobbing as. y
| her heart would break. Il don't know il
| you can hear me- she cried, with gasps and
| tears; 'but l won't desert you. They'll
| have to lear me in pieces first. DO you
hear! rs me-Ju l want you 10 i've
| There's nobody else cares a Bit Perhaps
| Q God, yeu are dead! No, no, no. no. did
not mean that. know better. Heavens
| how cold you are. Don't mind me;
would't do this If You weren't in danger
I'll stay here till you open your eyes. in
| bolt the doors. Not soul shall come in.
| Not even she. She was to be your wife
| Why she sent word that she preferred not
| TO see yOu!'
And SO on, in broken rhapsody OF
| grief and endearment.
But she was as good as her word. Down
| stairs the solemn preparations for the
| funeral were going on. 1t was officially
| given out that l had died of heart disease.
| The announcements were sent to the papers.
| The day Of the funeral was fixed. Grape
was ordered. letters of coincidence were re-
ceiveG. Nobody who has not been through
ny experience can know what thin parti-
| ton there Is between the hOpefulness OF
| high health and the everlasting darkness of
i the toMu. Grief, affection, love itself is but
a hurryIng and putting away the instant
| your heart ceasedtO beat.
Il knew that everything depended upon
! the bravery with which my sraunch friend
would hold out against the imperious con-
| little hope that she would be able to resist
the mis- ress of the house, backed as that
| mistress would be by science and law.
There were long gaps of time. l could
not measure them, l heard the girl in the
| room. She appeared to be searching for
something. John brought her up lunch.
lie ard him tell her the coffin was down
stairs and the men waiting to come up.
Anu | was asJonished to hear him refer TO
, my having died Yesterday. She must have
been with me all night. And all through
the lonely watches l had felt her warm.
odOrous palm upon my forehead at intervals,
like an arm stretched out by heaven into
he'll.
The undertakers got into the room be-
fore she could prevent it. She ordered
them out.
WHO are your one of them said
gruthy.
I'm the nurse she replied promptly.
We're not ready for sections yet
"'Well,' said the same gruff voice. we're
ordered to take the body down stairs, and
we've got to do it,
Easy, said somebody in a whisper.
, Tell her we only want to move him from
it'll be all right. We don't want row. 1t
won't do
With that one of them put his arm I'M
der my head. There was a quick rustic of
| a dress. The arm was pulled suddenly
away. heard the click of my revolver,
felt JUS long hair sweeping my face, and
knew she ives standing over me like an
other Judith.
IF you touch him again. she said,
'there'H be blood on it. Stand off! My life
fer it he won't go out of this room till he's
dead or | atn
The womans stark mad, said the mans
voice. Come away. The Board O Health Ii
have to lay 'em both outv
''She sprang after them and bolted the
door. Once more felt her at my bedside.
Dear, dear. wonder if he is dead = heard
her say il her distress. %, what can do,
what can l do?
Then there was a parley through the
keyhole. 1t was my aunt's voice. 'Ju.' she
SAID, listen to me. In the name of decency
come down stairs and don't make me send
for an officer. Yeu ought to know that you
can't bring the dead to life by such conduct
and its disgraceful. The whole house is in
arms about IL.
81 don't care for the house., replied Ju.
What DO you mean to dog asked my
aunt.
~ mean 20 keep him from being buried
alive =. long as can if die for it,
Didn't You hear what DR.. Cruden saldP
"'Dr. Cruden lied"
"'Well, open the door; l must come in.
You're delaying all the arrangements
~ know l am. That's what l mean to
do
Won't you open the doorl'
Then l shall have to get an officer and
break it open. If you are convinced that
Adam is alive why don't you convince me 2
81 don't believe you can be convinced
said Ju. You all of you want to hurry
him into his grave. Why don't you send
for r-Doctor-D0c-tOr Bir-.' (She
was trying to read the name on card that
she had found in my desk; it was printed
in German text.)
doctor Birchellr my aunt suggested.
If Doctor Birchell pronounces him dead
will you promise to give up the room'
"'No,' said Ju: III never give him up till
l can see that he's dead with my own eyes.
But DR.. Birchell won't say So
We'll, at all events il DR.. Birchell
comes you'll open the door,!
Yes. Have you got Miss Featherston-
augh's letter.
"'Of course l have
won't yop poke it through the door! l
want to read it. I'll give it back to you as
soon as the doctor comes.
There was some further parley of purely
feminine character, which ended in my
aunts poking the letter through.
when she was gone, Ju exclaimed, I've
got another hour, thank God" She came
aud knelt down close beside me, and read
the letter audibly in her own stumbling
way:
Nv. NT,,c Dr. I
tell YOU how inexpressiSly shocked we all
are at the news, and to add my sympathies
with those of ma for you. You are the real
sufferer. 1t is too dreadful to think about.
So awfully sudden. l suppose the funeral
will take place on Friday, in the morning,
and haven't a thing to wear. We're such
thOughtless creatures we never make any
provision for misfortune. If this had only
happened the day before it did could have
got Marthas crepe bonnet. It's brand new;
but she's gone to Islington, John, who
brought your note, says the girl Il forget
her name) is taking on awful. But that
sounds like servants scandal. Au reu0ir.
All in one carriage, | suppose? Where do
you get your flowers nOw9
Twice she went over this missive as if
trying to comprehend the heartessness of
it. Then she sprang up with sudden i'm
pulse, pulled the clothes from my neck and
arms, dashed cold water upon me, shook
me with desperate force, moaning and gasp
ing and sobbing all the while in the greatest
distress. What encouragement the poor
creature had in all this heaven only knows.
Her faith, her hope, her fidelity are mex
plicable to me to this day. While she was
thus endeavoring to restore animation my
feelings were of that numbed, despairing
kind that no one can understand who has
not been launched into the m1docean of
hopeless horror. A sullen faithless won