The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1875-01-07
What Jedd PallPry Found in the
Coffin.

wa JtuO L ann lulI ttCN II tiC 90
little. glanced nervously at the sombe
row Of new coffins on each side OF him
locked the shop door, and stood in The
! street
1t was Christmas-eve, and the snow
flakes, like tiny white birds from Paradise
were lighting on the chimney-tops and il
/ the long streets Of the city.
Every night at that same hour. eigh
I o clock. tor ten years, the undertaken haC
turned down the gas, locked the door, and
placed the same key under the same mat
and stood in the same position for a mo-
nlent by the window before turning into 6
narrow zigzag street which. to him, end
| ed at his supper table.
But this time he was not going home
| The antique Mr. Hans Spuyten Duyvel,
whose death his amicable relatives had
been impatiently awaiting for the last
quarter Of a century, had died that day,
and old Jedd had been sent for to put the
habilments Of the grave on Mr.. Spuyten
Duyvel5 body. and two bright halfdollars
on his eyes, the which small change was
afterWard transferred to the pocket of the
undertaken.
Now old Pallfry had made cotfins ever
since his youth, and for thirty years really
had more intimacy with the dead than
dealings with the living. There was moth
ing in the whole world so beautiful to him
as d coitin-unlesS it was All order for one.
He had worked at his trade at all hours of
the night; he had made little collins and
fat ones, and slim ones; and by the ghast-
ly chickering's of lamp at midnight he
had laid the cold, white dead in the var
nished boxes without feeling one throb of
sympathy in that old iron-bound heart of
his.
But that Christmas eve he shuddered as
he turned down the gas, and the long
wooden tenements, with their covers of,
seemed like so many satin-lined gateways
leading to perdition. lie felt as if a thou
sand strong currents of air were blowing
him toward them He could hardly keep
from stepping into one; and it required
all his strength to reach the door and lock
il Jedd drew a long breath.
"lts ALWAYS so--every Christmas eve
&le does it +"
AS old Jedd Pallfry muttered this be-
tween his thin, bloodless lips, he flattened
and whitened has nose on the window glass
and looked into the gloomy shop suspi-
ciously He saw nothing al first but the
accustomed number Of collins, and the vel
vet pail folded on the counter, and those
two SLIM black stools which we have all
seen in our homes, God pity US But, as
he looked. his dim, almond-shaped eyes
grew suddenly to orbs. A strip of the
floor had commenced swelling aud warp
ing, Little by little it grew into the shape
OF mound tiny emerald spears Of grass
ohnt ore ~ - = ~y~-y diiectlon; then It
was dotted all over with yellow-eyed
daisies, and a roscbush with single
white bud, sprung up from the center.
Jedd Pallfry's sight became SO acute that
he could see the perfume OF the rose float
ing up in beautiful, soft folds, like the
tunes from censer.
Jedd rubbed his eyes, as we'll he might
then the skeleton of a tree; then this took
miraculous form, and willow trailed its
green lengths over the mound And he
saw the NOTED sunshine falling upon the
place, and heard the robins singing-sing-
ing in his shop
Jedd looked and looked: but when the
grass and the daisies grew tremulous as
in a sudden wind, and the grave began to
open, Jedd could look sec no longer; and
he shut out the strange sight by placing
two lank, bony hands over his eyes.
Merry Christmas, sir" said a hesita-
ting voice at his side
Jedd started.
Merry Christmas, sir"' repeated the
voice dolefully.
And then Jedd turned his eyes on the
speaker. 1t was a very shabbily dressed
lad lie had on felt hat of no color what
ever, roustabout jacket, and pair of
white duck trousers, much too well venti-
lated for the season. His physique was as
delicate as a girls, and if it had not been
50 dark Jedd could have seen face in
which there was strange mixture of the
Madonna and the devil-the expression OF
boyhood contending, and a sad experience
written all over it.
But the snow was falling heavily. and
he only saw very little fellow surmourt-
ed by a very shocking hat
IF you please, sir, said the hoy plead
ingly
'IIumphn
And Jedd was about to bid him 60 his
way, when it struck ,)edd that after what
he had seen, not even the love of his
charming cotlins could tempt him to turn
on the gas again in his shop; and to leave
IL Dul llliS AHll1 llOI W Sto u DlU VI ca
travagance not to be thought Of 1t oc.
CURED to him to hire this promiscuous
wisher Of merry Christmascs to sit in the
shop till he should have returned from
the Spuyten Duyvel; so he changed his
brusqae manner. and inquired in Il tone
which was intended to be extremely con
ciliatory:
"What's Your name, bub ?"
l l.,
The last one. slr ?" repeated Jedd
mimicking the lad How many have
you?"
"A good many, sir In Nantucket they
used to call me Poor Tommy, and Orphan
Tom, and Tomtt But on board ship the
! sailors called me Nantuck, and they calleC
Nantuck very often, and made him work E
good deal" And the boy shivered with
cold as the keen north wind swept aroun(
the corner with evident predatory designs
on his tattered Jacket.
"Nantuck P" said his interrogation, turn
ing up his pinched nose with disapproba
ton as if the name filled his venerable
nostrils with very ancient and tish-liks
smell"
"Well, Tomtit-I like that best, vol
know; if you will keep shop for me al
hour or 50, III give you a shilling"
u don't know how much shilling is,
said Tomtit, alias Nantuck, eagerly, "bu
LII do it thankfully"
The KEY is under the mat Unlock tn,
door, and don't touch any thing. Dom
jan those lovely collins; they might fall OF
YOU and kill you, you know"
Jedd never once looked toward the shop
IF you sec grave in the middle of tn
floor you mustn't be frightened, you know
I'm not
And Jedd shuddered.
II don't see any grave" said Tomtit
throwing open the door.
The undertaken summoned all his cour
age and glanced into the room; but tn
mound with the daisies and the weeping
willow had vanished
"Dev'lish strange" he muttered. 81
asthere" Then facing his clerk pro ten