Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-09-29
Edward Brown, Stoker.
hf HE AUTHOR OF truth" my HERO" ETC

- In the midst Of life we are in DEATH
Those words sounded SO quiet and solemn
that Mary ana | stopped short close to the
"ld-f;t>llonrd lynch gate ut the little church
yard and then.a> II we moved and thought
together. we went in softly to the funeral.
and >t"Ud N 4 little distance. me with my
Ia; of and Mary with her head bent down.
TIL the service WIS done.
There il all is again rs I'm telling it to
" IL. come back as fresh and clear ts if
was looking at II now: Il pretty little old
ft>hlonrd church. with Il stone wall round
the yard. where the graves lay pretty
thick and close. but al looking green and
tl"wrry and old. Il great clump of the big
%ost and oldest YOU trees. ever saw, and
tail thick hedge separating the church.
yard from the clergyman house. The
sun WAS shining brightly, turning the IL
chcncovcrr,! roofs of the church and the
vicarage into gold: from the trees close
by came the twitcring of the birds, and
away past the village houses bathcd in the
bright afternoon sunshine there were the
fields Of crimson clover, and the banks full
OF golden broom and gorsc. Over all was
sense of such peace and silence that it
seemed a> II there WAS nothing terrible,
only quiet sadness in the funeral, with
its f'w mourncrs standing by the open
grave, and the gray-haired clergyman
standing by; and last of all. when Mary
and | went up and looked into the grave
and read on The cotlin-pla;c Aged ~
one couldn't he p feeling that the poor Soul
had only gone to sleep tired with :; long
life
1t was my fancy perhaps, but rs we
>trolrd round that church, ward. and read
4 tombstone here, and n board there, it
| seemed rs if no sooner had the par>on
gone in to take off his surplice, and the
mournerS left the church-yard, than the
whole place woke up again into busy life.
chatlinch came and jcrked out its bit OF
| a song In one of the vcwS, the Guinea
| fowl III Il farm close by set mp their loud
crying, tn" geese >hirekcd on the green,
and creaklnT. and rafting, and humping
there came along Il wcll-tilled wagon of
| the sweetest hay that ever was caught i'll
| loose handiulS by the bourhs of the trees.
and then fell softly back into the
| road
We were very quiet, Mary and I, a, we
,trolled out of the churchyard, down one of
| the lanes, and then crossing n stlle, we
! went through couple of fields. and sat
down on another stlt, with the high hedge
on either side of us, and the meadow. that
they were beginning TO NOV ut the other
end. one glorious bed Of flowers and soft
featherv grass.
Polly" l says at last, breaking the
silence, "aint this hcavcnly?'
And You feel bettcr!r she >ayS, laying
her hand on mine
Better" says taking Il long draughl
of the so.t sweet-scented air, and filling
my chest" better old girl, l feel as il
| was growing backwards into 4 boy"
" And You fifty last week.
Yes" | says, smiling, land you forty
seven next week" And then we sat think
inc for bit.
"Polly." | says at last, as l sat there
drinking in that soft breeze. and feeling i
give me strength, it's worth being i'll on
ly to feel us do now"
For You see Id been bad, else | dar'
Sav I'm not the man to he hanging abou
church-yar and Watching funerals; In
u stoker. my work lies in steamers trading
to the East. I'd come home from my las
voyage bad with fever, caught out in on,
of those nasty hot bad-smelling ports-beel
carried home to die. rs my mates thought
and it was being like this, and getting bet
ter, that had set me to thinking SO serious
ly, and made me so quiet; not that | wa
ever a noisy sort of !, man, rs any on
who knows me will say. And now afte
getting better, the doctor had said l mus
90 into the country to get strong, there
was nothing for it but to leave the young
sters under the care of the eldest girl AM
u neighbor. and come to take lodgings on
in TINS quiet Surrey VILLAGE.
Polly never thought should get better
and one time no more did l. for about
month before this time, us | lay hollow
eyed and yellow on the bed, knowing tc
how bad | lookcd-for | used to max
young Dick bring the lookingglaSs ever
morning-the doctor came as usual, an
| like Il blunt Englishman put it to hil
fat.
, Doctor" says, "you don't think
, shall oct better?' and looked him straigl
in the face.
' "Oh, come, come. my man." he say
o smiling. {" we never look at the black sid
G like that
: None of that doctor,' | says; " OF
S with it like man. I can stand it. "
been expecting to be drowned or blown