The Republican journal., 1876-08-17
Comfort in Affection.

he was travelling from Boston to Buffalo,
at which latter place he had great expec-
tations lie sat down at the Kitchen table
with his long legs coied up under it, and
his long arms spread out upon it. while
bis ponderous nose stood out like grease
spo- on I. pair of white pants.
| The woman Of the house brought him
plate Of bread and meat and a bowl of
coffee. While she was placi. 2 the things
he noticed that she wore a black dress and
a look Of pallor.
Had q DEATH madam ?" he softly in
quired, It's he squared himself for the re-
past.
Yes, sir"
Lately ?'
Last Tuesday," she answered, family
Il was sure of it, Father? mother
sister? brother?" he asked, taking up
piece OF meat with one hand, and slap
ping it appetizingly upon a piece Of bread
in the other
My husband, sir" she said, drawing
out handkerchief, while her lips culver
ed. She looked so white and sad and
dropping as she sat there, that his heart
| was touched
Did he die natural death % he asked,
softly chewing on the food and bending
the full glance Of the large eyes upon her.
Yes, sir"
dts a bad thing in one 50 young as you
to lose her protector But he died u
natural death, and there is comfort in
that He slapped another piece Of meat
upon another piece OF bread and quietly
put his teeth through them.
You know" he presently added. re.
volving the morsel in his mouth and as
suning an appearance OF delicate cheer
fulness THAT he died calmly with every
want attended to, and loving hands to adj
minister to him-could trouble you for
Il little mustard?" She weariedly arose
and got him the article. There's COM
fort in that, isn't there?" he continued,
referring to the passing away of the de
ceased
Yes" she said, in low tone, viping
her eyes
Nov you know, =" he said, looking in
tently at her with his eyes, while his
hands spread the mustard - it might
have been much different and far worse
lie might have been run over by a train of
coal-cars and cut into pound Jumps stuck
full OF grave,?"
Il know said she with SILVER
Then. again, he might have been
blown up in defective saw-mll," said
the stranger, taking mother bite at the
food, and gently closing his eyes as if
better to picture the irredeemable horror
Of this proposition, land only about two
thirds Of him, and that badly damaged,
ever return to your agonized sight"
\ low sob behind the handkerchief was
the only response, while he opened his
eyes in time to detect u fly making eX-
traordinarv efforts to shake It's hind-legs
free from the mustard. Coming mechan-
cally to the assistance Ct the insect he
said:
1T is bad enough to lose him, I'll adj
NIT that. no one would be so calloused as
to deny that he said, looking around in
quiringly, as if to make quite sure that no
such a party was in sight. still it could
have been much worse, You know. lie
might have been prematurely perforated
with the ramrod of 4 cannon, and had to
have had chloroi0rm injected in him at
an expense OF go II day. But if he'd
fallen into Il vat of hot oil and had al his
flesh peeled OFF, you'd never got over it,
would yoIy'
No, sin, said She, burylng her face
still deeper in her handkerchief
''0h, there are 4 hundred ways he might
have died. he went on, taking a sweep
with the knife at a fly, in the exuberance
of his delight that things were as they
were instead of as they might have been.
lie might have persisted in a fire and
been dug out Of the ruins the next day
with Il pickaxc. He might have fallen off
a twostory building and struck on his
face and had to gone through the iuneral
on his stomach, with weeping friends
pressing the last fond kiss on tie back of
his head"
Here the narrator shuddered himself at
the awful prospect of such catastrophe,
while the bereaved woman agonizinglv
protested against his proceeding
" You'll admit it might have been
worse ?" he asked with undisguised
anxiety.
"Oh, yes, Sir she replied, wiping her
eyes.
Il am glad Of that, said he, exploring
his under Jaw with the fork "Atllictions
will come, but if we try to think OF those
which are greater that have not come to
Us, then we are better able to bear those
that do lis been my object to teach You
that Il natural death is not a thing to des-
pise in these days OF rush, crash, and
splutter, and if you have learned the les
son, my mission is accomplished, and
60 my way. ! don't want to intrude, Of
course, on the privacy Of q deep grief,
but if the deceased was about my build.
and lett behind a vest, not too gaudy in
pattern | should be pleased to take it
along with me, rs Il souvenir of departed
worth " He paused an instant, and then
added, with touching solemnity, "these
were his ,ictuals, and it would seem APP
propriate, rs well rs beautiful, to have
them held in by his vestures"
When he Went away he had as u souv-
enir Of departed worth, something he
could pull down if required so to do.
| [Danbury News
At a recent meeting Of the Grand Lodge
OF Odd Fellows. the report OF the Grand
Master shows that Pe.epscot Lodge, Brun-
swick, has been reinstalled, and Echo at
Berwick and West Paris at West Paris have
been added the past year. The report Of
the Grand Secretary shows the number of
members to be 800, an increase during
the year OF l, 1866; number of lodges, 81
brothers relieved, 4GI, widows families
relieved, 4J brothers buried, 81 num-
| her of week sick moss Maid 4 000 paiI for