St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-05-25
he Story of a Kerosene Lamp.
BY CARLOS CHESTER.
j. o: F.
UnDeR. this. stone,
Lyes. BuRyD. one,
Wot. CUM. too. THIS. DAMP,
DARK. Grave. By. a LAMP.

D. W y.
UnDeR. this. stone
Lyes. BuRyD. one
WOt CUM. too. THIS. DAMP
DARK GRAve. By. a LAMP.
u NoveM. 1866.
On the borders of a country town
there is a graveyard; and whoever
visited it at ;-certain hour on certain
May afternoon might have seen IL lank
man examining its tombstones through
Il huge pair of spectacles, and lingering
at last with fascinated gaze beside ii
rough slab which toppled over its
mound in drunken woe, and which bore
the inscription above recorded.
"NOw, truly, this is strange ~ eX-
Come to this damp, dark grave by
quired into! ~
The lank man made IA note, and
solemnly-as befitted the place-re-
solved to dive to the bottom of the mys-
terry in case such diving did not neces-
state an underground exploration.
| Where should he look for facts ? Up
ward Z? No! For though he lifted eyes
through tiuttering foliage to calm sky
the mystery was mystery still. Nor
did his eyes find its solution as they
rOamed amidst mounds and the fresh
green of springtime. Presently lie es-
pied stout fellow clipping the arbor
vitae hedge, and hopeful sigh arose.
''GOod-day !" SAID the lank explorer
The stout man graciously responded
Lank man y "Who was j. o. f. ?"
(Stout man, pondering) "J.-O.-F.! .!
J.-O.-F.! Wot him o the lamp ?"
eyes !"
"Oh yes That's koorius, very ~
"What's curious ?n
''That about j. 0. F., what come to
this damp, dark grave by lamp! Ha,
ha, ha-a-a-ah !" lending with ecsta-
tic rumbling.) ''He. he, he-e-e |?
Wants lamp down there, like enough ~
Uank man y "But, my good friend,
who WdS j. o. F. ?"
(Stout man, incredulously y ''Likely,
now, you've 'eard th'ole thingw
"No, haven't heard any of it. What's
it all about ?"
"Well, you sec. There, ! can't
tell you as well as th'oman over yon in
the'Ouse with green blines. She'll tell
you. She knows"
"What's her hameg How long has
she lived here ?"
"Name's Grunden. Amt lived here
never"
"There's ten cents. Are you mar
ried man ?"
"Thanks,kir. No, l lives by myself"
"Oh, you do! Then there's twenty
five. GOod-day."
Whereupon lank man scrambled down
hillside rOughness, crossed a road and Il
meadow, and Appeared at the door of Il
small, weather. stained house, set up
beside sluggish stream in very lone
ly place. A woman sat at an open
window. White hair and wrinkles de-
noted many years of human life, but
bright eyes and straight back revealed
indomitable youthfulness of spirit. He
asked for drink of water. She brought
it, sparkling, clear and cool, from the
great well in the kitchen.
"DeliciOusm judged the lank man
Il shall want some more pretty soon.
May sit down on the doorstep ?"
Eyes, sir; of course! Seems to me
see YOU in church Sabbyday 7"
"'Think likely. | was there
ain James'S pew? Mebbe you're Tia,
Mister Jones who's goiu' to marry
SusannN ~
"The very same JONES'
ADO tell Well, Hm glad to know
YOU. Susanuy's good girl. Im glao
she's gain - .H,r - coed man."
"Thank you ~ said aud bowed th,
lank man aud added, "I've just beeI
exploring among the tumb-stones. A
man over ih,Ie said you could 'ell n,,
about J. o. +. aud the lamp. rm curl
Gus to krOw.n
Now. at this abrupt allusion the ol,
lady seemed little startled, and theI
thoughtful, afterwards replying that sh,
hadn't told that story for FIVE or 81,
years, she reckoned.
"You come in and take that rockin
chair, aud he kind q com table. Ain
that better, now. Mister Jones, than
that wooden board y
=, Jones having complied, and Mrs
Grundell having placed several we'll
preserN ed russets gu the table betOr'
him. she began 20 recall the details o
the story.
"Well, Mister Jones, me aud my mai
have lived here nigh onto forty year
7. ! We had six children. Two died of scar
)" let fever when they was little, and liz
over there. Aud the Test married, on
after another; and, like all the Pease'e
and Grundells my father was Il Peas
when they got married they set al
! housekeepin' by themselves. So tba
left Grundell and me all alone, espe
e cially nights; for the neighbor and sucl
; of the children as hain't moved out o
4 town would drop in ofteh ia the day
y time. And so we got along first rate
OF course, it was lonesome sometime
without the children; but ma and p
}. has to make up their minds to it soone
b. or later. Young folks ought To MARI
sr and be happy hadn't they, Mr.. Jones
is That's what God wants 'em to do"
y ''Just my opinion" replied the Ian
s. Jones.
RS "But, though the children was gone
we KEEP cheerful aud happy. View
got a very good little farm of fifty
seven acre-it used to be hundre
aud forty lnar, bat Grundell was gel
/ l tt,... -. ,,la IN sess fo ~ much work. !