The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-03-26
"coop.RY, MY LOVE-"


she supposed the house to be utterly
empty and deserted-a pile of chairs
stood on either side of the front door,
and log near by had an ak stuck into
it and few freshly cut chips were scat
tered about. Thehouse door stood open
and swung back and forth in the breeze,
| giving a series OF dismal creaks.
"Dear meW said Marcia, show pro-
vokingl have some wretched picnic peo-
pie got here just to make o bedlam OF
our peaceful dayW
"InVestigate inside; il that's the case
their baskets will be there"
Marcia pushed open the door and
stepped into tiny square entry with a
closed door at eilher hand. She lifted
the latch Of the right hand one and went
into the room, but started back with an
exclamation of horror, for there in the
middle OF the room stood coffin with
the body of man lying in it. She CAV 9
one hasty look, and ran out. Bell was
| just coming out OF the barn, and cried !:
"Good HeaVensl what is the matter,
Marcia? You're as white as a sheet"
| 1t was a minute before Marcia could
speak, and then she told what she had
seen. She had taken in the fact that il
was the body OF a man, that the coffin
rested on two chairs, and that the only
|
table, and that horrible chill and
dampness filled the room. U'
"Was it Tim Perkinsp said Bell.
"0h, no, IT was some one with beard.
| didn't stop long enough to see much, /
| lust stood for an instant at the head of
the coffin; the one step or two l. made
took me there, the room is so small. Oh,
what a shock it gave meV and Marcia
shHddered.
"Ah," said Bell, suddenly, "here
comes Mrs. Perkins, she'll know about
it," t I' f.i .. ,"
And she went forward to meet her, but
Marcia remained seated on the log,
where she had dropped when she came
| out Of the house.
Mrs. Perkins was a perfect specimen
of very disagreeable class OF New En-
gland people, tall, thin, angular, and
with a grasping, hard expression writ
ten all over her face and figure. She
advanced with an air in which craft,
suspicion, cold calculation and an ap-
proach to fawning servility were strange
ly mingled. Bell spoke first:
"What is the meaning of this, Mrs.
Perkins? l suppose you know. Miss
Wentworth went in, and"
"Wall," interrupted the woman, 81
guess you was skeered If you went
pokin' in there" indicating the house
with long, torbidding finger.
mo, don't know nothin' 'cept been
plagued to death with him."
Marcia had approached them.
'Don't know anything about him p
she said.
"All know is, he came here about
two weeks back and said he was going
| to camp out, ana he hired the house OF
| ii II n fNf = hn
But how did he diew
"Sprees, half dozen on 'em, and me
| to bother to take care o. him, cookln'
and fussin', and no pay fur it neither"
What do you mean, Mrs. Perkins p"
said Marcia.
~ mean what l say. he come here,
and fur spell he poked around the
rocks, an he went fshin' some, am he
drinked good deal, am tell you night
atore last he drinked hisself to-death.
am all I know about him is, his name' 8
Brown, and he amt got no mouey, an l
| don't know if he's got any folks Dlongin'
| to him or not. He's a-goin' to be buried
| in our pastur this afternoon. Mr.. Car
ter. he was for havin' him buried in our
lot My sakes! man nobody knowed
nothin' about" And she gave sniff of
indignation at the bare idea.
The girls said nothing, and she went
grumbllng on:
Il wouldn't a. Civ the grave if there'd
ben poor-larm here; L don't like lone
graves ally in' round, am Pd like to know
who's goin' 10 pay tor the diggin ?"
Just then her husband made his ap-
pearance behind her, one hand in a
pocket. the other lingering nerVousIy at
the fringe of gray hair under his chin,
casting abject glances toward his wife,
and looking Oddly like an old sheep; but,
apparently made bold by the presence of
strangers, he said in Qeprecatory man
ner:
"Ohl now, Lowizy, 'taint SO bad; we
can spare u bit o. the pastur' to put him
| in, ana 'tw0n't hurt the feed any"
! The girls shuddered, ana Mrs. Perkins
turned upon him like the snap Of whip,
and said:
you just shut up, Tim. Perking, am
90 TO helpin' them men fix the boards in
side; l amt a-g0in' to lend lem no more
cheers o. mine."
He turned obediently to two men who
| had made their appearance upon the
scene, and Marcia fingered one momen t
| to say:
"And who pays for the coffin pinot
| from curiosity, but because she sus-
pected from whose pitiful salary the
| money would come, and had already de-
cided in her mind to pay for it herself,
shou d ner suspicious prove correct.
| "Jr. Carter, he said he'd give the cof-
| fin if we'd give the grave, SOS seein' he's
willin' to DO his share, said I'd do
mine," and with cOmplacent smile
added: "Folks must. allus have Chris
tian charity tor them as falls"
The girls turned away and fastened
down to the rocks, exchanging broken
sentences OF horror and disgust.
"Poor Mr.. Carterl' said Marcia; she
| is wearing out his body here among ines e
finty people, and why his spirit don't
take flight can't imagine"
"Shali we 60 back to the tuneral?"
said Bell.
ION, no! couldn't bear it; his spirit
is a. sweet as mans can be; but his the
ology is dreadful, and it will be warn
ing sermon, l know, so l think we had
| better stay away"
They reached the last extent of rocks
| where they stretched away off into the
ocean, and Marcia sat down, intending
to sketch while they waited for the gun.
ners to come In. She looked at ner
watch.
mot yet 10 o'clock; how quickly we
came! tney will soon be here. Duck
| 40 al; al,