The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-03-26

mind, it isn't too late now," said Marcia /;
81 can run across lots with them; l
know just about where the grave must
| be-"
"Pll CO." said Kingston.
"Oh, no; Pa BETTER" and Marcia be-
| gan 10 climb over the stone wall.
"4 ou'H ieel SO In the way" said Bell.
"Well, yes, little, perhaps, but all
| these people know me, and after all Pye
as much right there as anybody. On!
see here" and she turned back. step,
| "meet me at the bend in the road by the
old plum tree; then l shant have to
| come up hill again."
She ran quickly over the pasture,
climbed a wall, kept on down the hill
| over q marshy place, which kept her
minute or two longer looking for a
crossing; then up behind long grove
Of pines. There at the top of little
knoll was little pile of1resh earth, and
| the meu just setting down the coffin on
supports over the grave. Marcia was
out Of breath with running, and Mr..
Carter looked up as he heard her steps
through the dry stubble. 1t was too
| late to speak when she reached him; the
| people were all there, and he was open
| ing his books; she held up her flowers
Mr.. Carter understoodN and bowed his
| head. Marcia, being on the side of the
grave upon which the earth was thrown
up, slipped down on her knees, the bet
ter to reach the coffin; for to have stood
upon the earth would have brought her
too high above it.
She laid one bunch on the foot, and
| was about to lay the other on the head
| OF the cofti1, when the man whom she
had spoken to stopped and raised the
lid, exposing the face to vieW-as was
their custom-and Mr.. Carter began to
read. '..' -.'-'''
For moment Marcia remained quiet
| ly kneeling with her eyes fixed on the
ground, and feeling 1T not unit that she
should be there to represent an element
Of human sympathy. When she raised
| her eyes and fixed them on the dead
| face, a strange sufocating feeling came
upon her; everything turned black before
her eyes-the minister's voice sounded
dull and far away, and Marcia saw only
the lace; her heart beat hard, there was
| choking feeling in her throat, and she
seemed 10 hear two voices saying IT,
gether, at is." and ''IG can not be-"
A face strange and yet familiar, sure
ly one that she had known-One that
she knew. She gasped, son Cool it
| can not be-" but no sound came from her
lips, and each second seemed to turn
into her brain: sit is-it s-rom-dead
mere before me; the man L loved, who
kissed me the last time l saw him, here
dead. They'll shut the coffin; must be
sure" Was she losing her mind. 1t
could not be. She felt as if trying to
rouse herself from some dreadful night
mare; but each instant grew surer,
deeper, more certain, the truth. 1t was
rom-tne same forehead, the same wavy
drOop OF the hair, the same straight,
handsome nose and delicate, sensitive
n0strll; the same-no not quite the same
-mouth-still handsome, but weaker,
with lines about it that age mad not puL
there.
Marcia gazed and gazed, and thought,
"Why did l not see before, when L first
lo0kedW All through the long prayer
her eyes were fastened on IL, and the
old likeness grew under their steady
look, and she realized that it was not
dream, but reality.
When Mr.. Carriers voice ceased, and
there was little stir as one after
another pressed nearer to take O last
look, prompted by custom and curiosity,
Marcia partially reused herself to feel
that she was gazed at curiously by the
people about her, She wanted to get up
and get away, but seemed to have no
power TO do SO, for all her mind was CEN
tered upon one idea, to keep her ewes ON
that face as long as she could. When
the man took up the lid to replace it.
she leaned forward, said involuntarily,
zone moment," took one last, long look,
and then drew back. In the little stir
Of fastening on the lid she rose to her
feet, even noticed some triding trouble
with one of the screws, which, wnen
finally tightened, left Its head uneven
and unlike the precise regularity or the
others. she laid the flowers on, saw
the coffin lowered, the rough ropes they
had used pulled up, all the time con-
scious Of strange feeling that it was
all something she had known about and
looked on AT before, when it had hap
pened to some one else.