Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-01-27

unwreathed with smiles.
Great frolic the young people made
over the coming marriage, and mcrrler,
happier household would have been hard
to find. On the night in question Jalllty
Was unusually rife. This was the even
ing when the preliminary rehearsal Tor the
ceremony was taking place, ana IN !ne
parors the to-be bride and bridesmaids
were practicing their parts in the import
ant programme for the cay, disturbed only
by the door bells jingle now anu then as
some new present for the bride reached
the house. It was a gay and bolsterous
company, and scarce corner OF the am
nle mansion was these unreached by the
voices, now chattering, now laughing, OF
the merry party in the parlors. Yes, the
cheerful sounds, though half subdued,
found their way even into the upper room
where sat the dear grandmother of the
expectant bride, brisk in spite of her
eighty or ninety years, and reminding
her Of such time Of JOY in her own
youth, now so long gone by, brought to
her face smiles which fingered in peace
full serenity. And her son, man we'll
along in life, seated for companionship
|
Ply at the hearing.
An interval of silence came by chance
in the conversation which mad been go
ing on between the mother and son; both
were listening to the revelrY below. A
moment later the son looked up, and his
lips parted to again address his mother;
her head dropped upon her breast; below
the cap which covered the gray hair
the mouth, from the dropping Of the jaw,
was open wide, yet gave forth neither
voice nor breath; her wan hands were
clenched she had fallen back in her
chair. He spoke to her; there was no
answer; only the CLASSY eyes and the mo-
tionless mouth. He placed his hands
upon her face and limbs; they were cold
and rigid; her pulse gave no responsive
throb to the pressure Of his thumb:
vain he listened for the beating Of her
]. heart. The old lady was dead. And
outside the December wind whistled, and
up from below stole the laughter and gay
, ETY. of the rollickers practicing for the
marriage. sIn the midst Of life we are
? in DEATH"
She was dead, and what was to be done
What was to become of the wedding
! which the next day but one was to see
Could bride issue in marriage garments
! from house in which her own kin lay
J robed for burial? Horrible! and ye
; how cruel to turn the gladness of thu
household into mourning, and get ready
for the bride on her wedding morning {
: viel of black instead of white! Sucl
> must have been the thoughts of the sol
as he stood before his dead mother. Ant
L there was no abatement in the mirth ane
: frolicking in the parlor. How awful t.
. dampen the spirits of the buoyant com
. pany with news Of the death! What
o shock for the lighte-hearted bride
! Could he not keep the sad fact from bel
. from them all, until the morrow, at last
. Was it possible2 He would try. Ye
!, determined as he was not to spoil tn
u happiness Of the evening, the offices {
8 death must be performed, and these b
- could not do alone.
. He went down stairs as though nothin
- had happened, and, summoning his wit
ar unnoticcd from the parlor, broke tn
: news to her, and regained with her tt
a room upstairs. To have sent for assls
81 ance in laying out the corpse would hay
~ ~ been to alarm the household. Man an
- - wife laid her out as quietly as possib
~ themselves. By the time the remain
40 were disrobed, washed and covered vii
~ a sheet, the company down stairs ha
~ dispersed. The bride had gone to h
~, ~ chamber unconscious of her grandmother
- death 1t would be time enough to te
: her in the morning, poor thing. A boa
;s was then got, and on it was placed the 0
= lady. The windows were thrown op,
n - that the cool night air might assistin pr
Mt serving the remains. The door was loo
~, ed upon the corpse alone in the cold al
~. darkness, and the tired workers soug
ar' rest. There was an awful stiffness throut
9;a the house, but the bride was asleep, u
- conscious of the grief and Disappointing
- which was to be hers in the morni1
no None but the two helpmates knit
30. "a that the stiffness was the awful hush
- death.
,le The sun the next day streamed early
cal through the open window of the apa
IN ment where the dead woman lay, and
". sheet which concealed the pal
nj. form moved gently at intervals with t
wind that came in with the sunbeam
an The husband and wife were in the rec
out with the corpse; they had hurried to {
,ch up to perfect the arrangements for
pc funeral In low tones they were discu
INV ing what must be done. The undertal
on and the minister must be told! "Ye
azv said the son; land now about the cask
ey- l shall have to give the undertaken
ike idea Of the length, | suppose and be
urs at this, involuntarily, as if to take
les measurm ent, turned their eyes to
her sheet, which with its folds outlined t
nch still figure beneath. AS they did so. h
one ror seized both. The woman shrek
hat the hair Of the man, not fguratlvely
she literally, stood on end.
,rds They saw the coprse kick up her
Don convulsively, and with a few lusty XII
on threw off the sheet which a moment
tare fore had covered her geld limbs. I'll
like failed Tim Finncgan at the W;
half the remains sat upright, CHASTITY, gho
leci and frightful to see. The two stared
the terror at the startling sight, but the col
nan did not leave them long in suspense.
the the contrary, she seemed in the hlg
good degree undisturbed by the situat
now Her lips, nor longer colorless, mo
her and voice and request, each as nat
ling as the day, came from the dear old {