Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1879-01-16

+ could catch q slight glimmer o
the light through my eyelid
: and l am not positive wheth'
, the "smile" that one Of the nun
Der observed upon my lips ws
not provoked by the tremulou
hand that had recently take
the cloth from off my face, an
the perfect awe which they ev
IDENTIFY entertained for me.
Morning came at last, an
with it the coffin in which / wa
Ito be entombed. Contrary
my most earnest hopes, | wa
unable to convey the slightes
sign Of life to those who wer
employed in removing me int
the "narrow houses" and whel
once confined in it l gave u
nearly all hope for the future
for my position was SO crampet
as to render the strongest maj
incapable of moving after a few
hours confinement.
Fortunately for me, the coff1
lid had not been screwed down
very snugly before going to the
church, and the interstices ad-
mitted both air and sound. AL
though there could not have
been any perceptible respiration,
still | think the lungs must have
been inflated occasionally by a
very slow and imperfect process,
and there must have been q
slight futter of the heart, at
least every few minutes during
the entire period that / had re-
manned thus palsied.
Although the space of time
could not have exceeded an hour,
yet it seemed a moderate life
time to me before we reached
the church; and / heard an oc-
casional sob, and at last the
measured, solemn tones Of the
minister 40 he read the opening
prayers.
Then the low thunder of the
organ, preceding the tempest of
solemn minstrelsy, began; and fl
nally the organs grand outburst
of sorrow seemed to roll away
into the heaven, where its tones
were lost amid the sweet harmo-
ny of angels.
Some one was turning away
at the screws of my coffin-lid,
and / knew that my time was al
most come, and that presently
the congregation would be al
lowed to amuse themselves by
'looking at the corpse"
AS the coffin-lid was removed,
and everything was in readiness,
The congregation was requested
to "move around in regular or
der, go that all might have an
opportunity to view the corpse
without any crowding or jost-
ing"
Now was my time, and I ex-
srted all my pent-up energies to
betray some sign or token of
life. / listened for the different
FOOTBALLS, hoping to hear one
which / should know above all
others. It was that of DR.. Lew
q, my physician during my alast
and az enc limb was
considerably shorter than the
. ther he walked d with al
sort Of halt, viii ch / b a dI
become accustomed TO. Att
ength l heard him coming, or
thought I did; and as / believed
this to be my last hope, l exert
ID myself, beyond any former at
tempt, to move-an eyelid, or a
lip. / tried to smile, and was
rewarded with the compliment
Of "What sweet smile!'' from
\ sentimental schoolgirl.
Just then / heard the we'll
known hating footstep close be-
side the coffin, and changed the
smile into what was intenHd for
. frown. So great was my en-
leayer to signify that ! still liv-
ed, that the perspiration came
put in great drops upon my face. |
"Lord a mercy, how he
exclaimed an old LADY, |
considerably, wiping the moist
IRE from my brow.
Again | thought / heard the
aalting footstep, upon the other