The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1879-01-23
VOL. XII--NO. 9.

mere addition to the rent, and the house
was SO exactly what I wanted, that il
would even then be cheap to me, with
my large-family of motherless children
/ had, on taking the house, deter,
mined on not bothering myself about
the chest, but before had been there
month, it begrn to act as nightmare
on me, an incubus could not shake off,
These feelings at last reached such q
pitch that I finally changed my bed
room, would not sleep any longer
directly underneath this accursed mys-
terious fabric.
About a week after this a lengthy de-
bate kept me late at the House OF Com
mons, and walking home for the sake
of fresh air, found the midsummer
dawn breaking as | struck into Park
Lane, and at that moment l was startled
by Observing in the western sky strong
light, not due to reflected sunrise, and
ere had walked another two hundred
yards, saw, yes, merciful powers! it
was my house that was on hre
can scarcely record what followed
I only knew that somehow l found my
self in the midst of The police and fire
men. That l explained to the chief
who I was, and that under his escort |
soon ascertained that all the inmates of
my house, my children, their governess,
and the servants, were in safety, and
had been taken in to a neighbor's at
the rear; that, as soon as | found this
to be the case, I, accompanied still by
the superintendent, mounted to the top
of an adjacent residence, whence the
firemen were directing the hose upon
the flames.
Once on this vantage point, my mind
reverted to the white chest. Was it
still there? Yes; the flames, though
bursting out from all the windows of
the upper stories, back and front, had
not yet done more than wrench and
crack portions of the glass case. But
presently, amidst the roar of the flames,
there came a dull heavy rumble for a
moment, and then with tremendous
crash the roof fell in. With it went the
glass case, and the now charred and
blackened chest itself.
But, good heavens! what was it that
I looked down upon? turned my face
awaysfor a moment with shudder, for
there, protruding through the splintered
fragments of its once creamy-white
wooden case, was huge leaden coffin,
which in its turn melting and bursting
with the heat, displayed within the un-
mistakable form of a shrouded corpse!'
was in the act of drawing my COM
panion's attention to it iu horror, when
suddenly there flew up around it with
redoubled fury, such mass of flame
and smoke, that it was entirely hidden,
and soon the fire had SO spread and
burst out again, that the horrible spec
tacle of this unintentional cremation
was shut from sight, and the house was
finally burned to the ground!
pass over what Immediately followed
after l had made my way back to the
friendly abode where the members of
nv family were sheltered. In few
days they were snugly settled again in
another home, fortunately not very
much the worse for the terrible scare.
In due course the time arrived for look
ing into my losses, and while l was
doing SO / received a letter from Mr..
Gayling, who had come to town re-
questing an interview. I was glad of
this, for foresaw it must lead to some
explanation of the strange circum-
stances surrounding the agreement l
had signed. Unexpectedly Mr.. Cav
ling disclosed it to me Immediately We
met!
"I have asked for this interview
sir" he said abruptly, because | am a
ruined man, through your tenancy OF
my house"
"But," 1 interposed, l am told you
were fully insured. 1 do not understand
YOU"
will: was bro ught up to the sea, and
followed it till mid life, for l was en-
tirely dependent on my own earnings.
My only relative at this time was an
old uncle, also sailor, and a most
eccentric man, as you will presently see.
Fifteen years ago he suddenly came
into a large sum of money; l never
knew how, but he retired and took that
house. He had only been in it three
years when mortal sickness overlook
him; he sent for me.
"'Tom,' said he, l am dying, and l
don't like it; 1 am terrified, not so
much at the thought of death, as at the
thought of burial; a sailors grave 1
would not mind, but to be boxed up
and thrust into the earth, no, Tom, |
won't stand it. l look to you to see
that it doesn't happen; and l have
taken measures to make sure that you
do see that it doesn't happen. I've
made my will, Tom; Pve left you all l
possess, but on one condition, and it is,
that you are my heir SO long as am
we'll above ground, and no longer
mark the words, "well above ground" !"
Directly l am buried, or my remains
are allowed to mingle with mother
earth, as she is called, all my money,
mind, goes straight to the Seamen's
Hospital, every penny of it. :" ., r
"sBut what am to do with you l
asked.
"sOh, run me up aloft, masthead me,
anything you like, but don't bury me. ,
"Wel," went on Mr.. Gayling, " to
make long story short, found that
bu0 COuu1blOuS VI buc OIu IldA o Will
were binding, and his executors and
myself hit upon the plan of hoisting
the coffin on to the roof of his house.
Under certain conditions, we found it
was possible for us legally to do this.
So I dismissed my three servants, en-
ployed country undertaken, my old
ships carpenter, and foreign glazier,
in order that the matter should not be
talked of in the neighborhood, and per-
sonally saw the arrangements carried
out. You can now understand my
reasons for not having it meddled with /;
yes, sir, and you can now understand
that the conditions of the will must
take effect. No sign of the coffin or the
body even was to be discovered in the
ruins of that house. have had rigid
search made, to no purpose; the old
gentleman's remains have been con-
sumed, have mingled with mother
earth, and the money passes as matter
of course to the Seamen's Hospital.
have not a penny in the world. What
can you do for me?"
1t is not necessary for me to say what
did for Mr.. Gayling, bat finding by
other evidence, that his story was sub
stantially correct, felt his case was {
hard one, certainly strange one, and