The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-11-04

! sOlenllIy Ol lue oCciisioii, souhaSo
somewhat secular. In later days !
WIS better able to grasp Mr.. Newbon's
character (which was ANYTHING but pro
fane1, and to appreciate his obser-'
vations upon human nature. His lee
tuse-room WAS most commonly the grave
yard itself, which, being contiguous To
/ our own house, afforded me many oppOr-
tunities of conversing with him, when on
the eve OF any great engagement he
came, like a prudent general, to survey
the ground and make his dispositions be-
| foiehand--in advance OF the sexton.
After many years absence from the
home Of my fathers, | returned to Tat
bury the other day, and found any friend
of the scarf and hat-band still above
ground and busy as usual. His was a
trade, as / ventured to observe to him,
that never fails, and which such bad
times as these even promote by OCCASION
III suicides.
He shock his head Folks die, Mas
ter James, of course" he said; "there is
no falling off there He was abort to
add, "thank Heaven" but perceiving
with fine tact that the ejaculation was
too professional, and might have been
misunderstood, he effected the following
substitution: "but. when they die. they
are not buried as they used to be-"
"Dear mew g / I; ''has cremation
made such strides, them
He smiled eontemptuously. '1n a
Christian land sir, that will never sue
ceed. What sort of future can be
looked for as begins, so to speak, with
burning! The parson says, "Ashes to
ashes,' it is true, Int that is quite an
other thing from cremation. Folks know
they will be reduced to dust. but they
don't see the operation, and therefore
| don't realize it; if they did, it would be
harder for them to imagine their friends
saints and angels; and therefore they
don't want TO see it.
There's something in that" / as
sented, 80 donbt."
MIR. Newton smiled benignly, asthough
he would have said, "There is generally
something in what l say. If you will
only favor me with your attention." then
added rehcctively, "Why, there was old
Lady Braddon the other day, she
wouldn't be put into the family vault,
nor yet into II brick grave, because, said
she, How am to pet out again@ She
was the best of Christians, but in that
respect she had material views. And
here she lies we were standing in the
cnurchyard-"a among file mere common
people accordingly"
at must be rather sad for You to have
to come here 40 often" said I, "and on
such melancholy errands."
felt the observation was foolish one
directly it had passed my lips; but it is
one thing to know what is commonplace,
and another to know how to avoid it.
"Melancholy" he exclaimed, ''not a
bit of it. The great majority of my
friends lie here, and have no disincli
nation to join them. You see that square
green grave with the four stones about it
there lie the best people | ever knew il
Talbury, and the best whist players; two
of them bachelors, two OF them spinsters
Mr.. Ashton and Miss Lake, Mr.. Groves
and Miss Sutton. There they lie oppo
site each other, just as they sat in lie;
you remember them, Master James, Of
coursew
81 remember who they WERE" | said
81 was but a boy in their time. You
used to tell me about them"
i Gay, ] dare = y. When Mr. Ashton
went. I had some hopes of filling hi.
:, place; but they preferred dumby. The
4 three met together every night fol
n years, with that vacant seat at the ole
table; it was a very tonching spectacle
n None of them would ever lead a singh,
) card after they had lost him, no matte
, how desperate their condition; it wa
, felt to be irmrerent, and, SO to speak, al
infringement of copyright. 1t was wha
the American publishers with whom
however, 1 wouldn't compare them Ter
, 1noment) see call 'the courtesy Of til
trade There was delicacy of feelin,
and no mistake. Mr.. Groves was tn
next to go, when the two old ladies wer
$ reduced to double dumby. Miss LAX
used to say: I'VE cart help playin
r for our own hands now, can we, as poo
t Mr.. Groves used to do"' They wer
/; obliged to infringe his copyright fron
' necessity. A man as Ieonldnt drop
e tear to see those two eld ladics withou
$ partners, evening after evening, wasn'
0 worthy to be called man. Aud in IN
V opinion it fastened their end; do,lbl
u dumby is great strain upon the mine
= Master James" ..
0 The undertaken was SO moved that
he had seen the same demonstratiyene.
> in one of his own nlutes he would hay
G given him q shilling; it WAS ALWAYS
c principle with him to encourage emotion
r "Then Miss Lake, she was the third t
i go. A good woman, if ever there wa
II enc. Che poor lost q friend in her, ~
4 the church a constant attendant. Sll
i never touched a card after y o'clock Q
i Saturday nights, though only a .fe
t. people knew what it .cDst,her to resist til
n temptation. There's been a note Of
VI kept in the proper place, I've not
IS doubt" ~ ''' 80" y
d Here the undertaken gave a sigh |
/, significant thatI could not for thetlil
nj Of Inc help observing tThere are fe
A