The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-10-09

anxiety had been too much for the poor
girl, and that she. bad temporarilysl ost
\ her reasoM l didsm best to calm her,
and soon Succeeded; for she began to
talk soIucidly that was compelled mot
only to listen, but to heed. Sbesaid that
she and one Of the servants had been
watching by my wife, who was ~appaA
rently sleeping peacefully, when they
had both been startled by peculiar
change in her countenance. They list
ened for the sound of her breathing, but
heard nothing. They had then held
hand mirror to her mouth, -but-it re-
manned unclouded. They had felt for the
! pulsation of her heart, it had ceased
to beat, and her body was deathly
The servant had gone, to tell one of the
men TO saddle horse and ride for the
nearest doctor, while She had come to,
tell the terrible news and bid me be
calm. Calm was out OF thequestion. L
tore myself away and rushed up stairs.
| They were idiots-they were demented;
but still there was a haunting fear which
| must dispel for myself. 'And yet 1 was
so sure that my wife could not be dead,
that l summoned, sufficient presence of
mind to open the door gently, and walk
softly to the bed. leaned over it. and
said, not loudly, but distinctly: Kate,
darling, are you asleepP' "d hE@ - -e
.But before l had spoken the last word
| was convinced. Il had seen death often,
and was sure that knew it too well not
torecognize ii at a glance. / now shrieked
instead of whispering but there was no
answer, and flung myself full length
upon the bed in voiceless agony. L must
have become almost, or entirely -uncon-
| scious for l never knew of the doctors
presence in the room until felt his hand
upon my arm. % He said 'lMy dear Mr..
Fitzpatrick, you must try and bear it
like man and Christian; for your wife
is dead; she has been dead more. than
an hour e'"'" y" 'No -
Show pfelt I can not tell you. was
PROSTATE with grief; and prostratelI re-,
manned for three days. The necessary
preparations for the funeral were made
by my wife's brother, and really was
unaware of what had been done. On the
evening of the third day / heard stealthy
footsteps ascending the stairs, and / felt
rather than knew that they were foot
steps of the men who had come to close
up the coffin. heard the door open;
then for a few minutes there was silence;
and then heard other and lighter foot
steps descending, followed by a tap at
the study door. / SAID. Come in : and
when the door opened, saw it was an
old nurse of my wife who had come to
see her living, and had found her dead,
8 Ii you please, sir, she said, giving my
wife the old familiar name, they can
not get the rings off Miss Hates fingers,
and they'want Ito'know what they must
do -.,',..,tss ,,aiassUa d sarf Esl q,
81 81 had been apathetic; :, but in % mo-
ment | was enraged, and 1. shouted .
Leave them on !! in tones which made
the poor woman beat a terrified retreat. I
| was completely sunnerVed by what
seemed an outrage upon the remains
that were so dear and so sacred to me
but j could not move to make a more
effectual protest, and soon sank into
the ;lethargy from which L had been
aroused. The night passed, as the pre-
ceding nights had passed, sleeplessly
and YEARLY. ! rose at dawn, and sat in
the study until noon, when they came to
tell me that the time for the funeral had
come, and that must follow my wife to
her last home. g
You won't know the rectory well,
Mr.. Browne" said Mr. Fitzpatrick, ad-
dressing himself directly to me shut you
must have passed it. The front door, as
you will remember, opens to the turn
pike road but there is also another door
with two glass panels, which opens
directly into the churchyardf NV wife
was in the habit of using this door very
frequently, for there ran from it a.path
which crossed the churchyard. and ended
in stile, which was just opposite the
gates of the grange, then rented by the
Hardings, who were her oldest friends.
When she had returned and found the
door fastened, which sometimes happen
ed, she had been used to let me. know
she was there by a peculiar tap, and l
had always gone to let her IN 1t was
out of this doOr--which somehow seemed
to belong to her, and out of which she
had often ,tripped 50, gayly-that l., fol
lowed her corpse; and as it was closed
gently behind me, i think fully realized
for the first time, what changed thing
my life must hencefOrth, be-, The service
was gone through; i heard the clods fall
upon the coffin, and returned to the
house that was now SO awfully solitary.
The vicar of the next parish, who had
performed the last sad offices for my
wife, returned with me-, and tried his
best to bring me to myself; but refused
to be comforted. At last he left me, and
/ was glad lto1be alone; for ii'solitudeI
could feel my wife was somewhere near
me- W. Jaigslu 01r yshi .oef s1+qy
:" They brought me food; but ] could
eat nothing. The hours passed slowly;
but l took no note of them. L did not
even know it was dark until one Of the
maids came and asked if she should light
the lamp. i let her do itaand then me-
chanically took a book down from the
shelf and tried to read. 1t was only a
mockery of reading, but it acted as
sort of narcotic; and Iehad dropped into
a doze, when l was aroused by a knock
ing at my door, sharp. and decisive, as
if the person knocking was not asking
but demanding entrance. Just as the
knock came, the clock struck twelve,
and !. knew that | must hsye been sleeps
ing for nearly three hours. got up
from my chair, opened the door, and
inquired whatwas wanted Of me. Stand
!