Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-02-03

my study to spend a couple of hours
over my next Sunday mornings SER
mon. 1 had been downstairs only
about three-quarters of an hour, when
my wife's sister, who had been sitting
with her during my absence, burst into
the room and threw herself upon me,
exclaiming: oh, Jamesl she's deadi
Our darling Kate's deadp
"You can imagine the shock she gave
me; but it never occurred to me to i'm
agine that what she said was really true.
thought nothing but that the strain of
anxiety had been too much for the poor
girl, and that she had temporarily lost
her reason. ! did my best to calm
her; and soon succeeded, for she began
to talk so lucidly that was compelled
not only to listen but TO heed. She said
that she and one of the servants had
been watching my wife, who was appa-
rently sleeping peacefully, when they
had both been startled by a peculiar
change in her countenance. They
listened for the sound of her breathing,
but heard nothing. They had then
held hand-mirror to her mouth, but it
remained uncIouded. They had felt for
the pulsation of her heart, but it had
ceased to beat, and her body was deathly
cold. 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 be
calm. Calm was out OF the question.
I tore myself away and rushed upstairs.
They were idiots-they were demented;
but still there was a haunting fear which
I must dispel myself. And yet I 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. l leaned over it, and
said, not loudly, but distinctly: kate,
darling, are you asleep"
"But before l had spoken the last
word | was convinced. had seen death
often and was sure that l knew it too
well not to recognize it at a glance. /
now shrieked instead of whispering,
but there was no answer, and flung
myself full length upon the bed in voice
less agony. must have become almost
or entirely unconl cious, for l never
knew of the DOCTORS presence in the
room until l felt his hand upon my
arm. He said:
my dear Mr.. Fitzpatrick, you must
try and bear it like man and a Chris
tian, for your wife is dead; she has
been dead more than an hour"
How l felt cannot tell you. / was
PROSTATE with grief; and PROSTATE l
remained for three days. The necessary
preparations for the funeral were made
by my wife's brother, and really wa
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 footsteps of the men who had come
to close up the coffin. / heard the door
open; then for few minutes there was
silence; and then l heard other and
lighter footsteps descending, followed
by a tap at the study door. / said:
Come in aud when the door opened
saw at once that it was an old nurse of
my wife's, who had come 10 see her
living, and had found her dead. IF
you please, SIR she said, giving my
wife the old familiar name. they can
not get the rings off Miss Kate's finger,
and they want to know what they
must do.'"
II had been apathetic; but in mo-
ment / was enraged, and l shouted:
Leave them onr in tones which made
the poor woman beat terrified retreat.
| was completely unnerved by what
seemed an outrage upon the remains that
were so dear and sacred TO me; but
could not move to make a more effectual
protest, and soon sank into the lethargy
from which | had been aroused. The
night passed, as the preceding nights
had passed, sleeplessly and wearily. l
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 l must follow my wife to her last
home"
You won't know the rectory we'll,
Mr.. Browne" said MIR. Fitzpa rick, adj
dressing himself directly to me; "but
you must have passed it. The front
door, as you will remember, opens to
the turnpike road; but there Is also an
other door with two glass panels which
open directly into the churchyard. My
wife was in the habit OF using this door
very frequently; for there ran from 1t a
path which crossed the churchyard
and ended in a style, which was Just oppo-
site the gates ofthe grange, then rented by
the Hardings, who were her Oldest
friends. When she had returned and
found the door fastened, which some
times hanpened ahe had heen uaad IN