Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-06-30
A Cemetery Without Grass.

The sun was slanting to the west as
we turned our steps from the busy city
Of Pueblo, making our way to the
cemetery, which lies a mile to the north
ward. True, our eyes had grown some
what accustomed to the dry, sandy
waste of country which stretches about
this city of Colorado; but we had not
thought that the desert could extend
within this sacred spot; and the ceme-
tery of the east naturally rose in mag
nation. Think of that in spring or
summer, and a vision of flowers and
living green is presented; in autumn,
and there is the gorgeous October TO-
liage-even winter seems to lay his
hand lightly upon the beauties that
surround the quiet sleepers.
The little mounds were in sight at
last, but the grass and the flowers did
not appear; on the contrary, the earth
| with the surrounding sand hills pre-
| sented a scene so dead that all things
seemed hopeless of the resurrection
morn. The chief object which called
us to the quiet spot was a desire to see
the grave of a Chinaman. The funeral
had taken place some wv weeks before.
The potter's field contains the grave,
which was easily recognizable by the
curious array upon it. 1t was shaped
as the others. no stone, but a wooden slab
marked the head and foot; the one at
the head bore some Chinese characters,
while the other told in English the
name and date. Over the head was q
plate upon which lay a roast chicken,
then a bowl of rice. some Joss-sticks
stuck in the earth, after these u small
cup with a kind of nuts, a bottle half
buried in the earth, another small cup,
and lastly a plate with the head of u
chicken upon it, and another just over
the foot containing a kind of meat.
Everything bore the marks of fire. and
by the side of the grave were the re-
mains of a fire, in which We're frag-
ments of Chinese paper AID half-burned
Joss-sticks. After gazing for. a time
upon these marks of a very different
civilization, we passed to the other por-
tons Of Goods acre. and found them
scarcely less strange than the one just
left.
The desire to, in some way, beautify
the last resting place of loved ones
seems to be so firmly Implanted in the
human breast. that if one means fails,
another is employed. Though not Il
tree nor spear OF green turf greeted the
eyes yet all around We're the tokens of
lovin@hands; handsimpcllcdby a motive
so sacred, that they will not be gain
sayed. Here We're the tiny mounds,
whose brown earth was strewcd with
%playthings, that the little hands had
ceased to grasp. There two graves side
by side; the surroundings b%etokening
poverty rather than wealth: the one a
glittering mass of blue, the other a
cleaning red. Upon nearer approach,
the blue and the red proved to be glass
in tiny pieces. The hills about Pueblo
abound in small stones. which though
not valuable are pleasing to the eye.
Many of the graves are covered with
these stones, nicely fitted together,
those of the more wealthy showing that
the ornamental stonework had been
done by the hands Of skilful workman.
The sides only We're covered with the
bright stones, while upon the fiat top
name was often traced with stones.
Many were the ways in which the
friends of the sleepers had proved their
desire to dc what they could.
The sun was sinking behind the dis
tant mountains as we turned from the
silent, lone place, leaving the sleeping
children with their untouched play
things; the wanderer from beyond the
sea, with the strange array above him,
rich and poor, all resting as peacefully
rs though beneath the green turf and
the leafy shade:
Daily the tides of life go ebbing and flowing
beside them,
Thousands of throbbing hearts where theirs
are at rest and forever,
Thousands of aching brains where theirs no
longer are busy,
Thousands of toiliny hands, where theirs have
ceased from their labors,
Thousands of weary feet, where theirs have
completed their journey!
Pueblo (Col.) Cor. Springfield (Mass.)
Republican.
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