Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-05-01
NUMBER 9.
Graveyard Fancies.

Nl30ut u grave Ndfus wen, guess ii
you had seen as many strange things as
have you'd not lie asking me such
questions. The speaker leaned upon
his things? Wen, should think so
I've been digging graves here nigh onto
twenty years, and | should think in that
time Id had opportunity enough to see
M, Strange things Strange in more
ways than one. It's all strange. Strange
folks are buried here; strange folks
come to the funeral; strange folks come
to visit the graves afterwards; and
stranger still are the things that happen
when every one is gone away and the
gates are shut for the night-when
long shadows stretch across the gravel
walks and the white stones stand out
against the gray sky like so many dead
people getting out of their graves in
their shrouds. Then it's so awfully
STILL I've lived In that little house out
there by the gate, as / said, nigh onto
twenty years, and I've never heard
sound after dark except the screeching
of the owls. Speaking about owls, it's
mighty wonder how they like to stay
about graveyard"
"Do they stay around much?" asked
the reporter
Why, yes. 1t seems like the grave
yard is their natural element, especially
when there's lots of big trees and ivy
grown vaults. To hear an owl boot in
the night here, as do sometimes, when
everything is still, would make your
blood run cold. They don't keep it up
rTfrht al tlax.n.,,rI
can get used to it; but it will be quiet
for long time-so still that you get
almost afraid to breathe, and the falling
of the leaves stratles you-then all of
sudden you'll hear the long hoot-too-
toot and dull rushing in the air, as
q big owl sails by and drops down upon
vault beneath the hill Then all is
still again-as still as them that's
buried there"
II can always tell when there's going
to be busy time here" he continued.
when the owls are particularly plenty
and keep up an awful hooting during
the night look for the funerals next
day. They always come. When the
owls boot it means funerals"
Il don't like owls" the old man went
on scraping the red clay from his spade
with the toe of his boot. II don't like
EN-; they don't mean good. Dead peo-
pie are good enough in their way, l get
used to them. But owls are kind of
half-dead and half-alive bird, and if
't'warn't that knew that they can't get
at EN-, I'd believe they lived on dead
people.
Don't you see any strange thing be-
sides owls?" asked the reporter, seeing
that the old man had run off at tan
gent and was likely to talk about owls
all the evening.
"Yes, lots of 'em. Strange people
come here. Some people seem to have
a kind of liking for graveyards," he re-
piled, looking at the reporter as if he
class. Then, being convinced that he
had never seen the scribe before, he
went on: "Yes. there are lots of peo-
pie who know have no friends buried
here, and / don't believe have any dead
ones in the family, come here and go
about signing and looking miserable
over all the graves that have big stones.
Then they go out as if they had treat.
Then there are other people who go to
all the funerals. They always go with
the mourners, and cry and take on as ii
they had lost dear friend, and when
it's all over they go away and wait for
the next. They are always on hand.
and get to know 'em quite we'll"
Don't many people come here who
do not take any interest whatever in the
place for its associations?" asked the
reporter Lovers, for instance, who
come here to find some secluded place
where they can talk without being in
terrupted ?"
"Oh, yes; there are lots OF lovers. I
can always tell them when they come
in They walk very slow and close up
to each other, and soon as they get into
the grounds they make for some seclud-
ed spot, as far from the gate as possible.
Then they try to look as if they got
there by accident. Oh, yes; there are
lots of EN-. But new couples are com
ing all the time The old ones get mar
ried and then they never come back
again until they have to, as sometimes
they do"
Its awful sad then" he added, as he
bowed his head and looked thoughtful
ly into the deep hole he had been dig
ging. eyes, it's awfully sad when one
of these lovers dies: the other takes on
SO awfully. = Washington, Star.