Sharp County record., 1885-05-21

nGr, Uluu6u away III wv SNO
"You here?"
7 started. Behind me stood the gar
rulous old man, my companion IN the
cars. looking down at me seriously, and
without a word he seated himself be-
side me on the sunken stone near
Parnas grave. For awhile we were
silent, and the children in the school
house across the way began to recite
something in a chorus, their voices
rising and falling in monotonouS chant
"Poor Parna!n said the old man,
softly.
"You knew her?"
He nodded, and, taking hold of my
arm, pointed to a church-spire that
showed itself on hill to the west.
:'That's where I'm going" he said. "lt
amt three miles away, and. as we have
to stay there till the track is ear for
the train, l thought I'd just walk down
and see the graveyard. My folks are
buried yonder, under that pine-tree,
and suppose I'll lay alongside of 'em
some day. told the girls to bring me.
I'd rather be here than anywhere else,
l guess"
After minutes pause he stretched
out his hand, raised the marble flap,
and looked at the portrait of Parma With
a wavering smile.
'Its good likeness" he continued
Her old father had it put in. She was
all he had left, and he didn't stay long
after she was gone. He used to come
here and sit and look at the picture by
the hour Many's the time | have seen
him sitting here all alone, sort O talk
ing, as though she could hear. He was
childish, and l guess he thought she
knew that he had come to keep her
company Perhaps she did" And the
old man let the flap fall over the por-
trait and turned his blue eyes to me in
solemn wonder. "She Il ed to teach
school across the way" he went on,
"and all the children came to her
funeral. 1t don't seem but yesterday
that we stood here listening to the
cumps of earth falling on her coffin
Poor Parma! She was a good girl
Everybody loved her."
His voice broke, but an absent smile
fingered on his face. "She was en-
caged to be married." he said, with a
certain hesitation, land her sweetheart
was most broken-hearted. He wasn't
of much account, but she thought a
good deal of him, and he was going tc
study for the ministry, though his folks
were awful set against it, for, you see,
he wasn't so young, being-lemme see
oh, he was nigh onto ten years Older
than her.
"And after she died?" l asked.
He drew down his mouth: "Well, he
give up all thoughts of studying for the
ministry. You see, ne never felt he had
real call for it; but he would have
studied to please her. After she was
gone he did as his folks wanted him to-
and went to village where an uncle OF
his kept store. And he kept store
made some money at it, too; and when
his uncle died he got the business. y
"And did he ever marryP'
"Yes," said the old man, slowly,
and with an odd, deprecatory smile.
Yes, he married a woman no more
like Parma than Martha in the Bible was
like Mary. Not but what she was a
good woman" he added, hastily, "and
an uncommon smart woman, regular
go-ahead, all energy, always driving,
always saving, up before daylight.
Still, don't believe Parna's sweetheart
ever forgot her, though he did marry
and have ch ldren. Those were my
daughters that brought me to the depot:
you may have seen 'em. They are both
married now, and they are both
like their mother. They are their
mother right over again, so to
speak-all push and encrgy-and they
just keep their husbands going all the
time. Now, Parma, here his voice
grew soft and he looked at the picture
again wasn't one of that sort.
She was gentle, and she had a low
voice She had good deal of energy,
too, but there was womanly way about
her; | don't know how to express it ex-
actly. Why sometimes over there at
the school the boys We're regular bad
ones, but she could rule 'em. You see,
she got 'em to love her; that was all.
They came to her funeral, and the big
gest boys carried her coffin. | remem..
Der one chap, Abe Mosely he was, and
he was limb of the law, and nobody
could control him, he was always fight
ing and getting into mischief; but when
they buried Parma he stood there, Just
where that tallest clump of golden-rod
is, and he kept his arm over his face all
the while the minister was talking.
Earth to earth, ashes to ashes. Poor
Parna!"
He said no more, but with a trembling
hand he picked a bunch of the asters at
his feet, and, though they grew wild all
about, these he laid on the grave. With
a Joyous shout the children burst out OF
school. and the old man and | rose and