Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1885-05-23
CHAPTER III.


The old man was an excellent com
positor, wonderfully correct and untir-
ing in his efforts to please. All day he
would sit on a high stool putting up
type with regular click. His closest
approach to smile was the grim ex-
preston that crossed his face when he
bent himself over the Hcase" and
coughed with hollow sound He kept
bottle of cod liver oil setting on the
press, and three times day he would
take up the bottle aud drink with as
much zest, it appeared to me, rs though
he were imbibirg choice wine.
He slept in the Office. One night
while We were sitting by the stove he
looked up suddenly and asked:
@iVhat is your re1igion2g
Il do not belong TO any church
(which church do you ifayor?"
IL favor them all, for they all point
to IA place of final rest
aAnd final hell" he said.
"Yes, the most of them believe in a
hell, though not SO strongly. | fancy, as
they did before education became so
general"
Not so much as they did," he as
sented. "Manv OF them do not now
belle, e that hell necessary to saliva
ion, but there must be a difference in
the treatment OF good and lal souls.
Suppose man who never harmed any
one should kill himself? you think
his soul would find rest?'
THAT is a question upon which
would not like to express an opinion" !"
EIt is a question though" he con-
tinued, (which concerns me very mucl /.
My suffering daily increases, but don't
see that / am approaching the grave
with that degree of acceleration which
promises an early relief from pain. l
have often thought that in my case a
man would be justitiable in taking his
own life. 1t looks to me us though /
am relentlessly tortured"
/ hardly knew what answer to make,
for l felt that the old man had cause to
complain, but after a few moments of
reflection / said:
-Wait. No matter how much you
may be racked with pain, wait. You
surely can not live much longer"
A light of encouragement shone in
his eyes, as he said;
"Ah, those are pleasant words"
After this / fancied he was not so
restless. He continued to take medi-
cine, to allay pain rather than to pro
long life, he said. He wrote several
strangely readable articles for the Cat
Fish. don't know that, with all my
experience in handling manuscripts, |
have ever seen handwriting so peculiar
as his. A number of our citizens who
saw it remarked its dissimilarity to any
chirography they had ever beheld, and
among them the old man was known
as the curious scribe.
One evening, as l was about to leave
the office, he followed me to the door.
"Mr Buck" said ho, II think now that
my time is short"
He looked as though he wanted to
smile, but his poor old lips had lost
the movement necessary to the refiec-
tion of so pleasing an expression.
"Why do you think so, Mr.. With
ers?"
al dreamed last night that / was
dead. l thought that L lay down in
quiet rest, like tired man who goes to
bed"
"Idon't think that you should sleep
here alone"
"Yes," he replied. "The presence OF
any one would disturb my meditations.
have an impression that l will die
suddenly. An attendant would do no
good, and would rob the first few hours
of my long-coveted sleep of that deep
solitude which desire shall surround
me-"
As was walking down the road to-
ward the house where boarded ON
long time and short rations, / met
Squire Duval.
well, Buck" when l had stopped
and shaken hands with him, show is
the curious scribe getting along?"
almost cheerful in the thought that
he is soon to leave US" replied.
Strange old man, mighty queer, but
out O. whack. Him an me agrees put
ty well here o. late, fur I've mighty
nigh made spiritualist outen him.
luther day when he 'peered to be SO
dead sot on suicide, said TO him, says
/: Withers, don't do it. If you do
your grade will be low. Live on, even
If you do suffer, an your grade will be
high
The next morning as was going to
the Office overlook the Squire near
the place where ! had met him the day
before. "B'leve I'll go with you,y said
he, "an' have q few moments chat with
the old feller."
There was no lock on the Office door,
and lifting the latch we entered Great
.fodl The old mans body lay ON the
floor. His head, with the face turned
toward us, lay ON the imposing stone.
A bloody-an awful scenel On the
stone. near the head, lay sheet of pa