Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-10-08

II had not planned to wait until a late
hour before beginning operations. The
cemetery was as deserted at s as at l2 o'clock,
and there was little or no passing in its vi
cinity. 1 therefore drove at once, by q
roundabout road, to the scene Of my labors.
II had planned my campaign during the
afternoon. A narrow lane followed one OF
the side walls Of the inclosure down to the
back where there was no wall. They were
extending the cemetery in this direction,
and the lane was used by the carts which car
ried the dirt used in grading. Down this
lane drove, and entering the inclosure at
the back, proceeded at once to the lot with
out mishap. The air was sharp and was
glad to get to work and start my blood to
running. l leaned my tools up against the
monument that adorned the lot, and took
the seats out of the wagon. I did not dare
to light lantern, but hoped to be able to
complete my task by the dim but sufficient
light of the stars.
I'It was quite lift for one man to get the
box out of the wagon, and required some
little engineering, but l finally succeeded
in placing it beside the grave. 1 then turn
ed to get my tools. 10 my utter dlsmay
they were gone!
"My God! where is the shovel?' cried
aloud.
"Here," responded familiar voice from
behind the monument, and out stepped
Shrowl, with my shovel raised above his
head threateningly.
"'Youn cried in amaZement.
eyes, he replied. Il tumbled to your
little game, and have been watching you
ever since. My suspicious were aroused by
your call on us this afternoon, though |
couldn't quite make you out. You didn't
look like resurrectiOnist,. but you acted
like one, and until found that you had 9
body Of your own down at the depot, |
discovery didn't know what to think, and
decided to play it alone. What is your
game, anyhow"
"Wh8 could do: I sat down on one
of the wagon seats and told him the whole
story. And there in the cemetery, leaning
up against monument besides new made
grave, that little fat undertaken laughed
until even the moaning night wind put on
sympathetic tone of cheerfulness.
"'Well,' he said, when / had finished, i
suppose 1 must help you out. But dc
wish you had come to me in the first place
BY the way he added, as he took up the
pick, you haven't heard anything OF your
trunk, have you:' and then he laughed
again.
ples out of the ground and in the cart, and
were preparing to lower the real body into
its place, when the fancy seized ShroWl to
have look at the remains and make sure
that there was no mistake this time. Icon"
fess l was not 10th to look once more upon
the pale, beautiful face that had SO strange
ly fascinated me in my room in that Chlca-
20 hotel, and in few moments the lid had
yielded to his deft professional touch, and
l again beheld the Same-no, not the same
for the eyes were open now, and a faint
moan came from beneath the glass
II grasped Shrowls arm-I could not
speak-but my warning was unheeded. In
a twinkling he had wrenched back the
hinged lid of the inner casket, and had
lifted Janet Archer, alive by a miracle, as
it seemed, from the hideous receptacle.
y y
"Of course the whole thing had to come
out then. 1 and my sample box got into
the newspapers. My portrait was publish
ed together with those of Shrowl and Miss
Archer, in the New York Cess Pool, with a
diagram showing the position of the body
when found as is their custom in such cas-
es. The exposure of the real contents of my
sample case of course made it impossible for
me to continue its use, and made me bit
timid about travelling over the same lines
whose employees had so successfully vic
timized. 1 found out by degrees, however,
that the thing was regarded as an excellent
joke on all sides. Two good results to my
self followed from this adventure. First.
the advertising that l got out of it enabled
me to more than double my business. Sec
ond, my samples got more careful handling
thereafter. So, on the whole, was salts.
fed. Miss Archer, recovered perfectly. l
suppose I ought to have married Miss Ar
cher, really, in order to give roundness and
finish to this narrative; and there is only
one reason why didn't try. The fact was
that I had already wife and two children
at home in P at the time. The rea-
son why Miss Archer wouldn't have had Ire
if 1 had tried, existed in the shape of a
young man, now her husband who never
fails to testify to me, when we meet, his
gratitude for the care and attention | show
ed to his wife during that journey we once
took together.
"Shrowl is still the first undertaken in
Council Bluffs. If you ever die there-and
1 don't know a better place to die in-pat-
roniZe him."