The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1888-08-03
miscellaneous.
lust IN TIME.

"Eima Griffin, died April To- 1910, aged
Is years, 2 months and days"
These were the words engraved upon a
silver plate, but there was no coffin under
them. Mis- Purroy, an elderly lady visiting
friends living on Clinton avenue, Almeda,
but whose home was in Brooklyn, n. Y,
looked with an air of mingled pride and rev.
ercnce upon the carving for her name was
once Elma Griffin, and the coffin was made
to hold her remains.
"On my nineteenth birthday" she said
my mother invited a number Of acquant-
ances to our house to celebrate the day.
We lived some distance outside of Williams
burg, as it was then, and the ground was
little soft and boggy. One of my friends re-
mcmbercd this as she was about TO start home
with her brother, and she laughingy con
graduated me on being housed already and
having no occasion to brave the swamp. |
was wild young girl in those days, and /
declared at once that | would % with them
and return alone
Everybody present tried to dissuade me
except the girls brother. We started and
when reached my friends house was con.
sCiOus that my feet were quite wet, and that
a disagreeable chill had crept over me, but
declined an invitation 10 go in and went
away at once. Of course Rob--ihe brother,
mean-Came with me, and somehow for
got the cold and damp as | walked home.
think we must have talked for long
time as we stood on my unCle's door step,
for suddenly Rob-my escort, l mean-said:
'Emn, your face is very pale Have | kept
you standing here too long? He talked to
me for ten minutes after that, and then
wished me good night and left me. | rang
the bell, and when my mother opened the
door told her what might have known an
hour sooner, If had given il Il thought, that
was really i'll. She hurried me to bed i'm
mediately, and when she came to call me the
following morning she looked very anxious
ly. BY noon was dclirous, but | could
hear the doctor tell my mother had typhoid
fever, and that he could not hold out much
hope for my recovery. knew that my
mother was weeping, but was selfish girl,
and | only cried out: Robert Robert
Where is Robcrt?' and they told me- hardly
thinking that heard them, that Robert had
been suddenly called upon to start for Cali
iorna early that morning, and had not even
heard of my illness. He sent letter to me,
however, but | did not see it until many
weeks later.
II grew rapidly worse, and gradually all
knowledge OF outer things passed from me.
| fancy had a certain consciousness, but
not OF matters around me. | was in another
state OF being, in which the person acting
and speaking-always strangely speaking
was myself, and yet not myself Then came
an utter blank, from which l awoke after
nearly three weeks of oblivion, TO see my
mother, and the doctor said the crisis was
passed and | should probably recover, but
did not feel any interest in what he was
talking about.
The quiet days Reconnaissance followed
Il.
regarded me seriously and warned mother
that a relapse should he carefully guarded
against. used at that time, too, to fall into
curious physical conditions that | suppose
were frances, in which knew all that was
going on around me, but from which | did
not seem to care to arouse myselfby moving
or speaking. These periods lasted longer
aud longer, but they were not observed, and
as they we've rather pleasant than otherwise
said nothing about them.
"One morning | awoke from what seemed
to be natural sleep, and lay with my eyes
closed listening to sounds that at first could
not interpret; but slowly the knowledge
came to me that my mother was sObbing be-
side my bed. tried to ask her why she was
grieving, but could not move or speak. The
trance was upon me. ! was sensitive, how
ever, and knew that | was lying upon Il
mattress of my bed. | could feel, too, very
little covering over me, and despite my eye
lids being down the gloomy darkness Of the
room could be detected. Where in the
world have they carried me to-? thought.
"Presenty heard my mothers voice, and
knew that she was speaking to my cousin
Mary, who was staying in the house with
us.
"'Poor Elma,' she said Il was sure that
God would spare her TO me- She struggled
through that dreadful illness only to die
quietly in her sleep at last 1t is very hard,
Mary
ii have often wondered since that l did
not really die Of horror at that moment as |
realized like Il lightning flash that they
thought was dead and had put me in my
coffin. They were going to bury me. |
srove hard to speak but the sphinx was not
more dumb than l. tried to still, but the
rock of Gibraltar might have moved as
easily. Must my life be smothered out in Il
grave for want of little speech or action
now? thought.
"'lt is hard. indeed, dear aunt replied
Mary, but His will be done You must
arouse yourself The undertaken will close
the coffin in u few minutes. Do you think
Robert-Mr. Purroy-will be hereT
81 hardly think so now answered my
mother. something must nave nappehtu W
delay him. He was to have arrived home
yesterday, but he did not come, and post
poned the burial until to day lie has not
heard of her death, poor fellow. The news
will nearly kill him. There is one person in
the world, l think, who loved poor Elma as
dearly as do
go, Robert, Robert l cried, with silent
voice, come quickly. lfyou look Mt me you
will know | am not dead
II heard knock at the bedroom door.
Was it RobcrI No, it was only the under
taker.
"'May / close it now, ladies" he asked in
professionally molrnful but very business
like tones.
Nobody but myself knew that my heart
was beating, and even hardly knew it as
the undertaken spoke. A second aflerward
it seemed to me that it throbbed loud enough
for everybody to hear it, for somebody rang
the door bell and | knew az well that 1t was
Robert MS though my sealed eyes could have
looked through brick, wood and mortar to
see him standing outside. Softly and quietly
he entered the room, gravely and calmly he
asked my mother and my cousin to leave him
for a few minutes alone with the dead. He