River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1889-08-29
DEAD TO THE WORLD.
a Story OF Devotion and OF Wasted
Opportunities.

hA--Ab ~ liz NOItLlt.
a Story OF Devotion and OF Wasted
Opportunities.
IL was rs superintendent Of IN old
cemetery. IN Iakc-Shore city. that |
same 20 know Miss Abbie Peunel. 4
quiet spot 10 was. though the growth Of
population had brought it almost into
the heart of the town; sacred as the
resting place of most OF the early resi-
dents and where few were buried save
a.. now and then, some old person was
brought 20 b. laid beside families and
friends who had been awaiting them.
perhaps for years Hence. little of the
passion Of fresh grief entered those
old stone gates. and eyes grew moist
with the mist Of tende. recollection.
rather than with tuc tears Of smartiug
sorrow Time had laid his finger in
soothing touches on the hearts Of the
mourners, and Ia lichcns aud mosses
on the quaint old monumental stones
4 liking for the place grew upon me
f0r it, peaceful silence. accumulated by
the stir ard bu-'le of the city streets
outside it~ walls. In summer evenings,
when the bird-vOir.s in the tall. old
silver naples were hushcd. and the
pu~sers through The long. straight
walks were all gone. | would often
pace up and down. with The dusky tree
shadows falling around me, and the
white stones over the sleeping dead
lifting thick on every side. and wonder
as tu the history of that great company
ON whose every book 81 life fms was
written Aud so. walking through
1hem day by day. musing Of the hopes
and ambitions long since dust and
ashes, an emotion of sympathy and in
tere9t in them grew upon me, a sense
OF friendliness I bad almost said. of
acquaintance. strange feelings. indeed.
toward spirits who had long passed
beyond the need. il not the knowledge,
~ amy Of the riffs poor mortality can
bc~tow
Among the graves that from age,
cpitaph, or some cNtraucuus cause.
soon drew my attention. was one in
retired corner, noticeable for the con-
slant care with which it was tended
and the fresh f9Vcrs on IL. renewed
as often ar thcyl faded. while the
modest hcad~tuuc bore date some
thirty years before
strong indeed" said Ia myself.
unjust this affection be that after all
these years for-cts lot its sorrOwful
ministry
Malcolm Mcknight Randall" read
the inscription. a young man of
great promise. drowned May =. Is,
aged twenty-five years.
Poor fellow tho>ght. gifted.
ru doubt. beyond the measure Of men.
loved also, il would seem. beyond
their measure \ daguerreotypc was
fixed in the front Of the stone. but sun
and storm had dimmcd the lincameuts.
Till only the eye of afIecti0uate re-
memSruuee could possibly trace them.
Aud whose THAT was had not long
20 question. Every afternoon she
came through the old. archcd gate. a
slight. r E-h0ircd figure in black.
with & face that no features or years
coaij ever make plain. holding. as il
did. the beauty Of rare sweetness
ana serenity Masking her way TO
young RaUdaiCS grave. She would re-
main often ipr an hour or more. tend
inn the plants that grew about IL. or
sitting by the grassy mound. her head
d &.
the soft. blue eyes that despite their
brightness, always held a certain pa
thcfjc wistiuiuess.
DO you know that ladys' I ono day
asked an old fac,otum 81 the cemetcr-.
a. the little figure ir black passed Us.
..Oh that's Miss AJhie Pennel: she's
been milIiuer here for over thirty
years
And what relation was she To the
young man whose grave she cares for2''
We'll. now. resting his hands on
the spade with which he had been
trimming the walks. you look nj i-
ono way. am she want mo- connection.
Hu. another way. am she was. or pref
Is nigh IL. for she aui Randall was 10
have been married iu week or 50.
Remember him2 Oh. yes \ dashiu'
sort of chap. handsome. believe
the r5rl~ called him. some Sed nc
might hey been stiddicr. but / don't
know; al any rate he was perfection to
Abbie Pencils eyes. This wasn't
much mCve'u a village then. and it
made quite q stir. I tel! YOU, when one
dag he turned up missing. He was
owing good many. an there was
them that thought az first he'd skipped
out; hut aboc, a month after. his body
washed ashore, and then folks re
mcnbered that boat disap )eared the
day he did - we concluded he'd
gone out fishing. and been upset some
wsy Well no. What with being
knocked abOut in the water. there
wasn't any looks 10 speak of left. but
We knew it was him from The height
an the clothes he wore. besides. YOU
know he was al the man that was
missin
But tell you. Miss Abbie took it
hsrd. though she said she couldn't be
thankful enough that his body was
5ouad. She bought this lot. and had
Liu buried. an then, ii you'll believe
ms. - fast a. she could earn the money
tnaS.n' dresses an trimmiu' bunnits,
ell" raiH up ali his debts. forced the
r..ney "r.o ga people if they didn't
We e take 81 An in thess thirty
aH ~- -- been sick, thcr's
1- Aas'iIs dss .ha. she hasn't Wis