Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1890-11-29
TYPICAL WESTERN LIFE.
The Lights and the Shadows of S0nday
Scene In Dakota.

The Lights and the Shadows of q S0nday
Scene In Dakota.
Great is the land of the Dakotas, ly-
ing between shutdown and the laughing
waters of Minnesota, but greater are its
wondersome ways. Five o. six years
ago, while wandering through that prai-
rie realm, Washington Star man
passed quiet Sunday at an inland
town. The day was one of those on
which all nature seems to say this is the
Sabbath. The sun shone with a sacred
light, the dewy landscape sparkled
with Divine radiance, the birds joined
in the chorus of the spheres, while the
lowing of the herds and the bleating OF
the focks seemed mellowed, as if even
the brutes were touched by the hal
lowed influence of the day. 1t was
time peculiarly fitted for the spirits
of the dead to be borne buoyant-
ly away to the land of the re-
deemed; and accordingly the spirit Of
young man had taken its flight, but the
body was left for human disposal. The
morning was yet fresh when the country
procession was seen, like a caravan Of
the desert, moving slowly along the
prairie road, ignorant of metes and
bounds, toward the drowsY village. The
friends of the deceased. eager to pay
him a parting courtesy. had drafted
into service such vehicles as they pos.
sessed, aS4d the gathering was hone the
less earnest and sincere if carts instead
OF cushioned carriages bore them to the
village church and again took up the
journey to the new-made grave.
Some of the 5mourners-and none but
mourners gathered there-were drawn
by horned and cloven-footed steeds,
and one conveyance was wagon
mounted with a hay-rick, on which
score of serious people sat cushioned
by few forkfuls of sun-cured prairie
grass. But the most noticeable and
painful feature of the procession was
the lumber wagon hearse containing
the plain pine coffin, astride of which
the driver sat, unmoved and immov-
able, as if determined that whatever
became of the departed spirit its de.
serted abode should be held in the
rural church yard for rent to lesser
worms than man. He chung eagerly to
the earthly spoils, unmindful of the
fact that ne was out of keeping with
his surroundings, and at last stolidly
beheld the tenantless handiwork of
God consigned to the dust from which
weeping and no set programme for the
mourners. They sobbed in solos or
broke forth in symphony of emotion
as, under changing feeling, the heart
leapcd forth and rccoiled.
The deceased had come from his
paternal roof near the Baltic Sea only
few years before, but so quick is the
Transformation here that he seemed al
Apon Ms 7 oil 10
had taken a homestead under the Stars
and Stripes, and his sister, pretty
Danish girl, had recently joined hi m.
Her loneliness and subdued sorrow
made her more than usually interesting
and attractive. AS the only relative of
her brother, she succeeded to his estate
and kept open the little prairie home.
In six months she knew enough En-
glish to conjugate the verb Ito love-"
and within year she was married to a
young school-teacher, who, becoming
enamored of her beauty, succeeded in
winning her affections. Sorrow for
the dead was transformed into love
for the living-crape gave way to flow
ers and clouds to sunshine. The young
husband was the next year elected to
the Legislature. in which he has since
taken an active and prominent part and
stands now in the line of political pro-
motion. 1t is more than likely that ere
many years pass by he will come to
Congress as the representative of his
people, and the pretty Danish girl who
wept her lonely weep at her brothers
grave in foreign land, and would not
be comforted, will become bright par
ticular star in the social armament of
that nation,s canita1 Vas praat ara
the Dakotas, bat greater still the in
spiration and possibilities of our coun-
try.