Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1890-01-23

ladies we're ascending the stairs.
1--WE have come 10 assist you; there
must be a great deal TO be done, Mes.
Barlow was sick SO long, and we could
help on the sewing said Mrs. johnson
as she tried 10 open the door.
There is no extra sewing 70 be done;
the family are not going to put on
mourning"
Not to 60 in mourning for their
MOTHER exclaimed she, "only think OF
it, Mrs. Brown; and she SO rich, tool
What will people think"
1T matters very little what people
think, Mrs, johnson. Mrs. Barlow
never approved of such layish display At
funerals, and she made it special In
! Junction TO avoid all parade
when viii the funeral be attended,
Mrs Gcrhart2"
II think some time tomorrow. have
not seen the rector yet, Eddy has gone
to the reetory; but we shall only have
| the church service"
II never heard OF such doings. Who
Is goingtO make the robe? ! suppose
that will be nice, of course"
"Sh is to be laid to rest in one Of her
many gowns, it viii be pleasanter for
the children,
What viii people think How odd"
said Mrs. Brown
mo one will see the remains but the
family; but, excuse me, the clergyman
has come; We will go down, II you
| please, ladies, said Mrs Gerhart
Il suppose we can 60 in aud look at
the corpse.
II am sorry to refuse you; but IL can
not be. My friend had perfect horror
Of being on exhibition, and | promised
! her no one should look on her dead face
but her children. We will 60 down
now"
How queer! am glad that am not
responsible for all the comments folks
will make, said Mrs. johnson to Mrs
Brown as they went down the stairs,
where they met Adela coming from the
parlor, where the rector was waiting.
Mrs. Gerhart will not let us do any
thing for you or even 90 into your
mothers room, said Mrs. Brown.
''Of course not. She acts in accord
ance with my dear mothers wishes |
do not think we need any help"
There is always SO much to be done
In case of death"
THANK you for your offer. And II
we need assistance we will let you
know" and 1t was with a sigh Of relief
that she saw them take their departure.
The next day, after dinner, the prayers
were read aud the coffin was borne
from the house; the orphaned children,
I NIT fta Coll. Cd a
hearse the minister and his family,
with the pall-bearers, followed. The
services at the grave were read and
the dust was retained to its Mother
Earth. The children wept freely rs the
sods ratified on the coffin, for there were
no curious criticising eyes to comment
on how bad they felt. Ii was a relief 20
| their bursting hearts. Slowly they
turned away from the grave and re-
turned to the darkened home. The
house seemed desolate; it was home
without mother But Mrs. Gerhart
quietly assumed the duties assigned 10
her, and in their sorrow the children
turned to her for comfort. In the even-
ing the minister and his wife came in to
cheer the bereft family and administer
consolation.
IL approve of this order OF funerals; IL
seems far more appropriate than the
present customs. So much display and
parade are not consistent with sorrow
for the dead said the rector.
81 did exactly as Mrs. Barlow request
ed me to do. She has always condemned
the outlay consequent upon the present
style Of funerals, as If the trappings of
display were the correct expression OF
grief, and one could Judge how heart
stricken the mourners we're by the cost
OF the obsequies. Then she said II was
such burden to 50 many people who
we're financially troubled to go to such
an extravagant expense when they lost
relative. ! think too, she was very
sensible In her own case, One can not
Judge Of heart sorrow by outward show,
! know people will talk; il is their priv
ilege; but | feel that | acted wisely in
following her directions, said Mrs. Ger
hart.
Certainly you did and Mrs. Barlow
showed her wisdom in arranging her
affairs as she did. ! am glad she pro-
vided 80 faithful a guardian for her
children. She told mo OF her arrange
ments and gave me a check for one hun
bred dollars to bestow upon the poor IN
the parish"
| Mrs. johnson and Mrs. Brown made
big talk about the queer doings, but the
more they said, the more people thought
Of the matter, the more the reasonable
part Of the community saw tho good
Judgment evinced, and the great folly
OF expanding such enormous amounts OF
money in trying 70 show how people
mourn for their dead And what does
IL amount TOP 1t does the dead no good,
and IL makes life harder for the living.
Ono evening Mr. johnson came in 10
| his house.
Look here, wife, for PHYS sake stop
talking about Mrs. Barlow's funerall
/ DO you know have never been able 10
pay for Ellen's coffin or for digging her
grave? IL cost me round sum, you
know, and II was almost two years ago,
and your mourning clothes are not paid
| for either ] am glad there Is one per.
son who had sense enough 20 be able 70
be buried out Of fashion he said.
but it looked so stingy FOR rich
woman
"She was not stingy! She gave ono
hundred dollars TO the minister for the
poor, and Mrs. Gerhart has paid the
undertaken and sexton every cent Of tho
expense. They have both Of them
presented the unpaid bills 70 me to-day
SO just stop talking"-S. II. Rowell, In
| Rural New Yorker