Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-08-15
TOMMYS TOMBSTONE.


,,rpnk and 20 stretched from wrinkle 10
wrinkle that It seemed narrowly to e.
e,pc breaking About the pointed chin
mi the cheek bones u lad the color ct
faded brick
Old Tommy had become 80 thin that
Ne dared not venture to the top Of ths
I'M above his native village Of Rear
ward upon a windy day.
lis knees bent oomically when he
walked
Tor some years The villagers had been
counting the nephows aud nieces 10
whom tho savings Of tho old retired
dealer In dry goods would eventually do.
send
Ton thousand dollars and house and
lot constitutod n heritage worth antici.
pating In Rearward.
The innocent old man was not upon
terms Of intimacy with his prospective
beira Having remained unmarried, hia
only close associates were Two who had
becn HE companions in that remote
period which had been his boyhood.
One Of these. Jerry Hurley. was child
le,s widowcr. very estimable and high.
liz respected man who owned two farms
The other. like himself a bachelor, was
Billy siimorc. tho sexton Of the church
and therefore tho regulator Of the town
clock upon tho stoeple.
There came great shock 10 old
Tommy ono day. As old Mrs Sparks
aid. Jerry Hurley. "all student like
fast took notion and died"
The wealth and standing Of Jerry
Hurley insured him an imposing funeral.
They laid his body beside That which
had oneo been his wife's in Rearwood
cemetery His heirs possessed his farm
and time went on-slowly, rs II always
does az Rcarwood.
Tommy won't frequently TO IIurley's
r,avo and wondered when his heir,
would erect monument to his memory.
lis necessary that your grave DO marked
with a monument II you would stand
hlgh In that still society that holds etor-
nal assembly beneath the pines and viii.
lows where only tho brcoses speak, and
they In subducd voices
Years passed. aud tho grave 81 Tom.
mys old friend. Jerry, remained UNI
marked. Jorry's relatives had postponed
The duty - long that they had grown
callous TO public opinion. Besides, they
had other purposes to which to apply
!euy's money II was easy enough "a
avoid rcproach. they had only 10 refrain
from visiting the graveyard.
Jerry never deserved such treatment, y
Tommy would cay 10 Billy tho sexton.
a. tho two met 10 talk Il over every
sunny afternoon.
ITS an outrage, that's what Il is,'
Billy would rvply for tho hundrcdih
time
u was, In thcir eyes, m omission al'
most equal 10 that OF baptism or thS
funeral service.
Oas day "a Tommy was aiding him
ief along the main street Of Rearwarl
by means u hickory stick, frightguI
thought came 10 him. ilc turned cold.
What II his own hoirs should neglect
TO marx bic own grayci
"l'll hurry homo and put tho money
for IL aside Ia u stocking foot NJ once,
thought Tommy. aud his knees bent
moro than usual as no accelerated hii
I3ce.
But No he tied knot In tho stocking
tamo tho fear that even this none,
night DO misapphed; eyon his will
mlgl. be ignored through repeated post
puemont and the laws Indifference.
Who. aayo old Billy slidmorc. would
.aro whether old Tommy McGuily'a lns
iaung place were designated or not
jnoe let tho worms begin operations
lpon this antique morsel, what would II
natter TO Rearwnrd folks where th'
banquet was taking placer
Tommy now underwent second NJ
tack Of horror, from which ho camo vic
lououA, gleeful smile momentaril!
lifting the dimnosl from his excessiycl!
hehymil eyes.
"rll Ok 'em." no said TO himself. "rl
60 today 10 Ricketts,. tho marble cutter
anil order NV own tombstone"
Three months thereafter Ricketts,, IN
marble cutie, united tho knot In th
stocking that had been Tonmy's and dc
poltod the contents Ia tho local saving
bank.
Ia tho cemetery stood a new monu
mtnt, very lofty and elaborate. Afoun,
twas an iron ioncc. Within tho inelo
iutc there was no grave as yet.
Here" said tho monument In deer
cut letters but bad English, "lies all tina
remains OF Thomas McduiIy, born Il
Renrwool, Nov. II, 1926 died -
Goua whittier tho wicked censo froI
troubling and tho weary are at rest"
This supplementary information wa
framed In the words OF Tomny's favor
ile passage In his favorite hymn. III
hiking Tor this was mainly on account Q
IL tune.
He had left the date OF his death TO b
Inserted by tho marble cutter after 1t
occurrence.
Aearward folks were amused nc sigh
Of the monument, and they ascribed III
placing Of II there TO tho eccontricity q
Ahciturn old man.
Tommy seemed to derive much plea
ufe from visiting his tombstone upo
mild days. He spent many hours COZ
hmplatihg It. lie would enter tho iro
Enclosure, lock tho gate after him au
" upon tho ground that was intende
some day to cover his body.
lie was u familiar sight to people rit
ing or walking past tho grvcyard-thi
lhin old man leaning upon his cane, col
iehtedly pioneering over the inseriptio
upon his own tombstone.
He undoubtedly found much innoccr
pleasure In this.
One afternoon, MS ho was so engaged
"a III. "A