The sun., 1891-05-10

making death tapped him on tho shoulder.
For some days. when the sky was bright and
tho wind cco. his mat would be spread In the
main highway Of the village. and be was to DO
soon lying there mort. q mere handful OF man.
his wife inertly seated by his head. They
seemed to have outgrown alike our needs and
faculties: they neither spoke nor listened;
thsy suffered US to pass without glance;
the wife did not fan. she seemed not to at
tend upon her husband. and the two poor
antiques sat iuxtapossd under the high
canopy OF palms: the human tragedy reduced
10 its bare elements. q sight beyond pathos.
stirring q thrill OF curiosity. And yet there
was ono touch Of the pathetic haunted me
that so much youth and expectation should
have run in these starved veins. and tho man
should have SOU uandered all his Ices OF life upon
pleasure party.
On the morning Of Sep. II tho sufferer
diSJ. hid. dfns, pressing. he was buried the
same day at 4. The csmstery liss to ssaward
behind Government House, q dreary. small
enclosure: broken coral. like 30 much road
metal. forms tho surface "a few wooden crosses.
q few iuconslderable upright stones. designate
graves: o mortared wall high enough to lean
on. rings II about; a clustering shrub SUI
rounds Il With pale leaves. Here was the grave
dug that morning. doubtless BY uneasy diggers.
TO the sound OF the nigh sea and the cries Of
sea bird.. Meanwhile the dead man waited In
his house. and tho widow aud another aged
woman leaned on the fence, no speech upon
sheir lips. no speculation in their eyes.
Sharp at tho hour tho procession was In
march. the CONN wrapped In white and car
ried By four bearers; mourners behind-not
many. for not maay remained In Rotoava, and
not many In black. for these were poor: tho
L.. l.k. ,,kfk
ssrs or the gorgeous parti-colored pariu-
the Tahitian kilt; the women. with a few OK
ceptions. brightly habited. The presence Of
Mr.. Donat and the white strangers gave note
more serious. Far in. the rear came the widow.
painfully carrying the dead mans mat: . crea-
ture aged beyond humanity. to the likeness Of
soma MISSING link. go
Tho dead man had been Mormon. but tho
Asrmon clergyman wns gone with the rest to
Wrange over boundaries in the adjacent islo.
ana lAyn,au took his Office. Standing at tho
mead OF the open grave. In a white coat and
parlu. hb Tshitian Bible In his hand aud one
syo bound with n rcd handkerchief. he read
solenniy that chanter In Job which has boon
Sesd aud hoard over the bones Of 80 many OF
Our fathers. and with good voice offered up
Two prayers. The wind ana the surf bore Q
burthen. Bythe cemetery gate mother In
criulsou sucked m infant rolled In blue. In
'ae midst the widow sat upon the ground and
polished ono OF the coffin stretchers with u
piscs OF coral; n little later she had turned hor
oaek TO tho grave and was playing with leaf
Nd sho understandp God knows Tho
Preacher paused moment stopped. and gath
ered and threw rcverentv on the coffin .
handful OF rafting coral. Dust to dust: but
tho grains Of this dust were gross like cher
IA ~ hat SolI-
nsar by, still cohering las by miracls) In the
tragic semblance OF female ape The eternal
roar OF the surf mocks. the while at the whole
transitory race OF the mourned and the
meurnsra
30 lar. Mormon or not. II WAS q Christian
funeral, The well-known passage had been
read from Job. tho prayers had been rehearssd,
tne grave was filled. the mourners struggled
homeward With little coarser grain of Gov
srine earth little nearer outcry Of the sea, Q
stronger glare Of sunlight Oh tho rude snclos-
ufc, anil some incoagruous colors OF attire. the
ve'l:temembersd forp, was reproduced.
Aud by rights II should have been much
Otherwise, The mat should have been buried
Win its owner: but the family being poor. 1t
VA thriftily reserved for fresh service. The
widow should have nung herself upon tho
klare and raised The toloo OF offlcisl grief the
hsghbo's have chimed In. aud the narrow isle
Ian3 Tor space with lamentation. But tho
widow WAS old; perhaps she had forgotten
PERHAPS never understood. and she played like
Achlld with leaves aud coffin -stretchers. In
w W ways my guest was buried with manned
MES Strange to think that his last conscious
pleasure was the Casco and my :,ast: strange
70 think that he had linped there. an old child.
.Soek'ng for some new good. And the good
'ries, rest. had bean allotted him.
Dat though the widow had neglected much,
were was one part she must not utterly neg
se1 She came away with tho discovering
n,snsrai bnt the dsAi mans mat was lait re-
aMa upon the en = n"'' | learned that by
~ OF sun she iunS rrturn to aleer there.
aan vigil Ia imp. aiv., From sundown til
'he Using Of tn morhi ~ star tho raumotuan
uh hold his watch above the ashes OF his
harei. Many friends, II the dead have been
man OF mark. will keep the watchers
~mpahy they will be we'll supplied with
ssvssrings against the weather; believe
Wy 'r'ng fooi. and the rite h rerss-