The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1892-11-11
THE SEXTON'S STORY.
Many Memories Recalled Beside an
Open Grave.

till the first great drops which herald
the coming tempest battered around
me, now and then one striking me and
goin, through my thin summer coat.
looked up and saw that ! just
passing the gate of a country cemetery,
and a short distance from the gate
cspied a clump of trees, under which
thought might find temporary shelter
from the dash Of rain that ! knew
would soon be upon me.
Passing through the gate, went mp
the pathway = short distance and dis
covered "A rustic house in the center of
the group of trees which / had seen
from the road. ! started toward this
house, when "A flash of lightning neary
blinded me
When | recovered from the shock,
the clouds had gathered SO thiclkiy that
/ pecred into darkness as j approached
the rustic house. As / was entering
the door an apparent apparition arose
before NE, and started back al the
sight of an old man. all in white, with
"A long, snow-white beard and hollow
eyes, who looked as if nc might bc
tenant of one of the old graves near 10y.
But welcome from him, uttered in a
very pleasant voice. reas surcd me, and
/ entered just as the shower burst in
all its fury
As took a seat beside the old man.
hc said:
RATHER a dismal place TO be caught
in thunder shower, isn't it,"
We'll. yes" / answered. lit i So.
am glad / have company. But how
happened you TO be here at this time.
if may ask?''
why, certainly you may ask such
question ! am here To prepare place
for one of my tenants You see have
been sexton of tins cemetery for forty
years, and have come 10 look upon all
the inmates as my tenants"
! looked little way from where we
sat and the pile of fresh earth indicat-
ed the place where lac had made pre-
paration for the new tenant
Another binding fash of lightning
ma ie me involuntarily start. and as tie
peal of thunder which followed died
away ! said:
Forty years that's a long time.
suppose You could tell some interesting
stories from your experience here?'
Yes" answered the old sexton; If
/ had the faculty of storytelling ]
could find enough To make many stor-
les"
Whose grave are you making ready
now?" l quericd.
Mrs. Trescott's." he said, in n mus
ing manner, and / asked:
And who might Mrs Trescott be?'
The old sexton sat in study for
moment, and then replied:
Who was Mrs 1rcscott? Well. III
have To begin at the beginning. Sixty
years ago Thomas and Robert Ed
munds came to this town from Eng
land The two men were brothers and
had married sisters. Thomas, the eld-
est, was a widower with one daughter,
three years of age. Roberts wife was
an invalid, and their family consisted
of son, also three years old.
These two brothers built those two
houses that you can get a glimpse of
over the tops of the trees yonder. The
houses stand side by side, and in the
rear between the two stands garden
er's house, where lived Richard Tres
cott- a gardener whom the Edmunds
brothers had brought with them from
England. Richard Trescott's wife was
thorough lady and they had one son,
Richard. Jr., four years of age
The two brothers built the large
wooden mill which You passed just be-
low here, and for many years the busi-
ness went on. The brothers intended
that Edward and Alice should wed at
an early age, and the property thus be
kept in the family.
Richard Trescott had been gardener
for the family for many years in Eng
land, and had succeeded his father, and
so he had grown up with the brothers
1t was only natural. therefore, that lit
tie Richard should be the play mate of
Edward and Alice.
"All was well Tor several years, but
when the cousins Were twelve or thir-
teen years of age a slight trouble com
mcnced. Edward had a hasty temper
and an overbearing disposition, and so,
on account of his superior standing and
the knowledge that Alice was his in
tended wife, n jealousy was aroused by
the strong friendship between Alice
and Richard. and this jealousy had fire.
quent outbursts-
Young Richard was a manly fellow,
and stood Edwards insults in a calm
and quiet manner, never resenting any
OF his Indignities-
Matters went on thus until Edward
and Alice were sixteen. and by this
time the young man had become SO eX-
asperated that he toll his father of tn
state of affairs. Thomas was soon in
a
The result was that Richard Trcscott
was obliged to leave the employ of the
brothers and SO leave the town.
soon after this. I homas the elder
brother, was taken seriously i'll, and,
fearing that he might not live 10 see
the union of his daughter and her cous-
in. he cndcavored, by the most urgent
persuasion, to make her promise that
Ia Slpt,l1 l.a uliZpH nn her
twenty-iirst birthday.
For Il long time the girl refused TO
comply with this demand, but At
length, when il became evident that
her father could not recover, she con-
sented.
And so Thomas died. and it was
understood that his viii provided that
in case Alice died before she was
twenty-one, her half of the property
should 90 Ia Edward, and in case she
passed her twenty-first birthday with
out marrying her cousin he would take
the properly the same
'.As Edward grew older he showed
signs of dissipation. and after few
years 1t became common thing for
him to go home at late hour in the
night, very much under the influence
OF iiquor. 4 path ran up through the
cemetery, where that driveway Is, and
tn made short route from the viii
lagc below To the Elmunds mansions
ON the hill This path Edward used To
travel when returning from the village.
'As Alice's twenty-first birthday
drew near Edward became anxious for
the wedding, and il was said that when
partially intoxicated he urged Alice To
set the wedding day year sooner, and