Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1892-01-12
TOMMYS TOMBSTONE

IOmuN MtouUN Ws kroWtuk otos
The skin % his a,tenuatei face WAS .;
shrunk and - strctch-i from wrinkle 70
wrinkle that 1, seem~i narrowly 20 60
CAPE breaking About the pointed chin
AMI the ch-ek bones u had the color of
faded brick
Old Tommy hal become ~ thin that
be darei no, venture to the top OF the
hill above his native village Of Rear.
wari upon = windy day
His knees bent comically when be
walked
For some years the Villagers had ben
counting the nephew. anil nieces 10
whum the savings Of the old retired
dealer In dry goods would eventually de-
.cend
Ten thousand dollar. and house and
10, constituted = heritag. worth antici'
psiing In Resrward
The innoc.n, old man was not upon
term. % intimacy with his prospective
heirs Having remained unmarried. his
only clo-- As~scis,-s werr two who had
ts~n hi. COMPANIONS In that remote
r-r,oi witch hal be-n his boyhood
one ~ thee. Jerry Hurley. was child
le~- widowrr . very es,imable and high
ly rv-pyt~l man who owned two farms
The other like himself . bachelor. was
Billy ssiimur-. the --I,on % the church
and therefore IN. regulator Of the town
clc,k uppn the sieepl.
Thrr. came q great shock 20 old
Tommy one day A. old Mr Sparks
s.id. Jerry Hurley AL suideut like
ius, took notion and died
The wealth and standing % Jerry
Hurley insured him an imp.~ing funeral
They laid hi. BODY h~-id. that which
hal once t--n hi. wifcs In Rsar~cod
cemetery Iii. heirs pos-css~i his farm
AMI time went on-.lowly. ~ u Away,
do.- ai kesrwooi
Tommy went fr-qusn,ly 20 Hurlsy's
grave and wondered when his heirs
would er~c, q monument to his memory
Il b. n~c~ssary that your grave bs marked
with q monument, n you would stand
high IN tha, .iill society that holds etsr'
nal sS--mbiy b~nesth the pincs and vii
lows where only the br-~,e- spssk. and
they IN snbinel voice.
y-ar- Ts,S~~i. snd the grave 81 Tom.
my. old friend Jerry remained un'
marked Jerry. relatives had postponed
the duty -o long ,ha, they had grown
Gallons 10 public opinion Besides. they
hat other puro~c- TO which 10 apply
Jerry. money ., was easy enough "a
avoid reproach. they hal only 10 -efrain
fron usiiing the graveyard
Jerry n-yerrn-er,cis such treatment.
Tommy woull ..y % Billy the seIion
A. the two m-, 10 talk u over every
sunny Afternoon
1T. an outrage. that's what II .sr
Billy would reply ior the hundr~ith
time
Il was. In their cyr-. an omission al
mo., -,lual to that Of baptism or the
funeral s-ryic-
One day r.. Tommy was aiding him
-r.f along the main street of iisarwari
by means If a hickory stick. frightful
though, came ,o him lie turned cold
What N hi. own heirs should neglect
to marx his own grave
'Ill hurry home and put the money
for u aside IN q stocking foot at once.
thought Tommy. snd his knees bent
more than usual ss b. accelerated his
pare
lint as he tiei q kno, In the stocking
came the fear that even this money
nigh, h. mis,ppliei. even hi. will
might be ignored through rrp-aied post
Donrin-ni aud the law. indifference.
Who. AVE old Billy ss,dmore. would
care whether old Tommy MoGufy's las,
resting plac. were designated or not
ouc. le, the worms belrn operations
upon this antique inorsel. wha, would II
matter 20 Resrwari folks where the
banquet was taking place,
Tommy now underwent a second at
tack II horror. from which he came vic
tonou.. gleeful smile momen,arily
lifting the dimn.-s fyom his excessively
lachryrnal EYES
'i'll iis eIn. he ssid % himself 'rll
20 tolsy 10 Ricketts,. the marble cutter
ani orler INV own tomtstone.
Thr-- month. thereafter Ricketts,. the
marble cutter. united the knot In the
stacking that had b-sn Tommy's and lie
posted the contents in the local saving,
hank
IN the cemetery stood u new monu.
ul-ut. very lofty aud elaborate. Around
u was AN iron fence. Within the inclo
.urr there was no grave as yet
Her. said the monument In dep
cut letter. bu, bad English. lies all tha,
remain. Of Thomas McGutiy. born In
R.arwusl. Nov ~. is20. diei -.
dome whittier the wicked erase from
trpubling aud the weary are at rest.
This supplementary information Wa
framed Ia the words of Tominy's favor.
ite I.as>,g- In his fSvorite hymn His
liking Tor this was mainly an account OF
It, tune.
lie hal left the date of his death 10 b.
inserted by the marble cutter after its
OCCURRENCE.
Rs,arwari folks were amused at sight
Of the monument. and they ascribed the
placing ui u there TO the eccentricity OF
Q t1rtun old man.
Tommy seemed 10 derive much pleas
urr from visiting his tombstone upon
mild days lie spent many hours con
t-unplAting IT, lie would enter the irou
Enclosure. lock the gAt. after him and
cit upon the ground that was intended
some day TO cover his holy,
tie was familiar sight 20 people nd
ing or walking past the grsveysrd-this
thin old man leaning upon his cane. COO.
t-nteily ponderng over the inscription
sI,,u his own tonb~tone
He undoubtedly found much innocent
pleasure i1 this
On. afternoon. ~ he was % engaged.
he va sssAiled by new apprekensiou-
suppos~ that Ricketts,. the marble cut.
ter. should fail to inscnbs the date OF
his death In the space left vacant TOR itl
There Was almost uo likelihood Of such
an Omission. but there was at least Q
possibility Of It.
lie glanced acrus the cemetery 70.
ward Jerry iiurisy's unmarried mound
and shuddercd
Then hs tbought laborsoaaiy.