River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1893-08-17
A HUMBLE GENTLEMAN.
He Was a Useful Member of a
Proud Family.

tributed more to the happiness OF the
old ladies than they realized.
Happily the widows Maupant and
the indolent horse were in harmony as
TO what should be his rate of travelling
along the short, winding avenue of the
| Enclosure. That he should walk was
the desire of the three. The widows
had come to observe the many tomb
stones and stately monuments; to re-
eall memories of the dead; and they did
not wish to be hurried Time was of
no value to them, and they were lavish
in its use They sought to prolong
I their STAY, for to visit the cemetery was
I the chief pleasure of their now monot-
onous lives. Every Sunday when the
weather was favorable they came in
the covered carriage, the faithful Han
/ lon driving and the slothful horse
walking with an air of contentment
and Indifference. During six days the
widows did little more than to exist,
\ and their eyes were dull and devoid of
expression, they being like most very
old people who are not strongly intel
| lectual. But on the seventh day,
when they visited the cemetery, they
banished their customary apathy.
Their eyes were alert and sparkled;
their movements were quick as they
raised their hands to point out inter
esting objects; they INDUCED in much
animated conversation.
/ All of their intimate friends had
passed away, and their remains lay in
the graves which the widows looked
upon so often. The city OF the dead,
although silent. by the magic touch of
its memories could awaken an interest
in the minds of the old ladies which
they never felt near by in the bustling
city of the living, where they passed
the greater part of their time. The
aged sisters already belonged to the
past. although their souls fingered in
their frail and shrunl1en bodies. Not
paradoxical is it, then, TO say that
there was the most of life for them
where there was the most of death.
During the drive the widows Maui
pant were unusually talkative. There
was scarcely grave sot to which they
did not make some reference IS they
passed it. Not few of tn monu-
ments recalled interesting histories of
| families with whose members they had
( been well acquainted in their girlhood
| or in their middle life. The sisters
were thorough aristocrats. They took
much pride in the knowledge that
they belonged to one of the old and Sc
I lect families of the city, and that they
/ had never been intimate with any ex-
cept the leading people of the place.
/ There were many others to whom they
/ had spoken graciously whenever they
/ had met them, but they had never al
/ lowed themselves TO be familiar with
/ the multitude.
Their aristocratic feelings were con-
| stantly betrayed in their conversation
with each other and with Thomas Han-
/ Ion, for he, being the kind and trusted
servant upon whom they in the weak
ness of old age relied for care and adj
vice, was the only humble person who
had ever been their confidant. 10 him
I they unbosomed themselves freely, and
/ he was worthy of their trust He had
been with them for about ten years,
! ever since they had needed some one on
whom TO lean.
Hanlon was one of those interesting
persons, called common by the indis-
eliminating, who, on account of their
unpretentious common sense, great
/ kindness of heart, their readiness in
rendering aid to others at the most OPP
perfume times, and their unfailing good
nature, attract us as many people so
cially and intellectually superior to
them cannot. He was uneducated and
unambitious; and not being engrossed
with ideas and great schemes had the
time and inclination to do much for the
welfare of his friends. He belonged to
the very valuable and sensible class
whose intellects are fortunately inca
pable of entertaining theories of any
kind, SO that their lives may abound in
good works resulting simply from the
action of sympathetic hearts and help
1 full hands.
/ As the party drove through the GEM
etery Hanlon acted the part of hum
BILE gentleman to perfection. He lis
tened patiently to the garrulous COM
ments of the old ladies, repetitions of
which he had heard hundred times, and
at the right times made brief remarks
and answered questions in just the way
he knew the sisters wished him to. He
understood how To please them and
/ never failed To do H.
II am afraid am talking TO you too
much. {" said Martha, the older sister, as
she tapped him on the shoulder for the
tenth time within a few minutes in
order to draw his attention to tomb
stone.
mot at ALL" he answered, good
naturally. Talk to me all you wish
to. like to bear you"
He was sincere. lie was not bored.
because he was bent on giving pleasure.
They arrived at the spot that inter
I ested them the most. 1t was where the
I remains of the parents and husbands of
the widows Maupant reposed, in an ex-
pensive granite vault built against a
/ knoll.
Hanlon assisted the sisters to alight
| from the carriage. Together the wild
ows walked to the tomb. They looked
| somber in their black dresses and in
/ their bonnets, dark except where the
ruche encircled their foreheads. Old,
4 bent and feeble, they moved with slow
steps Hanlon unlocked a paddock,
opened the heavy iron door at the en-
/ trance of the vault ana stepped respect
/ fully to one side. The others walked
/ in and faced six receptacles for the dead
arranged in two tiers, one above the
other. The front of each receptacle
was inclosed with marble slab. On
\ four OF the slabs were inscriptions
suitable 70 the memory of the parents
/ and husbands of the widows Maupant-
/ The two remaining slabs were not yet
/ lettered. The spaces behind them were
I empty.
''It will not be long, Sarah, before
our Baskets will occupy the remaining
/ spaces said Martha, pointing toward
/ the unlettered slabs.
THAT is so. sister. The thought is
/ solemn one. but not unweleome. We
have outlived all who are dear to rs.
and IL will be more of pleasure TO
] be with the friends above than to re-
main much longer with strangers here.
/ There is one. we know not whether he
I is dead or alive, whose bones might
fifty lie in this vault. but there is no
space for a seventh coffin.
1T is better as il is" answered
Martha. hastily. His career. 50 far as
we are acquainted with it. is not one in
which we can take pride. lie is the
only one of our family who has led
common life, and deliberately placed
himself outside Q. good society. re-