The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-12-19
CHAPTER X.
VICTORIOUS AT LAST-"A BEE" IN MY FA.
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IHEh 'BONNET.
No sooner were our ancestors safely
deposited in their respective vaults than
my father inclosed his burial lot with
fine iron fence and set up num-
ber of huge stone vases to contain hang
ing vines To these he from time to
time added such other ornaments and
improvements as were suggested by Rev.
Nantucket Sperm, Captain Shrimp and
others. These works occupied his days,
and his nights were given to the study
of the geuealogy.
Rev, Walter Mowbray created so favor
able an impression that he was invited to
become the pastor Of church in the
neighboring village of Weenipsit. AS
he had now become reimbued with the
spirit of the true and earnest Christian
soldier and teacher, ho felt it his duty to
makoa full and humble confession to the
bishop i'll authority and beg to be rein
stated. In this my father and l lent
our assistance, and the story of Jepson
was made known to only few discreet
persons In his preaching he is said to
be doing good work The pictures he
draws in his warnings to young men are
go realistic that his hearers wonder how
the good old man is able to SO faithfully
portray the many evils of this wicked
world, of none of which ho can possibly
have had Any personal experience.
My fathers example caused many iron
railings and handsome monuments to be
erected by his neighbors, and the Pason-
asessit cemetery il not only the pride of
the village. but also is the model for all
the ncighboring villages, in nearly every
one of which the work of improvement
is in progress. Rev. Nantucket Sperm
is always loud in his praise of my father
for his Inauguration of the good work
which is now being carried on with SO
much pious enthusiasm.
But that which gave my father the
greatest pleasure was the following incl
dent, which he was never tired Of relat-
ing: One day "a he was coming in from
tho cemetery he was stopped by wom-
an apparently about 90 years of age,
who, cane in hand, stood before her cot
tage. "Mr. Johnson" said the venera-
BILE dame, 81 want tew thank you. I've
been a-holdin back for years all knew
heow jist to keep from bein stuck deown
! out there among the weeds and briers,
but now I'm willin tew so whenever the
Lord calls. The homes of the dead Of
tho village are meow as bright as the
homes of its living, and changin from
ono to the other don't seem dreadful
like it used few. I've always been tidy
in my home among the Twin, and I'd
like to be tidy in my home among the
dead"
1t is my fathers delight to accompany
my sisters when they go forth 10 strew
fresh flowers on the to,nbs of our ances-
tors. On such occasions he favors them
with long extracts from the gcnealogy.
He never tires Of discoursing Of the ca
reer of the Johnsons of England, and in
speaking of the trials and tribulations Of
Sir Archibald his face is nt one moment
flushed with righteous wrath, and at the
next he becomes pathetic, and tears roll
down his cheeks. He has now not only
fully adopted our imported ancestors,
but has also so fondly studied their his
) tory that he has come to firmly believe
them of his own flesh aud blood
was made aware Of this the day after
our grand funeral ceremonies when |
said to my father, $50 ends the grim
Hicsb, luOSt ITDtraCleu h0u elaborate
practical joke ever perpetrated on the
soil of New England
Joke, sir!' sternly cried my father,
staring at me as though he thought me
losing my wits. DO you call that which
has been wrought by the hand of Provi-
dence joke? Let me never again hear
you speak in that light manner of what
the Lord has brought about. am as
certain as that live that Sir Archibald
johnson was my great-grandfather The
proofs are so many and so strong that
cannot doubt them. Not man in Amer
lea doubts them. Ny son, what has
been done may have been commenced in
spirit less serious than was befitting
work of such great gravity and impor-
tance, but all tho time unknown to us
God was guiding us Alright. By his hand
you wcro led to tho tombs of our ances-
tors, and in all we have since done we
have had his aid. Thus has our work
been made to prosper and bring forth
good frrit