The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1894-06-30
A COUNTRY FUNERAL.


JJHtnswOmpns Lire.
The house in which the wife of Hank
Benson lay dead was on top of ridge
which overlooked the village. A crooked
dirt road" which was mostly muddy
In the winter and always 1ough in the
GUNNER. ran from the town up to the
settlement on the hill. The neighbor-
hood was called McFarran's addition.
The people were all pretty much alike.
They were not divided by any distinc-
tions of caste. Poverty and misery and
ignorance kept them down to a common
plane. And, strange to say, it made
them, in rude way, sympathetic and
benevolent instead of selfish with each
other and inflamed with hatred against
fate. Indeed, these people, through
limitation which apparently rendered
them incapable Of helping themselves
and which made such a thing as home
comforts utterly unknown to them, en-
dured with a sort of dumb patience the
privations of want, the visitation OF
disease, and, worse than all. the revolt
ing squalor which follows the complete
surrender to disaster and the abandon
ment of every vestigc of personal pride.
During the rigors of winter. so long as
there was load of wood in the neigh
borhood. nobody suffered with cold.
and it was only when the last pound of
bacon and the last sack of bread stuff"
in the settlement was consumed that
hunger made its cruel presence known.
The wife of Hank Benson was done
with all of this now. Her still, wasted
form rested in plain wooden coffin in
1.nl
all of the domestic purposes of the fam
| lily for which she had worn her life
away. Before the birth of the little
baby. whose plaint;ve wall friendly
neighbor woman was trying to hush,
the poor mother came down with the
measles. Then pneumonia followed
and tired nature yielded to the triple
strain that broke the golden cord.
Outside of the bare little abode to
which the presence of death had lent a
new majesty nature was rioting in the
new life of its annual resurrection.
There was a vernal beauty everywhere,
and there was IL peace and Il hush
which seemed to mock the struggle of
the weary toiler whose hands were
folded in eternal rest. Anxious to pay
| OIlciI ItSpcClS W out WIZ IoNS'i
among them and performed her hum
BILE mission as God gave her light and
strength the neighbors gathered to at
tend the funeral. There We're none OF
the ostentatious trappings of woe. The
coffin was placed in a rude farm
wagon, and out of that respect which
death compels from the most untu.
tored, it was covered with white
sheet. There We're stitied sobs from
the motherless children. The horses
whinnied as the little procession
started down the dirt road" A lonely
barnya rd fowl crowed dismally as the
last wagon disappeared from the view
of the women who stood in the door
and remained to put the poor little
house to rights.
In the west there was a bank o.
black clouds which gave promise of g
drenching rain before the graveyard
could be reached. There were low
mutterings of distant thunder, and or
the titful breeze which sighed through
the tender foliage of the swaying trees
there was borne to the ear the old ole
question: o death, where is thy sting.
o grave. where is thy victory?"-Kan-
sas City Star.