Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1896-04-09

lit it, and then we saw-land sakes,
child, how scairt you look; don't get so
lear the fire, honey, you'll be all ablaze.
Where was |? Oh, we saw the stone,
Just as Johnnie said, a real gravestone
of white marble, and on it the name
'Melindy Barbour with the date Sept.
8, 1S-,' below it. But the rest we
couldn't make out. Hes going to let
her live three months, may Heaven for
give him. says old Mis- johnson.
meanin' different from what she said.
'The next day l went to Melindy, and
you believe it, she said she thought
Mis- johnson and | had no business
prying about other peoples affairs?
If he had bought me thousand grave
stones I'd have him just the same, says
She. So they were married the next
day in the meeting house, but Melindy
was white as ghost, and she trem-
bled so she could hardly walk They
went right away on the cars, and wo
threw some old shoes after 'em, but all
the wishin' of joy was make believe,
and | never saw bride with such a
white, set face, never looking at her
husband nor yet at us,
"They was away nearly three months;
then they came back to the old house,
But folks said they wasn't happy, that
she was as cold as stone, and he was
always at his books and old insects.
One day got letter aslIin' me to come
and see her. She was lynn down on a
lounge when l got there, white and so
thin, with big eyes with a sorry, hungry
look in 'em. But she had on a smart
gown, and was as pretty as Il pictur.
AS soon as we'd shaken hands and I'd
taken off my bonnet and mantilla, she
says: DO you know what day to-mor-
row is" Then | thought it up, and said
it was the 5th of September. The day
] am to die she says in a soft, quiet
way. Then l up and asked her if Nor
timer had been ill-treatin' her but she
put up her finger, and said: Not a
word to my husband; he doesn't know
| know it, Then she said he was aw-
full good to her, but she couldn't get
that gravestone out of her head day or
night. All at once it came to me how
matters was; she'd been too proud to
give him up, besides her lillin' him, too;
and she'd been too proud to tell him
about it; and so betwxt the two the
poor child was almost beat out She
asked if would go out to the courthouse
with her to see the stone. She wanted
to see it and was afraid to go alone.
"Then queer thing happened. Nor
timer had come into the next room
while she'd been talkin', and heard
every word. J. never saw anybody
so stirred up as he was when he came
in. Is that tombstone what has stood
between us? he said, and went on to
explain that he had ordered it for his
mother. He was such bad writer hat
the stone-cutter mistool< the name NAL
why for Melindy, and after the stone
was half done it was found out, and they
made him pay for it. So as it was his,
they brought it to him, and not know
in what to do with it, he'd Just set 1t up
in the courthouse and forgot all about
1t. Melindy, she began to cry, and then
they fell to huggin' and kissin' each
other, as if they hadn't met for
years. | tried TO put in word to
cam EN-, but they saw me without see
Ing me, and heard me without hearing
me, so put on my bonnet and mantilla
and came away and left 'em.
After that? Dear me, they was the
happiest couple you ever saw. They
used the gravestone for front door
step, wrong side up, and it was real
pretty. Melindy was dretful proud of
him, and believed every word he wrote
about them bugs and beetles, just as his
mother did, which only goes to show
that the old sayin' is true, that love is
blind. boston Black Cat.