Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-10-20
HEB TOMBSTONE.

$50 you never heard Of Melinda Bar
bour's wedding tombstuncs" said grand |
innmmh In tOno Of surprise II thought |
everybody knew about That.
"Youivo seen the old STONE housc down
on the hank OF tho river all shut in with |
pines and cyarJuccnsf It's nearly 100
years old When l WIS born it had been
built ton years When WAS young mur'
ried woman, tic Barhnurs camn TO live
tnrrc, and they were q proud family with
whom nobody could get acquainted
"Alr. Barbour embczzled or did some
thing Of that kind aud went to prison
Alter be had been there q yonr he hanged
himself, and that IL the last of him, 50
for as my story goes
"Thon hiswifc ind little hoy shut thom.
selves up in the Stone house and hardly over
went outside Of the gate She'd had
good deal of schooling, his mother had.
and she taught him herself rs long rs sho
could. and then no bought books and
studied by himself.
"wbnt did they 1.-Two onY oh, tho hoy
farmed, and later they say he wrote books
on what they call natural history, though
IN my mind it was the most unnatural
stuff ever heard tell of-nll about beetles
and things with 500 muscles In thcir
heads and as could curry 1900 tlmos their
own weight on their own backs.
"whcn she died, Mortimer seemed as II
no would go crazy lie planted her grave
with yiolcts and panslos, and at tie head
was n white marble monument but be
didn't display any taste Nothing on 10
but the old lady's name and tho date she
died-not m angel, or nm anchor, or u
limb, or broken rosebud, or bit of
IA alxyuvg eppfuul 10 RDt
store by her.
"Then Mortimer, he just stuck to tho
old house, same as over, though now he
was alone. He wore his hair long, as was
the custom in those days, and 1t was curly
at tho ends, like the picture Of John Yves.
10y, but ho had eyes TINT went right
through you and came out at the back OF
your head.
Now. no was tho last mnn In tho vii.
lBre I'd ever hnvO Imagined would have
married But when the little milliner, Me-
lindu McAliister, came into the place, hn
was struck. Everybody warned her and
told her about his fathers hanging him
self In prison, and how queor his mother
was, and that Mortimer was odd, too, and
wouldn't come to my good. She listened,
with her eyes big and cool and little hot.
patch Of red on her checks like dnub OF
"But we woro not prepared for the
worst. A day or two before tho wedding
IN comes Mrs johnson and says, Shut up
the doors tight and the windows Two
got something TO tell you that'll make
your hnir rise up she says, whispering
like. So shut the door, sho clasping bur
bands together like one possessed.
" It's about Melinda she went on
'Ho has got n tombstone for her.
:" 'WhdN asked l; as " l didn't know,
but my knees knocked together, and felt
queer.
Mortimer Barbour snys she My
nephew johnnie was after birds nest In
troo that stands in his garden Tho limb
broke, and down he went right on to the
roof Of tho old 0uthousG that hnsn't been
used for years. 1t went In under him like
finder, and rs soon us he could pick him
self up and found no bones broke what
should no sec but new white grRyestOne
standing in corner against some rubbish.
He went up to it and saw melinda Bar
hour" cut on 1t and the date she is to die.
=" Il don't believe it, said l. but felt
faint at heart
"As soon as said l didn't believe II
Mrs. johnson said we would 20 ourselves
and soc. And wa did go, Mortimer heinl
away In tho folds, md entered the corn
house We saw the stone just as Johnni
said, real grnvestono of white marble
and on 1t the name Melinda Barbour,
with the dnto Sept g. below it. But tn
rest wo couldn't make out.
"'He's going to let her live three
months May heaven forgive himp say
Mrs Johnson, meaning different from
what sho said.
"The next day went to Melinda ant
~. 4. q. i
believe itS-sho said she thought Mrs, John
son and | had no business pryiug ahou
other peoples affairs. II he had bOugh
me thousand grayestones, I'd have hin
Just tho snme said she.
So they were married the next day IL
tho chapel, but Melinda was white ns
ghost, and she tremhlgd so that she ooul
hardly walk. They wont away by train
md we threw some old shoes after 'onl
but all the wishing of joy was make b
lioyc, and never saw u bride with such
white, set face.
"1hry were away nearly three months
Then they came back % the old haqsc, bu
folks said thoy were not happy, that ah
was as cold as n stone, and he was ulway
at his books and old Insects
zone dry had letter asking mo {
como and see her. Sho was lying dow
ON lounge When got ihefo, WhliO an
so thin, her big eyes with sorry, hungr
look in them, but shc had on u sinar
gown and was as pretty as picture. y
soon as we had shaken hands she said!
"'Do you know what day tomorrow isi
thought for moment and said 10 wa
the sd of September The day / am ~
ing to die, slu said in soft, quiet wuy
Then she said ho was very good to hen
but she couldn't get THAI grnyGstonc uu
OF her head day or night.
"All at once IL came to mo how matter
were She had been too proud To give hir
up. Besides, she loved him, too, nnd III
Ind been too proud 20 tell him about II
and SO betwixt the two the poor child wa
almost beaten out She asked II I w0ul
go out 10 the clubhouse with her md sg
the stone. she wanted TO SEQ it and wa
afraid to go alone
"rhon queer thing happened. MOI
timer had come into tho next room Will
she had been Nlbiug ana heard ever
word never saw anybody so moved d
he was when no came In.
Ills &c TINT tombstone which hus stno
between usY hU said, and wont on % OF
plain that it had been ordered for IA
mother He WAS such bad writer cha
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