The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-06-19

In the old barn, and dreaming fantastic
nonsense. Why should Mrs. Dyer come
in the early morning to lay flowers
upon the grave of Eliphalet G. Peters,
who had flourished principally in the
preceding century? 1t was inconceiv-
able. Her conduct required a rational
explanation, and was susceptible of It.
/ put on my hat and hurried toward the
house.
There seemed to he no longer any
reed of concealment. and so / APP
preached the front door boldly. Mrs.
Dyer was on the veranda with her
mother and Grandfather Graves. They
all sprang up at sight of me, and I
thought that the younger woman was
going to run away, but sustained by
the presence of the others, she remain
ed. bade them all good morning as
courteously as / could.
"Well?" cried Mrs. Graves. sharply.
"Out with It. What do you know?"
81 know that Bertram Is dead" said
I, "and that you stole a headstone in
| lie."
mo, no; not quite so bad as that"
said Grandfather Graves. "We didn't
rob anybody. dead or alive. 1 found
| Eliphalet Peters tombstone up in the
loft over the woodshed, and I know ali
about it. The stone was ordered when
| Eliphalet was sick, but he disappoint-
ed his relations and got well. The
story has been handed down. Peters
died and was buried somewhere else"
Mother" sobbed Mrs. Dyer, tell
him why we did this wicked thing"
II suppose 1 must" responded Mrs.
Graves; but 1 wish he'd minded his
own business. The fact is that we did
what any sensible folks would have
| done and what Bertram told us to do.
He knew that he hadn't long to live
when he moved up here. He had some
| kind of heart trouble. But he had
made great name, and he didn't want
it to be wasted. Anything with his
name on it would sell, and so he wrote
all he could. and used up good deal
of old stuff that nobody would buy be-
fore he got to be famous"
"All recognized geniuses do that"
sail /
well, he died." continued Mrs
| Graves. "and there we we've. 1t came
upon us very suddenly"
!
through" said Grandfather Graves.
/ Ia he have any literary assistance
becorc-before he died7" asked,
mo" responded Mrs. Graves "Hc
was always saying that he would 1lnd
some ere, but he never did. When tho
po}: dear boy was gone we buried hin,
10 the Peters cemetery. But we couldn't
let his name perish with him. l ap-
peal to- you, sir; could we:"
Remember that ne had q very large
family" said Grandfather Graves
ut was a trying situation" l ad-
nlitted. what did you do?"
I'VE sent for my nephew, Clarence
rerlied Mrs. Graves.
"Ee is the young man who person.
ated the Greenville doctor, suppose,
said I.
"Yes; that was Clarence" Mrs
Graves responded. "He was working
in a machine shop in Boston before
he came up here. I didn't know how
he would do, but there was nobody else
in the family whom we could trust
Clarence had had a good education
and remembered that he had tried tC
get work on newspaper at one time
Then, too, Bertram had once had let
ter from him, and he said it was mas
terpece."
He wanted to borrow a hundred dol
lars" said Grandfather Graves.
1--WE got him up here as soon as we
, could" the lady continued, without
noticing the interruption, "and I've
been paying his twenty-five dollars e
week ever since. He's written power
of stories in the last nine months. He
took naturally to Bertrams handwrit
ing, and besides we got him a type.