The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1898-12-07
Sarge 9lunkett.
Reading the Inscriptions Uupon the
Tombs and the Memories it
Revived.
Atlanta Constitution.

Atlanta Constitution.
IF an old man wants to feel lone.
some, but just let him visit an old
graveyard, where he knew people in
the long ago, and read the inscrip-
tions upon the tombs and study over
the people that these will call to
mind.
Brown and I went back to our old
home with the full intention of stay
ing q week, but everything was so
changed that we were glad to leave
in q day. As we passed along the
roads we used to travel it was but
natural to ask for the folks We had
known, and we found 30 often that
they were dead that We thought the
best place for US to see anything we
had ever known was in the graveyard
and there we went. Familiar names
were there and were about all we
saw on our trip that was familiar.
These names stirred up many mem
ories-some pleasant and some bad.
The good old people whom we had
known and who caused no surprise at
finding dead, these were remembered
with feelings sadly sweet, and we
fingered at their graves the longest.
In some of the names we found those
whom we had known as young and
romping youths, and now and then
we would come to a baby's grave
where weknew that all its kin had
moved away and left it all too lonely.
We had fingered for a long while
among these graves and were just
fixing to leave when we saw upon
newly erected stone the name
Lucy Dawson"
We knew Lucy and felt what
mockery there might be sometimes
in the glitter of these tombstones.
We knew her when she was baptized
in the old pool at Hebron and We
knew her when she was the pet of all
the settlement, and We knew her
father to be rich and knew that she
was raised as tender as tiny flower,
but We knew her ending, as we read,
Erected by her husband We both
at once muttered, "Mockery, mock
eryi"
Yes, / aaw Lucy when she came
along the road moving to her new
home soon after she had married
John Dawson, and perhaps there
might be some good in telling her
history. She was rosy and blooming
then, and she looked so happy when
she pulled back the wagon sheet to
speak to me and Brown that it would
have took harder hearts than ever
ours have been not to have wished
them happy life for the future.
And for a while John did so we'll and
made most devoted husband, but
later, and sad it was, he got &C.
quainted with four on FIVE rowdy
fellows and that association grew
stronger and stronger untilit ended as
I am going to tell. At FIRST John met
advances of these wild fellows timid
ly and soldt, but after a while he
came to rate them as generous to q
fault and to excuse their rowdy
ways. The associations grew from
just an occasional hunt together,
with now and then meeting at the
blacksmith's shop, to one of friendly
attachment, and so familiar did John
become with these rowdies that his
little wife took notice of it and re-
solved that she would stop it if she
could.
John promised at once to break off
from these rowdy fellows when Lucy
made mention of it, and he took her
on his knee and kissed her, strok-
ed her pretty hair and laughed at
her for being scared that ever he