The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-10-09
CUTTER TO THE UNDERTAKEN.

Runaway sculptor's Role In q Western Town
-SuRGested by o Woman's Mistake.
Ihad a funny incident in a Lexington ave-
nue. car the other day." said one man to an
other. II was going homo. and I was reading.
On my right was q quietly dressed woman. I
became conscious, without seeing the act. that
she was looking at me rather moro stead
lastly than o woman usually looks at q man. I
must have had that consciousness q half hour
when she spoke.
You will pardon me II I am mistaken she
said. Are you not Mp
II was not Mr.. -. and I 80 informed the
inquirer. She was either dissatisfied with my
answer or very uncomfortable over her mis-
take. for q woman doesn't often blunder In
that way. She looked at me straighter than
before. after which she made this break
"'You look so much like Mr.. -. the under
taker. who had charge Of the funeral Of my
dead friend Mrs. -. I thought you were he
IT said 1t was a funny incident. And so it
was at the time. but the thought that l look
like an undertaken does not become hilarious
as it recurs. OF course the notion may not be
we'll founded. I never met IN undertaken In
my life to my knowledge; But you, know how
prone you are to, associate a mans face with
lsss. P that { an lIs SH3 to H bs t 81 sa'R9 of aa Sndee-
The mar who had listened replied: IT don't
lhuOWs ~ u BOOu- u5ltNh az lit i was
IN it once. Don't be scared. II was many
We'll. after ! / got So Could !ehisel a BIZ 1 ran
away from home; Went put West to be a cow
There was. no opening in my line. In that
country. The nearest approach was the tomb:
stone business. and there was not much Of
ana anal to%6stone cutter and I oifered my serViee
In the latter line. He confessed to me that he
sSBSaltd he el SSSu ,SR 2S eos Saf 'd RlsH' So ss9 I d e. a. iR put and ii
zone day Will; I was carving a cherub the
boss came in with a woman who was hung all
over with the habiIiments Of grief. For that
remote section she was: to use a quotation
gardless.' The boss presented her In the fol-
Owing words. t e. nearly s5G 2 as ~ ! can aa recall them;
ceased aF' H. ni- TINS lady i IN tee w MlsO Cn q she the sts dss
when he met his death and after bis demise I
thing appropriate. She has seIscted the Stone.
and wants to tell you what to cut on II. Maybe
you can help her out with an appropriate quo
the widow what line Of the stage business. her
t aRSs saosa fsa S spDro 5Pi T5sh sshSsl f lifted d R %as 1ei
and looked at me In q way / shall never forget.
reckon the undertaken don't quite UNDER
stand. Jim was on the stage when no died,
b Kim i Tor T Jim 9 %ss a de saaes sh gsS E Me- t. 9 eve. aG Hot
IT said. Yes. ma'am.' because it was the
You andsrstan', I reckon p she continued.
said DID, and then / asked her II she had
thought Of anything appropriate TO be carved,
for blest II / wasn't up a stump.
"Then she took from q fat purse a bit OF
paper which she opened up and handed over to
me. with the remark that II was something she
had came across in aC9liiornla magazineI and
T. had strncf her as '.Dein' fttin' to be on Jim's
II read. in good chirography, this quotation:
Earth counts q mortal less,
Heaven an angel more
well. ! cut the words on the monument,
and l went with the workmen to have the stone
set VI. And IL was standing In the cemetery
81 q Kansas town ten years ago whom l was out
there, Just where We put 1t twenty years ago
and more. But since " was put up somebody
had u crown and q pistol carved under the quo
tAtton which / had cut at the widows request.
The sexton was a new man when l was there
on q visit, and he could not tell me when the
emblems OF JiIn's death and future state were
carved. or by whom. returned to my home
In the East atterI had carved outs few more
monuments " the West, but / left my chtSel
andl~.st b9hlnd. Heres where ] get ON