The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-01-11

her when she come. ] see 'em in her
baskets"
at never struck you as odd, / sup
pose" I queried, "that Mrs. Burns
should come here with coffin in her
luggage and a lot of black clothes.
and then have found a husband to die
in the nick of timer"
"Lor', sir, you don't mean she muir
dered him? And yet here be a tidy few
of them sorts about now" and the
woman looked about as IL she expected
10 descry u murderer stroling along
the pavement.
The undertaken VINO carried the coffin
| from the house to the cemetery and
thence the next day forwarded 1t to
Liverpool had little to tell. When his
| men got to the house they found the
| coffin already sealed up and placed in
its outer casing, and all they did was
to move it as above described. All
| papers were legeally in order. The
undertaken said he would like more
such profitable and easy jobs.
My inquiries on this side of the wa
| ter were over, but | determined to
find out the contents of that coffin.
therefore wrote a friend in New York,
| physician Of influence, asking him
| quietly TO trace the destination of the
mysterious box, giving him full par
| ticulars as to steamer, date, etc. In
| due time came his answer | print 1t
| in full.
Your letter in regard to coffin has
| had attention Records of health bu-
reau show permit to land body of Sam
uel Burns. and move same to Brook
| lyn. Records of latter place showed
| interment at Greenwood next day.
With trihing difficulty, owing to ina
bility TO give adequate reason, receiv-
ed permission to disinter. Found
therein body of man, but no further
| particulars noted. Yours faithfully, -"
Who Was the man in the coffin?
thought the whole matter over and
came to the conclusion that l would
not put the matter before the author
tiles. Ihe porter might have been in
error as to buying a body from Mrs,
Burns, or some painful family mystery
innocent in itself, might be wrapped
| up in the leaden casket. 1 remem-
bered the widows beauty, her fearful
eyes. her thrilling voice, her silvery
| laugh. ana made up my mind that
| would not be the one To unVeil her
admitted to myself that an empty coffin
|
III ones pocket are horrible com
bnation Of temptation toward put.
ting an enemy out of the way, but
quieted my conscience with the as.
scrtion that if lovely Mrs. Burns hat
an enemy he certainly deserved hi.
fate merely because he was hel
enemy
Thus did ! juggle with my duty and
nal ltars "a IL . Ia
TWO years PASSED 10y. | still won
dered at times what unhappy corpse il
was that was maSquerading in tn,
| Brooklyn cemetery under the tomb.
stone Of Samuel Burns, but new prob
lens had risen to give 2est 10 life. and
l was no longer restless about it. II
fact at the particular time ] am now
writing Of l was amusing myself in
Paris. and had no leisure for deaC
memories OF either dead or live people
One night 1 was dining at the Bris
tol, when whom should l see at tn,
next table but Mrs. Burns. She ha,
dropped the Widows weeds and looked
as full Of energy as an electric motor
and as beautiful as Cleopatra. He
companion, | assumed. was her huS
band, as he paid more attention TO tn,
dinner than his lady. | went ana sa
beside her
who is in that coffin at Brooklyn
| asked. as gracously as / could. i"
am curious"
! Mrs Burns started of course; so di,
her companion. Then they both laughed
Let us tell NJ. le Consul. Marie" saiC
he; there is something funny in tn
tale"
1T is not exactly d nice story, afte
all" said madam, in French. But
see monsieur knows something. and h
shall hear ALL My husband, owe
there'-pointing across the table,
DR.. Fernand, once of New York.
have been known as Nine. Clementine
and l have had a large business a
Chicago as a costumer, and SO on"
"Ah!" l said, Il begin to understand
But whose bOdy?"
II bought it at New York" said tn
doctor; 1t was easy for a doctor /
do
"Why have any put in?"
1T gave a finish to the plot Yo
see, / discern by your questions tha
YOU have already been inVestigatinC
You found everything all right, n
doubt" The doctor smiled.
But you-"I turned to madam--"yor
; acted by the side of the dying pauper
You did not know him."
She shrugged her shoulders. ut wa
not niCe--but the reward was grea'
We must have a body so that ou
death certificate would be all right. /
was my husbands idea"
You see" smiled the husband, "ther
is free trade in the United States onl
: in dead bodies. We had not been pros
porous; so we decided on a coup. !
retrieved our fortunes; and here W
are in Paris for good and all--or els
/ should not be telling you this stor
; SO frankly. We do not intend to re
turn to New York"
But tell me what was the profit tha
induced you to try so ghastly IA"
Call it fraud, If you like" said tn
doctor. Il hold that fraud on th
! customs is no fraud"
But the proflt?"
Figure for yourself, said madam
three hundred pounds weight of lac
packed tight in the Casket, say thirt
yards to the pound, nine thousan
yards, worth, including the handker
= chiefs and similar trihes, G2O,OO
Duty, sixty per cent; G12,OO0 all saved
1t was worth doing, don't you think ?
Il call it very hard earned money,
Z I said, as I bowed and left the table,
r The New Budget
1 Courage.
Because l hold it sinful to despond,
| nd will ~ a hittapnngu Of