The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-03
IN A GRAVEYARD RIVALRY.
HUNT FOR DISTINGUIsHED SUBJECTS
ENLLHENS 4 EACATION.

msr Resort Vie with Each Other To Got
New Yorker to Accept Free Gene
terry Lot-Inducsments and Decisisn.
Il don't suppose you have settled on whore you
will have your grave yet have your
The New York man to whom this question was
put almost fell from his chair, he 80 surprised
He was enjoying his evening cigar on the veran-
dab Of the summer residence he had lust purchased
In Canada.
ooh. beg your pardonI didn't know that you
didn't notice mo coming didn't mean 70 give
you u start"
Say, you did give me turn" said the New
Yorker What was that you said about settling
gravcT'
Il Just wanted to know II you had made up your
mind to get buryin' lot over hero in Canada
Folks say that you have some thought Of settling
here for good"
The summer resident took a careful SURVEY on
his visitor and tried to decide whether he was crazy
Tut the shrewd eyes that CLEANED out Of his red
~h'k'rrd face looked sane and clear tina, he
decided that the man wanted 10 talk business
y hadn't thought Of buying one, especially az
st thus place Tor the good Of my health and the
htaith Of the family. But why do you ask2 Have
you something attractive To oIer?"
We'll, our graveyard, OF course can't compare
with the ones you must have at the big city, but
there are people tina, like nice quiet grave in a
quiet out of-the-way place The graveyard on my
place IL the back Of the farm where there in never
any noise and il has a nice southern ex posure"
4 See" said tho Now York man meditatiysly.
well, l guess l would just as soon be dead hero
anywhere else know Of What is your price
for good comfortable grave, with modern i'm
rtUyemcntSE
Cd" wasn't thinking OF charging you anything
Tor one il you would take it, Our graveyard in
something OF matter of pride to U.s. and we like
- have the best people buried in IL 1t has been
In our family for three generations now and We
always take good care OF it. We have a nice row
OF trees around it and that keeps the grass from
drying up in the summer time and the wild flowers
grow in II as well as they do in the woods Be-
SIDES, we have seven men who were reeves Of tho
township buried in it That's why we don't caro-
So much that the present reeve has promised TO
b. buried in McFarlanes graveyard, even though
both his father and grandfather are buried In
ours"
ooh, 80 there Is a rival graveyard"
Well yes but il don't amount to much and
cant see for the life OF me why any one would
want to be buried in il | sure 1 wish the
Joy Of thett north corner lot he took in il"
Tho bitterness with which this remark was
made caused the summer resident to suspect a
story back Of this curious rivalry and he invited
his visitor To sit down and tell it.
1T was just this way. Sam Phar has been the
receive OF this township for Twenty years; but he
never will be again. Folks have all been getting
father tired Of him for some years and he was
run pretty close at the last three elections Our
family always voted for him for We considered
him one Of us But last election he saw that
things were running awfully close and he didn't
know where on earth he going to get the other
vote that was needed to elect him You see the
boys had ii figured down so close that they knew
Mcdonald would beat Phar by one VOTE but II
lhar could win one vote that would give him a
majority Of one McFarlanc always voted against
Phar because his family were all buried in our
graveyard, and for that very we always
voted for him. Well, what do you suppose that
fellow did on the night before the election?"
Il can't be sure, though have my suspicious"
said the New Yorker who was something of a
politician himself.
We'll he went around and bought a grave
btin McFarane's grave yard just a bribe
Tor his vote"
But If you would prove that should think
you would break him
Il suppose we could II VIC could prove that he
did it with corrupt intentions But every man has
right to a grave and who has right to say Just
when he should buy it? When spoke to Phair
about il he protested that he had no thought of
buying McFarlanes vote. He said he liked the
lay OF his graveyard better than ours and as he
Ilhu uOhCcu SOue symptoms Ol ntarl disease IN
the excitement Of the election canvassing he made
up his mind that he had better get grave at once
Then the old hypocrite quoted: In the midst Of
Of life are in death OF course, il McFarlane
voted for him he thankful, but he had no
intention OF bribing him. All people had
voted for the old rascal before found out what
he had done. But I'd just like to see him run
again. There is three votes in our family and they
they'll all go for any other candidate that comes
out against him. And after all that only gives
the McFarane graveyard three against our seven
reeves, and one Of theirs isn't buried yet"
At this point the conversation was interrupted
by the arrival OF o tall raw boned Scotch Canadian
with sour face and chin whskers. His long
upper lip closely shaved and he looked like
Presbyterian elder.
Good evening" he growed out as he stopped
in front of the verandah Il suppose Boyce is
trying to get you to take grave in his place.
! saw him sneaking here and Just followed
him.
20. you are McFarlane are you? Come and
sit down"
The summer resident was thoroughly enjoying
the strange rivalry of which he the object
and said; I'VE have been talking of graves and
eptaphs even though We didn't sit down on the
earth to do it"
The ShakCSpearian reference was lost on both
OF them and McFarlane broke in houy
There are no epitaphs worth reading in Boyces
place. You want to come out to my place if you
want to see epitaphs that are worth while. We
have one tombstone that's over a man ninety
years old and it has history Of his life on it,"
Yes said Doyce he was ninety years old.
That shows that people live as long as they can
when they know they going to be buried in
your place. They don't want to go there any
sooner than they can help"
To this slur McFarlane replied with superior
snort.
And didn't tell you" said Boyce that the first
person that died in this part Of the country WAS
buried in our graveyard"
Person" exclaimed McFarlane 1T was only
baby three months old and it never had a tomb
stone until you put up that little one to show
folks that it the first What do you think
or. Of tombstone that says on it: Under this
stone lies the body Of the first person buried in
this township 1t doesn't sound respectable for