The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-22
ELS DESTRUCTIVE SPIRIT.
sMAsHED NINE ToMBSrONRS OYER
HIS GRAVE IN n FhW MONTH";,


the DesiEns-Bow the Turbulent Tonden-
cies We're Appeased and Peace Came.
III conscience had only boon an unknown guam
uty In my makeup" said tho man Of experience,
Il could have made fortune by supplying tomb.
stones forone mans grave"
The young fellow who was lighting a cigar
dropped the burning match into tho waste. paper
basket and turned around with a show OF con-
adorable interest
Great Cesar" he said, after he had plunged
his foot into the depths Of the smoking paper and
trampcd out the FIRE which he had unwttingiy
lighted What kind OF man was he? A giant
who occupied so largo q portion Of the earth's
area that IL took whole tombstone factory 10 turn
on, enough monuments 70 mark the length and
breadth Of his repose, he hacked into pieces
and laid away on the installmont plan, with each
m1rscl in grave Of Its own?"
Neither OF your coniecturos Is right replied
the man Of experience, calmly. "He was just plain
ordinary man, rather under medium size than
above IT, and he had only one grave lust like
other commonplace mortals; but in spite OF his
unobuusveness his death gave quito a boom
" tho tombstone business, aud while supplying
the stones for his grave enjoyed a greater pros
pcrity than at any other time in my career In
fact soon as his unique patronage ceased my
receipts fell oil 70 such alarming extont that
was forced 70 close up my establishment and
direc, my efforts Into other and moro lucrative
channels | was young man then, lust starting
into business for myself mako this statemort
In tho beginning as II may partially excuse me
for some Of tho actions for which you will prob
ably consider quite culpable II was a mere
ensnce that throw mo into tho tombstone line
An eooentho old uncle on my mothers side Of
tho house had been in the trade before me, and
when no died and bequeathed me what little prop
erty he had, provided | would continue to traffic
In headstones. | naturally stepped into his shoes
and his one-horse factory and turned my attention
TO the manufacture OF marble doves and angels
and the cutting Of appropriate eptaphs.
Tho person who unconsciousy built up the
business which had been dwindling away under
my uncles shitless management and made Il
possible for youngster like me to earn a good
living in spite OF the fine health then prevalent
in that ncighborhood aud the consequent dearth
of new graves was a man named Ell Hulick
Hulick died about year after inherited my
uncle's property and was laid away. In accord
with his specific request in the family bury
ing ground in the north pasture Of his own farm.
This was In the latter part OF February. As
xoon as the frost began to get out OF tho ground
and the earth settled. Mrs. Hulick came to my
shop and gave me an order for n tombstone The
Hulicks were very wcll-todo people for that part
OF the country, and she gave me TO understand
that she wanted something fine, no matter what
it might cost had good helper up from Le1-
ington, Ky, then. named Jim Kyle
Kyle was experienced marble cutter and a
man chock full Of ideas. We put our heads to-
gether on the order from Mrs. Hullck, and as a
result We evolved tombstone that was really
wonder. both as to conception and execution.
Everybody in the neghborhood thronged round
atN, l. ia.
compliments paid to our skill and ingenuity
gave mo the worst case Of big head ever had
in my life There was nothing strictly original
In the primitive design of that stone: II was in
the working out OF the details that we displayed
our genius The trimmings as you might call
thom, consisted Of the regulation angel with his
trump but In the carving of this angel we departed
from the beaten track, and when we were through
with him he differed so essentially from tho
other members OF the angel family with which
my clientele was familiar that II would have puzzled
good many OF the visitors 70 know whether he
was an angel at all or not. had he not been a part
:" me tombstone. Our angel was not recumbent:
neither did he stand stiff and straight as a ram
rod, but he was poised as II ready for flight in a
position that was the personilcation of grace
and as such We felt very proud of him. Mrs
Hulick was also highly pleased with our endeavors
and one warm March day she and Kyle and
one or two Of the farm hands and myself went
over to the pasture burial ground and set the stone
over Ellis head
This back pasture was an outof-the-way part
Of the estate. and. so far as know nobody went
near the new-made grave for two weeks Then
one evening. as l was locking up my shop pre-
paratory to going away for the night who should
come rushing up the path toward mo but Mrs
HuCk
MI Jackson she gasped in great xcitement
lust guess what has happened
Now that was poser, even for man who was
able to manufacture a new style of angel for In
that quiet country place anything, or. what was
moro probable, nothing, apt to happen at any
moment l admitted that could not hazard a
guess on subject so fraught with infinite posi-
hilities, and l asked Mrs Hulick to tell me tho
worst at once She began to cry then. bitterly.
and shall never forget how she looked when she
raised her head and sputtered out. between sobs:
Ellis g-g-grave'
She stopped short at that literally choked up
with tears and invisible emotion.
We'll, said l, what aboutit?
The sperits has been at work on it, sho blub-
bered, at length You Just ought TO SEQ your
tombstone Mr. jackson It's b-been h-hacked
Into m-mince M meat
1 had sat down on a bench outside the shop
door at the beginning OF her sob-laden explana
ZION, but at her allusion to my tombstone jumped
to my feet In hurry I WAS not much worried
over the mincemeat phase of the question. for
was fully aware of the indigestible nature OF my
angel but the thought that all my careful handi-
work had been shattered into fragments made me
turn faint for a moment
How do you know this, Mrs Hulok?' l de-
nandcd
II was over there this afternoon and saw it, she
nd. l felt kind O. funny all the way going over,
rust asf something was wrong and when climbed
The last fence and got in position where l could
Ee' a good look at the graveyard and couldn't sec
anything Of Ellis tombstone, thought I'd surely |
drop Our graveyard you know Mr.. Jackson,
Is on ridge in plain view of both sides OF the |
pasture and as all the other stones are old and |
nave sunk down and got gray and weather beaten |
With time that new one OF Fills ought TO stand up |
pam as day In the midst OF the ruins. When | |
didnt see It there | ought, ! was scared half |
out OF my senses, but plucked up courage and |
went On, right up close to the crowded fence Then
when looked over and saw Ellis monument scat
Tered around over the ground. with not frag.
men' OF 1t bigger than postage stamp sticking