The Elbert County tribune., 1904-02-11

its walls the materials for such fune-
raj sermon as, = all It's ancient his
tory. it had never before seen gath.
cred together there.
The remains, now all decently in
closed in cofhns. still lay within the
precincts Of the chancel. where they
mist remain until after the inquest
on the following day.
The church, which was of no great
size. was filed to overlooking. For
not only were there many mourners
from all parts OF the kingdom, but
strangers for miles round. attracted by
the morbid curiosity which draws
crowds as with cartrope, wherever
there is a prevalence of the ghastly
element. blocked the aisles, filled the
porch. and even occupied the pulpit
stairs.
People who came to cape and gaze.
and then. going home to the Sunday
dinner. exchanged experiences over
the shoulder of mutton and baked po-
tftoes. remarking, az they wiped their
mouths, that 1t was sad sight, but
one they wouldn't have missed for
anything you could have offered them.
At the same time they were compelled
TO own that there were not 70 many
bodies as they had confidently ex-
pected. but then, nothing ever did
come up to your expectations in this
world.
Ted Burritt had a seat assigned
him in one Of the front pews. A
glance at his face, on the part OF the
functionary who discharged the office
of ushering the people into their
places. seemed TO be sufficient to show
to which portion of the congregation
he belonged.
Ted Burritt knew that his fathers
body now lay there within the chan
eel rails, in one of those hastily CON
structed collins. which had been
roughly put together to meet the sud.
den and unprecedented demand.
1t was evident that a certain mum.
ber of seats had been reserved for
those who, It was felt, had the great
est claim to them, for he observed.
after a short time. that the same pew
into which he had been ushered also
contained two of his fellow passen-
gers on that ever memorable Journey
"a poor widow and another woman.
The former. IL was impossible to
doubt. had found her worst fears
realized, for she still cried silently
and ceaselessly behind the shelter of
her veil. The other woman, whom
he now guessed to be about forty
years Of age. and who was good-look-
ing in n sort of hard-featured way,
was also clothed in deep black gar
ments. but there was suppressed
glitter in her eye, and that same rest.
less movement Of the fingers. as she
perpetually rustled the leaves of her
which betrayed the ex.
istence of some strong but suppressed
feeling. which seemed to be more like
excitement than grief
But. then, we are all at liberty to
show our grief in our own peculiar
way.
In the other pews round him he rec
oSnized other faces-those of fellow
travellers or others whom he had seen
at the station or in the church in the
early morning of the day before.
Among these there were, OF course,
happy exceptions to the general rule.
There were those who had found the
living where they had looked for the
dead. and who, after a few hours OF
torturing suspense, had discovered the
one they sought. either in the village
or in some of the neighboring ham
lets. and were present on that morn
ing. with chastened joy and graft
tude unspeakable.
Ito be continued.)