Durango semi-weekly herald., 1904-08-08
IN THE SUNNY SAN JUAN
Helen Wison, a Resident o Durango.


down, and committee had waited up
| on my father to proffer tho request.
They volunteered the information that
they were TO have the funeral at the
Methodist church, so that the bell
| would toll" and assured my father
that he had di&l well fixed" and.
that being the case they Intended to
have hell of funeral was just
A little In doubt as to the require
ments of that brand OF funeral, but
thought the regular order of things
might be made to answer, so sent
word to the rest of the choir, and we
held a rehearsal that same evening at
my home. We went over music suit
tble for such an occasion, my sister
suggesting, however, that we fit the
music TO the case and make the
mourners feel their sinful condition.
But | frowned upon the idea, remind
ing her that a week or two previous
we had narrowly escaped shooting
at child's funeral, because the minis
ter, 1t was he of the Presbyterif nh
hurch, had called public attention to
le goddess condition of the bereaved
parents, pointing his morel with the
Door dear baby The danger line had
been so nearly reached in that case
hat we thonght best to be on the
afe side this time and selected pleas
ant neutral hymns. Later | even took
he trouble to ask the Methodist min
ster. a fearless young enthusiast who
iad been in the West only a few
weeks. to be equally careful in his re
marks but got an unminsterial and
omewhat sardonic grin tor my pains
No doubt he thought me only LAY
man"
But | must stop moment and tell
lou something of our choir. for 1t was
lnique and typical of the time and
5lace. Among my first admirers had
been really fine baritone. a man not
rec from the gambling habit, the
'urse of the camp, and addicted to
what he called full dress drunks,"
when he would parade the streets in
he fullest of full dress, even to
rush hat, white gloves and button
lole boquet. Another was small
nan with twisted body, the face oi
IN angel and wonderful tenor voice,
iull OF tenderness, the source of which
/ could never study out, for his nature
vas as twisted as his body. BY pro
ession he was a gambler, but. coming
| rom a good old eastern family OF
wealth, he made an effort to cover his
lnholy calling with a pretext of min
| ng; though his anxiety to be received
Il a..
he very frankly confessed was due
% the fact that they had something
eat These two characters were
he first 10 propose to me the choir
| scheme After consultation with two
| lear, good women, the organist and
necessary contralto, we decided that
f the minister did not object-and he
lid not, his salary being dependent up
IN the Sunday contributions-the plan
could not hurt us and might be a
means of grace to those men. And this
was the the choir that was to officiate
with me-
An inopportune snowsllde prevent
ID the arrival of the body on schedule
lime, but one clear. cold afternoon the
1
way to the church. to find the other
members OF the choir before me and
much wrought up over the fact that
| lie melodian was not in its accustom
ed place in the little gallery at the
rear. but upon the floor near the pul
Dit. where it had last been used at q
| prayer meeting. The seats of the
singers, arranged gbout it. were Of ne
eessty uncomiortably near the front
Dews. 1t was too late to make any
change, and | paid little attention tC
| he fussing of the men, who declared
| hat they never would have come had
hey not remembered the gallery and
| supposed that IL would be our station
| was still too much of tender
foot' to feel a sense of danger in my
surroundings and was completely en-
| crossed in my scrutiny of the faces
before me. For, barring the seats re
4! served for the mourners, every one
was taken, standing room" only be
| ing left, and not much of that. and
| The people who crowded the church
IN that day were all men and women
If the so-called sporting world" for
| whom We were to furnish the desired
hell of funeral"
| The mourners were long in coming
'ashonably late, indeed, but at last
he tolllng of the bell announced the
I arrival of the funeral procession, and
| hen came the voice of the minister as
| preceded the bearers up the aisle with
| he solemn words. 81 am the resurrec
| tion and the life" But his voice was
soon lost in the tramp of heavy feet
| and as the casket was lowered to its
| place very near. us my eyes made the
unpleasant discovery that the inmate
of that casket seemed bursting his
confines and that there We're numer-
lus gaps through which we might
,lke a last. if undesired, look at the
remains. | later learned that the cas-
l;et had been near fit but 1t was
The only silver-mounted one In the
San Juan, and 1t had to do. We were
to have sung at once upon the bearers
| depositing their burden, but the stea'
| dy tramp of feet became more insist
ent There was clanking of spurs,
| the creaking Of leather chaps" and
II -. =