Rocky Ford enterprise., 1904-02-12
CHAPTER x.
The Fourth Carriage From the En-
ginc.

gine.
The next morning. being Sunday.
everyone from far and near repaired
to the church, which contained within
itS walls the materials for sWh func-
raj sermon ms, In all Its ancient his
tory. II had never before seen gath.
cred together there.
The remains, now all dccrntly In
closed In collins. s,ill lay within the
precincts OF the chnncci. where they
must remain until after the inquest
on the following day.
Tho church. which was of no great
size. was filled TO overlooking. For
not only were there many mourncrs
present. who had come posthaStc
from all parts OF the Kingdom. but
strangers for miles round. attracted by
the morbid curiosity which draws
crowds as with cart'ropc. wherever
there iB n prevalence Of tho CHASTITY
element. blocked tho aInicS. filled tho
porch. and even occupied tho pulpit
stairs.
People who came to Iapc and gnxc.
and then. going home to tho Sunday
dinner. exchanged experiences over
the shoulder of mutton and baked POI
tntocS. rcmarking. as they wiped their
mouths. that u was sad sight. but
ono they wouldn't have missed for
anything you could have offered them.
At tho sane time they were compelled
To own that there were not 20 many
bodies aH thoy had confidently cx.
pcctct. but then. nothing ever did
com" up To your expectations In this
world.
Ted Burrit; had a scat assigned
him in one of tho front pcwH. 4
glance Mt hih face. on the part OF tho
functIonary who discharged the oiIic.
Of ushcrinE tho people into thcI'
places. seemed to be sufficient to show
to which portion OF the congregation
he belonged.
Ted Burr!tt knew that his fathers
body now lay there within tho chm
eel rails. In one OF those hastily con.
structcd collins. which had been
roughly put together TO nee; the sud
den and unprecedented demand.
II was evident that n certain mum.
ber OF seats had been reserved for
those who. II was felt, had the great.
70.
after short time, that the same pow
into which he had been ushered also
contained two Of his fellow passcn.
gers on that ever memorable journey
"A poor widow and another woman.
The former, 1t was impossible 10
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 sor; of hard.fcatured way.
was also clothed in deep black gar.
mcnts, but there was suppressed
glitter In her eye. and that same roat.
iess movement OF the fingers. as she
pcrpetually ristlcd the leaves of her
praycr.book. which betrayed the OK.
istcGce OF some strong but suppresseS
feeling. which seemed to be more like
excitement than grief.
But. then, we are all at liberty 20
show our grief in our own peculiar
way.
In the other pcws round him he rec.
ognized other faces-those OF fellow.
travellers or others whom he had seen
Mt 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 tho
one they sought, either in the village
or in some of the ncighboring ham.
let's. and were present on that morn.
ing with chastcned joy and graft.
tude unspcakable.
ITO be continued.)
roiie,ouee ,t Nnt.