The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-09-15

uuW0tcneQ. Tner0 was no one within
sight, high or low.
He spent q half hour among the
tombs before he struck the name he
was looking for. Another ten minutes
before she found those of his wife's
family. Then he had his reward. On
Q low brown shaft he read the names
Of father and mother, and beneath
them the following lines:
Sacred to the memory Of
ANITRA
Died June z, 1886
Aged years and one day.
OF such IL the Kingdom of heaven.
The twin! Georgian was mad. This
record showed that her little sister
lay here. Anitra.--yes, that was the
name Of her other half. He remem.
bered It we'll. Georgian had mention.
cd It to him more than once. And
this child. this Anitra. had been buried
here for fifteen years.
Deeply indignant at his wife's du-
plicity. he took look at the opposite
side Of the shaft where still another
surprise awaited him. Here was the
record Of the brother: the brother he
had 20 lately talked to md who had
seemingly proven his >-aim to the
name he now read:
ALFRED FRANCISCO
only son Of
Georgian Toritti afterwards Georgian
Haxen.
Lost at sea February, 1895.
Aged twenty-five years.
An odd inscription opening up con.
lectures Of the most curious and In.
teresting nature. But II was not this
fact which struck him at the time, it
was the possibility underlying the
simple statement, Lost at sea-" This,
- the wry-necked man had said. ad.
mitted Of . possible resurrection. Here
was no body. A mound showed where
Anitra had been laid away; a little
mound surmounted by q headstone
carved with her name. But only these
few words gave evidence of the young
mans death, and inscriptions of this
nature are sometimes false.
The conclusion was obvious. II
was. the brother and not the sister
who had reappeared.. Georsian was
not only playing him false but deceiv.
ing the general public. In fact, know
ingly or unknowingly. she was per-
petrating great fraud. He was in.
clined to think unknowingly. He be.
gan to regard with less incredulity
Hazen's declaration that the shock Of
her brothers return had unsettled her
mind. .x. ,.ns. ..y
Distressed, but no longer the prey
Of distractine doubt, he again exarl-
ined the inscription before him and
this time noticed its peculiarities. al.
fred Francesca. only son OF Georgian
Toritti, afterwards Georgian Hazen.
Afterwards! What @ss Meant by tina:
Afterwards? That the woman had
been married twice. and that this AT
fred Francesca was the son OF her
first husband rather than Of the one
whose name he bore? 1t looked that
way. There was q suggestion OF Ital.
Ian parentage in the Francesca which
coresponded well with the decidedly
italian Toritti. 80 -
Perplexed and not altogether salts
fed with his discoveries. he turned to
leave the place when he found him.
self In the presence Of man carrying
q kit of tools. Why he should come
into this place with tools was more
than Mr.. Ransom could understand.
Hello. stranger" 1t was this man
who spoke. Interested in the Hazen
monument, eh? Well. I'll soon give
you reason to be more interested yet.
Do you see this inscription-On June
Z. 1885; Anitra, aged nix, and the rest
Of It? Well, cut them letters there
fifteen years ago. Now I'm to cut 'em
out. The orders has Just come. The
youngster didn't die IT. seems, and I'm
commanded to chip the fifteen-year-old
lie out. What do you think Of that?
A sweet job for q day like this.
Morn likely it'll put me under a
stone myself. But folks won't listen
TO reason. It's been here fifteen years
and seventeen days and now 1t must
come out, rain or shine, before night.
fall. Before the sun SETS so the
telegram ran. I'll be blessed but I'll
ask a handsome penny for this job"
Mr.. Ransom, controlling himself
with difficulty. pointed to the little
mound. "But the child seems to have
been buried here" he said.
Lord bless you. yes, child was
buried here, but we all knew years
ago that 1t mightn't be Hazen's. The
schoolhouse burned and dozen chill
dren with IL. One OF the little bodies
was given to Mr. Hazen for burial HC
! believed II was his Anitra, but gooC
! while after, bit OF the dress she