The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1913-12-12
A MOCK
FUNERAL
BY WILLARD BRAKEMAN

John Wickersham lived on the Pa.
cifio coast. John was mining wreck
There are inventive wrecks. literary
wrecks. artistic wrecks and many 9th
er kinds OF wrecks. In other words. he
had spent two-thirds of his life taking
enormous risks as to loss of time, to
say nothing of other detriments, seek
ing a fortune In holes In the ground.
Finally. discouraged. he settled down
on a small piece of ground with his
wife and children and tried to make O
living for himself and them In work
he knew nothing about, farming.
Katie was Johns little daughter
She loved the big ocean near which
she lived and spent as much Of her
time as could be spared In looking out
upon 1t from the heights or running
about on the beach. She lived on big
bay that afforded tolerable harbor.
though it was not much used by ships
However, there was necessity for
a custom house, where an old man
dozed the quiet hours away. He was
not there for business. for there was
no business for him to do. He was
there to watch. and the way he watched
was by DOING.
One morning Katie went to the
shore just to have a look at the broad
expanse that seemed to her as big a.
the heavens above. She saw ship
approaching, and ship even far out
at sea was to her as agreeable sight
as a gull flying up in the sky. The
vessel was so near that she could see
persons on her deck. While the child
looked an anchor was let go. and she
could hear the chains rafting in the
hawse pipes. Then boat put OF t.
the shore and pointed for the custom
house. 1t remained there shor,
while. then pulled back to the ship.
Presently box. OblOng In shape, was
lowered into the boat. while those
aboard the vessel stood with heads III
covered. Katie understood this to be
the removal Of corpse and looked OH.
deeply impressed. And 1t occurred u
her that when the boat had gone to the
custom house 1t was to request permis
sion to bury a body ON the shore.
The oars flashed in the sunlight. ana
the boat drew near a point on the
beach almost directly below where
Katie was. There was but little surf
the boats nose grated on the sands
and four sailors removed the box iron,
the boat and carried 1t to the crest OF
hill, where they dug grave. A few
pleased at an opportunity to see some
thing doing. even II it were only fu.
neral. stood by gaping. Katie. who re-
manned In her own position, saw the
box lowered in the grave. a few word
spoken by one OF the burial party. th'
earth replaced. wooden headboard
was set up. and all were pulled back t..
the ship.
Katie went home and ut dinner toG
her parents what she had seen. john
Wickersham listened to her recital
but made no comment on it. Hayin'
finished his dinner he went out to ~
sumo his work. and when be returned.
to supper he was more taciturn eveh
than ut dinner. As soon as il was.
dark he took up spade and said t.
his wife:
"My dear. I'm going to the shore"
What on earth are you going to th'
shore forT'
I'm going to dig up that corpse thai
was buried today"
You're not going to do any such
thing. What you going to do that for?'
There's gold in that grave"
'Oh. Lord. You've been digging hole
for gold for twenty years. and it,
made you crazy OH the subject. FOl
heavens sake do get the idea out -
your head"
Listen to me, Susan. Those sailors
didn't bury corpse; they buried goods
They're smuggiers. Old Grant, the
collector. is being hoodwinked all the
while. They asked permission to bury
a corpse and either tonight or sonic
night soon they'll take it up. ruin 4,
into market and make big profit out
of 1t swindling the government out
the DUTY.
The poor woman grOaned. and he
husband went out into the darkness
going to the hill his daughter hnt
described. 1t was a lonely spot. an'
he had no great fear Of being inter
rupted by any one passing. He dug
down to the box. lifted ii out. and his
suspicious were confirmed by its light.
ness. He therefore carried it withou
opening II to his home and placed T.
on a table. His wife stood by in
agony. supposing that her husband had
lost his reason. But John. Selling It
screwdriver. removed one screw after
another and took of the lid.
He did not find corpse. as his wife
expected. but some everything paper
Removing this. he came to number Of
pasteboard boxes. Taking Off the cover
Of one he disDlnyed n quantity of rare.