Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-24
-HERE was a funeral passing
through the streets as Mr.. Beck

HERE was a funeral passing
through the streets as MI. Beci
came riding on his bicycle
q down the steep hill that over.
hangs the pretty village OF BaIfydun
It was q curious funeral,especiaIly fol-
Ireland. for only three persons took
part tn the melancholy procession
down tho street On an outside car
closest to the hearse sat a rubicund,
xood-humored. middle-aged gentleman,
resplendent In white linen scarf and
hafband, whom Mr.. Beck at once
guessed to be the local medical prac-
fitioner. A certain SNUG satisfaction
showed on his features through the de-
nure affectation of grief which the &C.
acasion prescribed.
Next, but yet not close, to the doctor
walked as handsome a young fellow as
Mr.. Beck had ever set eyes on Unlike
the doctor, he wore none of the trap
pings and the suits of woe" but there
was upon his face a cloud of sadness
and discomfort which, however suitable
to the occasion, seemed foreign to the
man
The procession closed with a stout,
elderly woman She fingered her beads
devoutedly as she walked, but her eyes
were all the time fixed with a plying
look on the vve1l-set head and broad.
straight shoulders of the young man
in front of her.
Mr.. Beck crept down the hill, back
pedaIfng steadily, and reached the foot
as the funeral moved into the grave
yard. He set his machine against the
gate post, leaned comfortably beside 1t
and waited patiently until the brief
function which gives man back to the
earth was over.
He had a good view of the two male
mourners as they passed out, turning
OF in different directions. The woman
waited to say a prayer over the newly
made grave. When at last she came
out Mr.. Beck addressed her.
BEG pardon, ma'am," he said, but I
am stranger in the town, and per-
haps you would be kind enough to
direct me to the best hotelT
well, then. bad Is the best Of them, =
she answered civilly. You'll be stayin'
some time"
e. "a fortnight, I expect"
well, then, if that's the way with
you maybe I could do for you mesilf.
There's the two rooms that he lived
In" she jerked her thumb in the direc-
ton Of the churehyard -goin on thirty
years. They're clane and daycint. any
how, though it's mesi6 that SEE it that
shouldn't say it. and not too dear in
the rent"
May see them nowr
You can that: it's straight homo I'm
goin'.-
wheeling his bicycle. Mr.. Beck went
slowly down the quiet street beside
the woman. whose tongue went more
quickly than her feet
The rooms are a bit disturbed at
the prisint time" she went on, "be
rayson of the Quare sickness that was
on the old man: nothing catching. you
pAgeous like when the fit tuck him.
Howsomever, TIL have them nice and
tidy for you within the hour. That
was quare funeral" she rambled on
In a new direction.
Mr.. Beck nodded assent.
Aye. bedad, and a Quare death, and
= quare man that died. Most like, you
IN your travels? Well. that was the
name that desayged went by, and q
name ould miser he was. and no mis-
take 4-
-sHe was q rich mann
rich is it, Throth. rich is no word
for It He was rotten with money, no
less. It's a graspin' man he was at the
start, then he took to land grabbin',
as We call it In these parts. He bought
up the whole countryside chape, ac-
cordin' as the quality came to the wall,
,doublin' the rents on the unfortunate
cfaytures of tenants. He had four big
houses of his own in the long run. with
domains fornist them But he stuck to
the chape Iodgin's wild myself all the
time, and he had more talk over
fArthin' than the likes of you or me
would have over a pound. It's smallsuse
his money will be to him where he's
gone"
BY this time they had reached Mrs.
Muldoon's neatly kept cottage. standing
well in from the edge of the cliff, with
It's back to the town and its face to the
sea- There was small garden in front