The Holly chieftain., 1919-03-27


to die, mister-toO mean fer hell an I
wouldn't wonder-honest. wouldn't
mebbe that's why God is keepin' him
here-jest to meller him up little.
Say. mister, be you in hurry7"
mo"
"Say, hitch yer hoss an come In
here. I want to show ye suthin'."
dismounted and hitched my horse
to the fence and followed him into the
old churchyard. between weather.
stained mossy headstones and graves
cvergrown with wild roses. Near the
far end of these thick-sown acres he
stopped.
Here's where the buryin' begun"
said my guide. 1.-THE first hole In the
till was dug for a Fullerton"
There were many small monuments
and slabs Of marble-some spotted
with lichens and all in commemoration
of departed Fullertons.
"Say, look a. that" said my guide as
he pulled aside the stem of leafy
brier red with roses. "Jest read that,
mister"
My keen eyes slowly spelled out the
time-worn words on a slab Of stained
marble:
Sacred to the memory Of
Katherine Fullerton
17S7-1S06
Proclaim his Word in every place
That they are dead who fall from grace"
A dark shadow fell upon the house
Of my soul and heard loud rapping
at it's door which confused me until.
looking out, saw the strange truth Of
the matter. Rose leaves and blossoms
seemed to be trying to hide it with
their beauty. but In vain.
II understand" said.
"No ye don't Leastways don't be-
lieve We do-not correct. Squire Full
lerton dug a grave here nm had IN
empty coffin put into it away back In
1906. 1t means that he wanted every
body to understan' that his girl was
Jest the same as dead to him an to
God. Say. he knew all about Gods
wishes-that man. Gosh! He has
sent more folks to hell than there are
in it, guess. Say, mister, do ye know
why he sent her there?"
shook my head.
"Yis We do, too. It's the same OIL
thing that's been sendin' women to
hell ever since the world begun. Ye
know hell must "a been the Invention
of man-thats sartin-an' 1t was
mostly fer women an children-that's
sartiner-an' fer all the men that
I,,S% wit lot hnr
an I'll tell ye the hull story. My days
work is DONE"
We sat down together and he went
on as follows:
ibid ye ever see Kate Fullerton
"Yes."
mo ye didn't, nuther. Yer too young.
Mebbe We seen her when she was old
no more'n I'm Bill Tweedy, which l
amt. Kate was Us handsome Us a
golden robin. Hair yeller as his breast
an feet as spry as his wings an
voice as sweet as his song, an eyes as
bright as his'n-yis, sir-ye couldn't
beat her fer looks. That was years
and years ago. Her mother died when
Kate was ten year old-there's her
grave in there with the sickle an the
sheaf an the portry on it. That was
unfort' nit an no mistake. Course the
squire married ag'in but the new wife
want no kind Of mother to the girl,
an you know, mister, there was
young scoundrel here by the name O.
Grimshaw. His father was rich man
owned the cooper shop an the saw
mill an the tannery an lot O. cleared
land down in the valley. He KEEP com.
p'ny with her fer two or three year.
Then all of sudden folks began to
talk-the women in partic'lar. Ye
know men invented hell an women
keep up the fire. Kate didn't look right
to 'em. Fust we knew, young Grim
shaw had dropped her an was keepin'
comp'ny with another gal-yis. sir. Do
ye know why?"
Before could answer he went on:
mo ye don't-leastways l don't be.
lieve ye do. 1t was cause her father
was richer'n the squire an had prom
ised his gal ten thousan' dollars the
day she was married. All Of a sud-
den Kate disappeared. We didn't know
what had happened fe: long time.
- ITO BE coNTINUEDJ-