The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1922-12-21
The Story
Of a Grave


WILLIAM ALLES WHITE

an estuary q the great DRY SEA, where
a loug ara % white alkal runs %
suaong the foothills q the mountains.
stands "a inYitinE tavern Il Is upon
tho hillside. Just bel0w II. the gar.
den hose and the landscape gardener
with water carried 10 troughs from the
mountains. have wrought . miracle "
green Trees blue grass. flowers. wax
strong and beautiful IN the artificial
oasis Children and young men and
msidcns romp on the rerdant mat,
spread at the point Of the estuary. and
upon the hillside q score q languishing
quests sit 10 the healing sun. and
look down upon the picture, and
cut into the endless miles " white
ssnd that stretch blllowy and fantas-
nc into the blue Of the horizon.
Most OF these idlers on the broad
piaHza Of the tavern are inyalids II
Is place OF inyalids Here hundreds
Of wretched bodies are dragged by
tragic love Of life Here scores OF
souls watch other souls flicker and die
out. and stu hope on and walt, while
the oil Of life burns smudgy and low.
There are those whom the sunshine
and the dry, clear air win back TO
life. But the dead are there ON the
broad yersnda--a very citadel Of life
the dead are embattled. fighting with
time. II Isa most hideous battle. and
all SO hushed and sepulchral are It's
maneuyers. that life takes no heed OF
the empty pageant
Armed In such a combat sat Hawk
ms, the chief clerk. a grim man, dark,
psllid. sinister OF what out In the
world Of life. Hawkins had been chief
clerk, II does not matter now. He
had been a busy man. firm, taclturn,
self-contalned, repellent. He sat now
at his post In the battle. sneering at
the folly OF those about him who were
trying 70 wrest n few mortal moments
from eternity.
For a long time. as days go, Hawk
ins had been sitting in this sentry box
when his eaptain-the doctor-ordered
him into the infantry. and told him
a. march for dear life. Hawkins left
the guards upon the terrace with loath.
ing During the FIRST week OF hii
marching orders. he made exactly the
same Journey every day. He noticed
everything along his path. He was In
terested IN nothing In his mind the
objects he saw we're eatalogued, but
never referred 10 by his memory.
There was a huge blum. a railroad
bridge. a quarry. a barbed wire fence,
enclosing grave. mud house, a
herder. some sheep. steep hill, a
water trough, cross road, and a
pine grove. on the hin over which he
came back to his starring point None
OF these objects was diguined by a
prominence In his mind. one day, at
tracted BY the most unimporiant detail
in the landscape, Hawkins started to
walk i few rods from his path, that he
might examine more closely the grave.
fenced In with harbed wire To keep
the ghoulish desert beasts away A
second thought made the DEPRESSION
from the path the line o. an ellipse,
ana he followed bis course without
yeerng
There were days when Hawkins
spoke to none Of the hotel guests, and
the lack Of interest in the place
weighed heavily upon him. As he sat
FOR hours after his walks gazing be-
tween the hills that penned out the
desert, the spot where lac grave dotted
the surface Of the plain kept draw
ing his eyes to IL, IN an annoying
manner.
As ne took his lonely walk az the
end of that fortnight the grave began
20 lrrltate him. u aroused certain
curiosity within him which was very
distasteful
one night. after his return from a
walk, raging az his folly the grave
began II haunt hls vakeful uightfan.
Giles TIE next afternoon be walked
over 20 the enclosure. thinking that
Dc would be M longer disturbed by
the thing 4 he examined Il closely
HHvfrs saw ony Sd sdult~ grave
with cactus upon is Al the head
VAS wooden board Ar the foot vas
broad pog The barHed wire was
torn away az one end perhaps by
some stray animal wondering IN The
night Hawkins d.d not approach
nearer an q rod fram De fence and
b. turned quickly Is lhoagh De had
overcome t.s weakness when rs had
FatLsrel lHese de.alls n Ms mind
The next tHE be caue closer and
tie day following AFTER q nigh, n
whiel he vas kg sW Be- frenziei
beause 81 gnaviHE he rs pick
tie cariHs root or sc .he dead MAN
SIDE Has sus came t1 Tie fence au3
ItaH ,ae posts looking ha.s
toward tie hgle' 90 f The group
ou e eanda could m He id
nat ,1aet ths -artas HH rt Hntl ae
had s.raIsHferef IS b 81 800 be -
ue1 - glance af tie mound He
reed Tie name oH me Eeatausrd and
tu-re5 aNay with ar 31rznE his
s So looked betn3 OBJ sheer