Imperial Valley press., 1936-10-11
Jean Rendlen, Editor.
By John Richard Finch

and children gathered around the alley-like en-
trance to the Plunket fiat.
There was a 1O-piece band and an open car
filled to overfowing with flowers. The band
stood solemnly before the entrance and played
sad music. Some of the neighbors began to cry
and several of the children, frightened at seeing
their mothers weep, set up wailing.
INSIDE the fiat, surrounded by relatives and
| neighbors, Mrs. Plunket. in new black silk
dress and voluminous veil, sat with the four
children listening to the singing of a male quar-
tet that stood beside the handsome black coffin
IN which old man Plunket lay. Never had she
heard such beautiful singing! She daubed at her
eyes from time to time with handkerchief.
The children, completely awed, remained stiff
and silent.
There was a minister, too, who read over the
pody-a brief but fitting eulogy to the departed
which was impressive to the gathering though
not fully understood Then six pallbearers,
whom nobody knew but who were striking in
their black SUITS lifted the casket and carried
it out to the waiting hearse. The crowd pressed
in They peered through the glass windows of
the hearse at the casket; they gazed awesomely
at the car filled with flowers They had never
before seen so many flowers. Mrs. Plunket came
out weeping, the children at her heels and was
helped into waiting car. The relatives and
neighbors climbed into other cars, awkwardly-
unfamiliarly. Slowly impressively, the process
sion got under way. 1t was a nne funeral-per-
haps the finest Poplar had ever known!
In car just behind the one filled with flow-
ers, Mrs Plunket sat. The dolorous music of
the band filled her with a strange sad ecstasy.
Fragrance of flowers drifted to her and she
breathed deeply. She looked back at the long
line of cars-all black limousnes filled with
faces staring out in surprise at the street.
Ahead was the polished black hearse, equipped
with special shock absorbers imported from
An,or ,ba drixt hod haan ,o,,t;1 70
drive carefully to prevent old man Plunket from
being joggled. Mrs. Plunket sighed. All along
the way people stopped to watch the process
sion. For the first time in her life Mrs Plunket
felt important.
(>UNSHINE played upon the tombstones In
y the cemetery. The day was bright and
cear-London at it's best. Old man Plunket had
a very fine grave lined with shiny black sateen.
AS the casket was lowered into its luxurious
resting place, the band played. Weeping, Mrs.
Plunket was helped back into the car. The
children were crying now, too, but they became
quiet when the car started Mrs Plunket leaned
back and closed her eyes. Such wonderful
funeral 1t was like dreams something only
imagined She had never known such luxury!
1t was scarcely "a hours after the funeral
that the neighbors started to tak-especially
those who hadn't been invited to attend. Some
how it got out that Mrs. Plunket had spent
every cent OF ner insurance money to her
husband.
Did you ear about Mrs. Plunket ?" they
asked. "She spent undred pounds to bury
'er man! 1t was every cent of 'er insurance
and some says there debts besides And
to think before e died they couldn't even pay
for doctor!
Some said that the children would be taken
away from her because she couldn't support
them. But they were wrong. Mrs. Plunket
moved to smaller quarters over a Chinese res
taurant on West India Dock Road and took in
more washings She got along, and the whole
thing turned out all right.
4 ATER Mrs. Plunket confided to a friend:
l. when enry died just 'ad to give i'm
fine funeral. 1t was not for myself that spent
the money, mind you, but for i'm. don't re-
gret it none"
Henry's funeral was the most beautiful thing
that ever happened to Mrs. Plunket. All her
life she will remember it, Whenever she thinks
of it, which is often, she weeps She always
says she never knew how fond she was of her
man until he died. Often when she is washing
clothes and her back aches from bending for
hours over tub, she thinks of the day she rode
in a black limousine, and the band played and
the air was filled with the smell of flowers
Then Mrs. Plunket forgets her bodily discom-
forts. 1t was indeed a fine funeral and a men,
orable day.