Year: 1865

sistantS came with the coffin, and / was
soon encased therein. While this was
going on, tried to break the spell and
give some sign Of my condition, but it
was as futile as the other efforts had
made.


Their task done they departed, and soon
afterward two persons entered the room,
came up to the side Of the colin and rails
ed the lid. They were cousin John and
his wife. The latter was sobbiOE or;e4lJ.


He looks natural, does be not, Mary!'
said cousin John.


Yes, John he looks almost as though
he was alive. And how I wish he was,
and as well as he was when at our house
the day before yesterday S.


Il wish that he had not been taken so
suddenly. But then without doubt he is
better off; and so are we. wife; for have
been looking over his papers and ] find
he has made no will. In that case all his
property comes to US as nearest Of kin.
This sudden stroke is all the better for
US, my dear; for had his been lingering
sickness he might have made will, and
cut US off with but portion


1t seemed to me that if anything could
have burst the bonds that held me, this
cool calculating voice Of my cousin would
have done so, that | might have lived to
cut him off with a shilling, but it did not
and they left the room, leaving me reflect
ing upon their baseness, even in my ter.
rible situation.


A short time elapsed and again the door
opened, and light footstep came across
the floor, and gently raised the lid above
my face. 1t was Jessie Wilowly that
stood beside me now.


Dear friend, she said, as she still kept
her face close to mine, How shall miss
you-whom l loved the best, beside my
father, of anybody on earthl oh, why
were you taken now


This was a confession indeed. Then
she loved me Oh, for life and again |
struggled, but useless. heard her father
call her name, and she carefully let down
the lid, and glided from the room. Again
| was alone with my despair.


After a time the undertaker's men came
and then | was carried out Of the house,
and up the road to~the church, on the
shoulders Of four stout men, as is the Gus
tom in our past Of the country, and de-
posted in front of the altar. Then and
there listened to my own funeral SER
mon, which is more than most people can
say.


I listened to every word carefully
Somehow l could not help doing so, and
even caught myself finding fault with
some points set forth by the clergyman.
have since discussed the matter with
him, and he has admitted that was right,
and that he was in error.


The service was over at last and the
assembly gathered around to take the last
look Of one that they had long known.
knew many Of them, as they came near,
; by the sense of their prcsence-and two,
Mrs. Bell and Jessie, by the hot tears that
fell upon my face.


In few minutes all who wished had
looked upon me; and then the sexton put
down the lid, and heard the clasp slip
into its place, intended never to be dis
turbed again. m.


Thanks to the economy of the maker
Of the coffin, board not tit FOR such pur-
poses had been used 1t contained crack
carefully hidden on tho outside. but not
so eGectually but that the air, sufficiently
for me to breathe can:s through it, so that
| experienced no difficulty in respiring,
as expected. ] needed but little air for
my respirations were so slight that they
had not been perceptible TO the Doctor,
or any of those who had bert over me.


was carried out Of the church, the
procession formed, and then it moved
toward the tomb of the Seatons, and in
short time kwas placed beside the re-
mains of my father and mother, and
heard the key crate in the rusty lock-
Then / knew that | was alone with the
dead, and shut in from the great world
without.
- Words are inadequate to describe all
the horrors that had experienced up to
this time The fruitless efforts that had
used 70 make known my situation have
family conveyed to you, but now that
felt that was forever shut out from the
light of the sun, and the companionship
of human beings, changs came over me.
no longer struggled with the bonds that
bound me so close In their embrace =
what would it avail me if could cO1
back to life, in my narrow prison.house
SVulu uOt CoOdPC 6HO W
gain the use of my limbs would only add
to the horror Of my situation.


Upon these reflections | became COM
paratively calm; and then thought and
speculated upon how long could remain
in this situation before should indeed be .
dead. had no difficulty in my respira.
tons. though the air that inhaled was
damp and musty, and very disagreeable.
The end must come soon, | thought; and
calmly awaited its coming


How long | remained In this situation
then had no means of determining, for
the day and the night were alike to me
lence of the tomb.


listened intentIy. Could it be posi-
BILE that a human being was again near
me? Again q dull sound broke upon
my car, and heard footsteps outside the
iron door that stood between me and the
world.


Another sound-tbat Of the grating of
the key in the rusty lock-and then !
knew that the door was opened by the
fresh air that rushed in, and the sound OF
low voices that fell upon nv ear.


At first thought that they were body
snatchers 1t would seem probable that
some medical man, hearing Of my sudden
demise, had desired my corpse for the
cause of science, and this was the reason
why the sanctuary of the dead was bro
ken in upon.


what wish to do can be done here.
have no desire to remove the body from
the tomb said voice which to my Joy
recognized as that of DIR. WillOwly.


The hope of escape again filed my
heart. If he had come in the cause of
science. did not fear his knife. The first