Well, although my wife's friend, and me a mourner--well,
now, I was--disappointed and discouraged."
The Other Man (in palpably affected sympathy): "Sho! now!"
"Yes, SIR! Well, you see, this yer ondertaker, this Wilkins, hed a
way of correctin' all thet. And just by manniperlation. He worked
over the face of the deceased ontil he perduced what the survivin'
relatives called a look of resignation,--you know, a sort of smile,
like. When he wanted to put in any extrys, he perduced what he
called--hevin' reglar charges for this kind of work--a Christian's
hope."
The Other Man: "I want to know."
"Yes. Well, I admit, at times it was a little startlin'. And I've
allers said (a little confidentially) that I had my doubts of its
being Scriptoorl, or sacred, we being, ez you know, worms of the
yearth; and I relieved my mind to our pastor, but he didn't feel
like interferin', ez long ez it was confined to church membership.
But the other day, when Cy Dunham died--you disremember Cy Dunham?"
A long interval of silence. The Other Man was looking out of the
window, and had apparently forgotten his companion completely.
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