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unty had been
supporting him for a long time, and he felt his position keenly. Here
was a chance to suddenly become a man of importance, and from being a
pauper, he could also provide for his old mother. As the minister was
there and everything foreseen and provided for, the wedding was soon
over and notice of it sent to the local paper. The old mother was sent
for and Mr. Mullinstalk remained. Two days later she died. She had
designed what she wished to have put on her tombstone. But when the
sculptor went to carve the name, he somehow miscalculated the length of
the name and could get only as far as Mrs. Simon Mullinst-, and carried
the rest to a line below, but Simon seemed to think it was all right."

"Did she give anything to the missionaries?" asked an old lady with
great interest.

"Not a penny, but she gave all her old clothes. That preacher was
engaged to be married at the time and after the wedding they went off to
some desolate place where the savages killed them. The cannibals were
merciful enough to grant their last request, and that was that they
should be boiled in the same kettle, and served up in the same dish, so
that people could say of them that 'they were lovely in their lives and
in death were not divided,'"

"It must have been an intolerable blessing, when they loved each other
so. Poor critters! Well, they are having their reward, I hope."

Just then the tall ghost came along and spoke to the lady of the long,
lone curl. He asked her if she would not like to take a turn, at the
same time lifting her small hand in his, with exceeding care so as not
to break any of the delicate bones. He said:

"My dear young lady, how glad I am of having the honor of seeing you
once more. It makes me regret that things are as they are here, yet I
find a balm for my hurt in the fact that there is no marrying, or giving
in marriage, for thus I am assured that no one else can claim you. We
can be friends until we get our passports, and possibly we shall be
permitted to maintain the same friendly relations beyond."

At this delicate compliment, the maiden bowed her head and smiled, as
indeed she had to, having no means of doing anything else. So, when the
tall ghost offered his arm to take her around to see the decorations,
she managed so skillfully that she took his right arm so that he should
not see the bald side of her head. If he had seen it he could not have
made any objections since his own head was as bare of hair as a stone.
As they moved off the young man turned his attention again to the women
and their conversation. He heard one say:

"I do not belong here, for I am buried in old St. Luke's, and if it
hadn't been for the kindness of a friend I should have had nowhere to go
tonight. I really wish we could stay dead and not have to come out until
we are called for transfer. I never come out, but I am made to wish I
hadn't. You know they have taken our peaceful resting place and made a
public park of it, and that without being sure that we were all removed.
Those of us without relatives left were removed by the Trinity
Corporation, or at least that is what I was told. While they were moving
the bodies, I remembered a verse that was written by someone who must
have seen something like this. It runs:

"There's a grim one-horse hearse in a jolly round trot,
To the churchyard a pauper is going, I wot;
The road is rough and the hearse has no springs,
And hark to the dirge which the mad driver sings:
'Rattle his bones over the stones,
He's only a pauper whom nobody owns.'"

"Nobody seems to think that old bones can feel. What hurts me worst
though is where it said on my monument, for I had a rather nice one for
the period when I was buried, that 'she died at the age of 21 in the
bloom of her youth and beauty, leaving her parents and her young husband
desolate.' Yes; my young husband remained desolate just one year and a
day, and then he married again. But as long as they lived my parents
mourned for me. I tell you what, my dears, a man's love for a woman
lasts just as long as she is there to make him comfortable, and no
longer. I saw him not long ago, and he is old and fat, bald and
toothless, and he chews tobacco. Since then I have been almost glad that
I am dead. I wish I could get my passport, but I suppose I have not
learned all the lessons the Master has set for me."

"Do you believe that it is true that when we marry there is a truer
union than that between parents and children? You know that it says in
the Bible, 'For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother,
and they twain shall be one flesh.'"

Another woman who up to now had taken no part in the conversation spoke
in a resonant voice, and with a certain manner that betokened long
practice in public. She said impressively:

"Yes; we have all heard that, but I think the translators have got it
mixed, and it should not read shall, but will leave his father and
mother, for we know that he will do just as he likes and find a good
reason for anything he wants to do. And we do not need to be told how
long it takes him to forget the wife he declared he could not live
without. And we can calculate to the hour when he will remarry. The fact
of the matter is that man is an utterly selfish being. Women have been
expecting too much of men. They should be taught that women are not to
be made the playthings of an idle hour. Oh, if we could only advise our
earthly sisters! Let us form a union-a strong union-and make our
displeasure felt at this outrageous infidelity. I will be president,"

There were murmurs of various kinds, none of them very distinct, and
then the lady continued;

"All of you who are in favor of the movement hold up your hands."

One large and still imposing woman ostentatiously folded her hands, and
several of the others followed her lead and kept their hands down. The
would-be president said:

"Madam, may I ask you if you have any personal objection to me?"

"None at all," was the reply.

"Then I beg that you will reconsider your antagonistic attitude and
raise your hand with the rest. Or, if you have any objection, please
state it."

"I'll be tail to no one's kite, and don't you forget it."

This blunt reply caused three or four men who had unnoticed gathered
around, to break out into their queer crackling laughter, and this so
incensed the would-be president that she walked away in a most dignified
manner. The young man found that he had unconsciously formed the nucleus
of a group of men, and he felt glad of it, for there were several things
that he felt he must learn before the end of the evening. So as these
men seemed to him to be kindly disposed, he said to one of them:

"I could not help hearing the complaints of those ladies, and it would
give me the liveliest pleasure if I could learn something more of all
this reunion. And, so far as I could judge by my own short experience
and observation, women are quite as apt to remarry as men. I think they
are a little harsh in their ju

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