A Farmer’s Life 
asking Mr. Smith to go and see the brothers. 
For Ship had seen Silas; and “ no mistake Silas 
did swear and go on, when he heard what he’d 
done! If she’ thad' ha’ known ‘twas mean 
said Mr. Smith. “ But he didn’t see who ’twas, 
and shut the door.” 
Of my uncle’s visit nothing was told me. But 
Andrew died, and my uncle went to the funeral. 
The only relative there was Silas. Lonely, Silas 
followed the coffin; a man grey-haired, stooping, 
feeble, shut in by himself. And so the service 
was gone through. 
But it was scarce over, and the parson had 
hardly turned to walk away, before the aged and 
stooping mourner walked to the head of the grave ; 
and the lookers-on saw a strange sight. Silas’s 
back straightened, his shoulders broadened; he 
stood tallish, dignified; took one glance down 
into the grave, then, with longish grey hair 
falling down, turned his face to the sky and cried 
aloud, “‘ Farewell, brother! May we soon meet 
in that better kingdom!” 
After that I suppose he went home to his 
lonely house. 
But Mr. Smith, telling, added, “I never saw 
anything like it. And half of them that was 
there—they was mostly women—was in tears.” 
Questions of mine followed—I wanted to 
go 
