her lamp of life. It commenced to flicker and grow dim 

 and needed only a puff of apoplexy to put it out entirely. 

 When the end came the son's grief was touching, and the 

 more so as there was no place he could obtain a coffin 

 nearer than a town three days' journey away. How to 

 get there and back in time to bury the old lady decently 

 troubled his mind, and the indecency of burvingr her in 

 one of their common pine receptacles was more shocking 

 to his delicate sense of propriety than planting her in a 

 dry goods box. At this juncture a man who had long 

 known and revered the departed woman volunteered his 

 services to fetch a coffin. With sturdy strokes of his 

 paddle in the " dead " waters of the river and the deft use 

 of the pole in pushing up over the "quick" waters he 

 hurried on. After reaching a "carry" he almost ran 

 across it (two miles) to catch the first boat to the town 

 where coffins were for sale, made his purchase and speeded 

 back to the "carry." Putting the coffin in his canoe he 

 started down the river as rapidly as elbow grease and 

 paddle could drive him. When he landed, the .son of the 

 deceased asked hin) what his charge would be for the trip. 

 The man replied that he would make no charge, that the 

 deceased had always been kind to him, and what he had 

 done was little enough to show the good will and respect 

 he had for her, and that he was glad to have been able to 

 make the trip as he had done. "But" he .said, "I 

 wouldn't mind having a plug of tobacco: mine was all 

 used up on the trip. ' ' The dutiful son handed him a plug 

 from behind the counter and in the most kind-hearted 

 tone said: "Ten cents, please." This he said and 

 nothing more. 



