“Yes; upon the wondrous golden harp!” briskly replied the Deacon.
“There,” said Old Taggart, doggedly, “I don’t want to go to that part of heaven. The Lord will give me a place out in some of the back settlements, like. He’ll find a place for me, I’ll be bound!”
“It’s wicked to talk as you are doing,” said the Deacon. “You have the worst ideas about heaven of any man I ever saw!”
“Can’t help it, Deacon,” said Old Taggart, “its all nonsense to talk about me playin’ a harp. I tell you plainly, Deacon, that I don’t want to go among the musicians up there. It wouldn’t suit me!”
“This is absolutely sinful!” said the Deacon.
“Can’t help it,” said the old man, “can’t help it! It’s no use of talkin’; I’ll die my own way, and trust to the Almighty. I’ve a notion that when Old Taggart comes to Him, He will make him comfortable somewheres up there in the kingdom.”
Here Old Taggart gave a gasp or two, and was dead. He has probably found a place “up there.”
Then there was Old Daniels, a queer old fellow who lived at Gold Hill. Old Daniels would sometimes get so drunk that he didn’t know whether he was dead or alive. Very late one night some wags found Old Daniels lying in an alley so much intoxicated that they at first thought he was dead. They got a hand-barrow and carried him out to the graveyard. They there found the grave of a Chinaman that had been opened in order that the bones of the defunct might be sent back to China. The old shattered coffin of the Chinaman still lay beside the open grave, and alongside of the coffin they laid Old Daniels.
The wags then secreted themselves near the spot in order to see how the old fellow would act when he came to his senses, for he was sleeping like a log. They were obliged to wait a long time—till very weary of it—but about daylight, when the air began to grow cold, Old Daniels began to toss and tumble uneasily, and presently was fully awake. He arose to a sitting posture and began a deliberate survey of his surroundings—the empty coffin by his side, the open grave, the tombstones all round.
“The day of resurrection!” said he solemnly, then took another survey of the graveyard. “Yes;” said he, “the day of resurrection, and I’m the first son of a gun out of the ground!”