Death Be Not Proud

Last weekend the broken gravestone for “Elizabeth wife of Jonas Jones” was dug up by an assortment of wizards and clowns. It revealed a four-line verse, but unfortunately the break in the stone had occurred right through the final line, making it impossible to read.

We carefully brushed away the dirt, then smeared some in the inscription to facilitate our deciphering but still could only guess at the final words. Luckily Cousin Don, telegraphing from a train station somewhere in the Rockies, solved our mystery:

Wouldn’t you know… the punch line to the rhyme on the headstone might be the key to everything. Could it be:

Friends nor physician could not save,
This mortal body from the grave;
Nor can the grave confine it here,
She hated drinking, let’s all have a beer.

BurmaShave

Thanks, Don! We needed that!