Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1825-06-16

thought her too Ill 10 receive me, when
/ reluctantly discontinued my visits till
informed that she had expressed re
greet at my absence, 1 Immediately
called to see her. She was sitting in
a chair, her head reclining on the back
with that unnatural but beautiful bloom
so peculiar TO the disease. Her eye
kindled for a moment as ] entered
"This is kind,' said she. Iapproach
ed and took the hand whose beauty
was already wasted into the gbastly
resemblance of a skeleton. "This is
indeed kind.--I fell a stranger in your
country, but | shall soon go home"
/ could only reply by pressing the
hand [ held--my heart was too foil
for utterance. 81 do not fear DEATH"
she continued, "for / am in the hands
of that merciiul Providence which has
| ever been kind to me: but | feel that |
| could meet it with more composure,
under the roof, and amid the friends
| of my childhood. Those trees and
| she pointed to some oaks that were
waving before the open window,
"those trees arc beautiful, but they are
not the trees of Epgland-of my
home. | would now give more TO
see the elms that stand before my ia.
theirs door, the garden over which |
have so often vplayed, any thing that
! belonged to home, even to the moss
upon its roof, orthe frost upon its win
dows, than all your lakes, and catar-
acts, and mountains" Icautioned her
for speaking SO much, fearing it would
| exhaust her. Ooh no:' she replied,
''ifever you are a stranger, dying in
a strange land, you will know how
delightful it is TO think, to speak of
home. You may receive every atten-
ton of skiIful physicians and kind
friends, but the heart will yesrn for The
tenderness of a mothers love-the
look that soothes the paine which me
dicine cannot reach; that arms the az.
fections of nature against sufferings.
You will then learn how different are
the attentions we owe motives of kind
ness and duty, from those which the
heart offer, and the heart receives"
After a pause she continued, "This
dying among strangers is indeed dy,
ing. If you could know how the
heart turns from all the attentions they
offer, to all that they cannot bestow-
from the looks ofpity that surround US,
to the looks of love that are far away;
that have watched and wept over our
cradle, bat may not watch and weep
over our tomb-to feel the agony Of
those, who with mute and anxious eye
will watch in vain for our r%eturn-t0
think how that eye will grow dim,
and that cheek pale al the thought that
the conflict is indeed over, and the
child has fallen, unshielded by the
buckler of a mothers love-to be de-
| MED in death, the kind look ofthat on
~ love that was enchanted and un.
| cl,angeab!e through life, to feel The ties
ofthis world drawn closer round the
heart, at the moment they are TO be
severed forever-imagine all this, and
you will still have bot a faint idea of
the feelings of a dying exile.
The next morning l went early to
visit her. / found her still sitting in
her chair, bot evidently more weak
and exhausted. The bright eye and
unnatural bloom were still there, but
her c~ountenance was more sunk and
hollow. She smiled when she saw
me enter, and motioning ME to her,
told me in a voice much more feeble
than / had before known it, that | had
come to bid her farewell; and pointing
to the sea which was visible from the
window near which she sat, she adj
ded in a half playful manner, 81 shall
soon embark. / feel that / have
sect the sun rise for the last time, and
have pleased myself with the thought
that it is the same sun that shines at
home.-I sit and watch the waters and
the clouds that come from the east; as
ifthey could tell me of England and
those | love. 1t seems hard to our
weak nature, (she resumed after a
pause,) to be summoned so early to
leave this beautiful world, yet | re-
greet it more for my friends than for
myself. I desire to feel resigned to
the dealings of Providence in all my
su~fferings, and | trust | can say, "not
my will but thine o God be done.'-
Then giving to me a small packet of
letters she added, "you will deliver
this" Then drawing me nearer and
lowering her voice, she continued
with Sou,a bac;tafinn GThera * opa