The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1853-08-17
EPISTOLARY ADDRESS OF A DYING
WIFE TO HER HUSBAND.

The following most touching and pathetic ad-
dress of dying wife to her husband, was found
by him some months after her death between
the leaves Of a religious volume she was accus-
toned to peruse. The letter which was consid.
erably defaced by tear marks, was written long
before the sadly stricken husband was aware
that fatal disease had seized upon his wife, who
died at the early age Of nineteen.
"When this shall reach your eye dear c.,
some day when you are turning over the relics
of the past, | shall have passed away forever
and the old white stone will be keeping its lonely
watch over the lips you have SO fondly pressed
and the sod will be growing green that shall
hide forever from your sight the dust OF one
who has SO often nestled close to your warm
heart. For many long and sleepless nights
when all thoughts are at rest, l have wrestled
with the consciousness of approaching death
and at last it has forced itself upon my mind
and although to you and to others it might now
seem but the nervous iE,aginations of girl, YET
dear c., it is so.
s.Many weary hours have passed in the en-
deavor to reconcile myself to leaving you, whom
| love well, and this bright world of sunshine
and beauty and hard indeed is it to struggle
| on silently and only with the sure con, ictior
that am about to leave all forever and go dowr
alone into the dark Valley! But | know ir
whom have trusted, and, leaning upon Hi,
arm, fear no evil. Don't blame me for keep
ing even all this from you. How could sub
ject, you Of all others, to such sorrow as fee
at parting, when time will soon make it apparent
to you? 1 could have wished to live if only tc
be at your side when your time shall come, and
pillowing your head upon my breast, wipe the
death damn from vOur brow and usher vOur de
parting spirit into its Maker presence, embalm
ed in woman's hottest prayer. But it is not te
be so-and submit. Yours is the privilege Of
watching, through long and dreary nights, fol
the spirits final flight, and of transferring the
sinking head from your breast tony Saviour,
bosom And you share my last thought; the
last faint pressure of the hand, and the las
feeble kiss shall be yours and even when flesh
and heart shall have failed me, my eye shall res
on yours until glazed by death; and our spirit:
shall hold one last fond communion, until gently
fading from my view-the last of earth-yor
shall mingle with the first bright glimpse Of the
unfading glories Of that better world where part
ings are unknown. Well do know the spot
dear c., where you will leave me otter
have we stood by the place, and, as we watched
the mellow sunset, as it blazed in quiverins
flashes through the leaves and FURNISHED gold
each perhaps has thought that one of us woult
come alone: and which ever it might be, you
name would be on the stone. But we loved thu
spot; and know you'll love it none the les
when you see the same quiet sunlight lingo
and play among the grass that grows over you
there, when am laid there, and my spirit will
be with you then, and whisper among the wav
ing branches. 81 am not lost, but gone before.
-KnickerbOcker