The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1856-04-16
death OF our friends and beloved ones.

She was our first child, sir, and would
have been twenty years old had she lived
TIL now. watched her through her i'll.
ness, and saw her die, but com, ,,rehende,i
1t not. sat up with her night after
night until was worn out; nv nerves
were dreadfully shattered, and nv head
was light. 1t seemed to me that could
never sleep again. But when she died.
remember mothers saying, "Martha a,
she is deadly l stole up stairs, and threw
myself on the bed, and slept for few
hours, heavy dreamless sleep. Iawoke,
feeling that something had happened. |
got up, crept down stairs, and there, in
the back room, in little coffin, the dead
Guild lay Mother and the ncighbors
had laid her out while I slelt. sa,
down by the side of the coffin, and burst
INTO tears. / never wept so before:
have never wept SO since. I felt as if
were raining myself away. have ONLY
to shut my eyes and can bring The funeral
again before me. know inst how every
thing in the room looked; where the
chairs wern, the candlesticks on the shelf
and the time by the old clock in the cor
ner. The coffin stood on the table under
the looking glass, and its reflection fright,
encd me, for saw two dead children in,
stead of one! Our James was n baby
then, and thought it was a warning Of
his death. The dead child lay in the cof.
fin AS if asleep. Her face was wax or
marble, and her blue eyes appeared to
tinge their half transparent lids. Her
hands were clasped on her bosom, hold
iag little rosebud. ! could not ve.lize
that it was my child who was dead. |
rode to the grave in sort of stupor; lis.
tened to the reading Of the funeral service.
saw the shoveIsfull OF earth thrown in IN.
on the coffin, and came away with the
rest as calmly as they. Ny loss broke
upon ne by degrees. When awoke in
the morning | missed the trundle bed in
which the sweet child used TO sleep; her
little face was no longer the first thing
that met my gaze. missed her at the
breakfast table, sitting up so womanly in
her tal! child's chair. | missed her play
ing with the dog, Ipoor Spot! he is dead
too :; and missed her dressing her doll,
and cutting paper on the hearth. Every
thing she had ever said or done came
back to me; her looks, the tones of her
lisping voice. Years passed, aud other
children were born. ceased to think Of
her as child, but imagined her as the
girl she would have grown, had she lived.
Often | said to myself when saw nv
nelghGor's children, "Jane would have
been as tall as that girl now.'' | missed.
and mourned two James, one the babe tina,
mouldered in the churchyard, the other
the merry girl who should have shed light
in our household. All! sir, it is a sad
tbing-this Death in family !"
We sat few minutes in silence. Mar
tha communing with the Past, in which
her greif WAS e,nbalmed. and John and
thinking our own thoughts.
81 have oasu ssked nysei,a said John
at length, "f Martha and had to die,
which one oil us it should he, il it were
lett with me TO decide. could die for
Martha, lift were necessary, but it would
be best, think, that Martha should die
before me. That is" said John, hastily,
blushing scarlet for fear We might have
misunderstood him, If the cbildsen we're
alone, and without money or friends
Nothing can supply the place Of a mother
i krow that-but oh sir, it is so hard
for chiIdSea to be fa,herless. NY father
died when was lad, but can remem-
Der what blow j, was, even to me.
kissed lin as il were tonight, when |
went TO bed, and in the morning he was
dead At aoon | saw him in a long ma
hogany coffin. They removed the i'd,
and showed me his CHASTITY face. 1t
frightened me. They told me to kiss
him, but refused stoutly. was terri
fed. 1T the sane time fascinated. But
cannot describe my feelings.
"My first thought was, Il wonder who
will say grace, now fathers deadl VIII
mother, or Aunt Thanlfill Or wont we
have any moref Then / wondered who
would cut the hay and corn; whether the
barn door would be mended, and wheth.
er the spoited pig, wkieh was ailing at the
time, would die. 1 tried to imagine the
pig in ccfiin, but il struck Inc as being
so comical, that burst out a.laughing.
God forgive my irrevercnce
"The house was soon crowded with
neighbors aGd relations dressed in t.eir
Sunday clothes. They stared at the dead
man curiously, commented on his altered
appearance, and talked 10 an under tone
about the weather and the crops. Among
the rest were ray uncle and aunt, close
fsted, mean -soulcd pair. They drew
their chairs up to my poor mother, who
sat in corner weeping, and made believe
to console her, my aunt 10y quoting NOR
taary texts, such as AN flesh ia grass,
As flower Of The field he fade,h,' DC;
and nay uncle by prymg ioto the state OF
my fathers affairs. 1t seemed strange to
me, boy IS | was, that he should have
taken such day Tor business but when
! learned, rs | did afterwards, that he
held mortgage on the farm, said it
was exactly like him. lie was a man,
as we say down East. to steal the pennies
off dead mans eyes. Bot neither he,