The Democratic press. (Eaton, Preble County, Ohio) 1860-1865, 1861-07-04
Column for the Young
Another Leaf Fallen.


they might shed their fragrance
there; but others had fallen, as
many rose-leaves fall-to perish.
A message came to me-Mary
was dying. She wished me to come
lanI see shsr, ,s.. !.
! My iiTst Thought, When ! g6t the
message, was-Oh! how hard Of
Jesus to take hcr. Then / thought
Why did she not send for me
sooner?-but my first thought was
best-Ill go at once. went to see
the dying girl; and while l sat
with her, not speaking much-for
she was very weak, and could bear
only a little-L had time to look
around and think.
The little room was lighted by q
cheerful evening sunbeam. Mary
sat in a big armchair, in which
her father had often sat when he
was q strong man; but he got
cough, and then he sat there often
er; at last lie sat always there,
while hour by hour he gave back
his strength to God; and then the
armchair was empty. The widow
and her family could not bear to
see it SO; but it was not so long.
The only son came home sick, and
he sat there he was little boy.
The armchair was much too bic
for him, but they put pillows to
support him, until they could hold
him up no longer, and it was of no
use; so they laid him along, and
put him in his fathers grave.
Mary had loved that grave very
much it made her think Of heaven; ;
it was to her the very door, for she
knew that when they laid her
there, she would see her father and
brother, and one she loved by far
the best-Jesus her Saviour, and
she would be in heaven. So Mary.
turn Of the big armchair wa:
come, and she was happy: not a
first, for she had loved her mother
and sister, and she felt for them
they would be SO lonely when sht
was taken away, and her mothe
would have but one child. 1t wa
so sad for her to think of only one
but Mary knew that she must die
and so, with many a tear, sh,
loosened them from her heart; an,
as she let them go, she could tn,
better trust in Jesus-so she wa
happy.
You may imagine, then, how
surprised [ was, as l sat beside her
when l saw the tears gather in hel
eyes, and silently roll down hel
checks. She did not speak.
could not. l wondered what deer
hidden grief could be in her heart
l knew it was not for those she wa;
leaving; it could be no worldly
thought; what then? l ventureC
after a while, to ask her why she
wept. She told me one thought
troubled her-only one, and it was
this:-
81 can trust in Jesus now," she
said, "but when l come to die, a'
L pass through the deep, darl
waters, l fear l may doubt Him
and it would be SO awful to dit
doubling Jesusl
| tried to comfort her. | spoke
of Jesus unchanging, everlasting
love, of Hispromise-" When thoJ
passest through the waters, 1 vii
be with thee; and through the
rivers, they shall not overflow thee
1 told her Jesus knew what i
was to die, and would sustain her
making His grace sufficient. But
| had never trod the path she was
about to tread; l knew not how
deep its darkness, or how narrow
the gates of death. [ bade her feal
not, but only trust Him.
Ihad to leave her; a long journey
| laid before me. ! bade her "gooC
night" it was a last one, although
not for ever. | held her hand, as
thought, it would be cold in death
ere l returned.
A few days had passed away, ant
then-another evening sunbeam
lighted the room, but Mary saw i
not. The neighbors whispered tha
"the change" was coming, as they
lifted her from the arm chair, anC
laid her in bed. Mary was chang
ing. Her mother bent over he
weeping, and Mary's eyes were
fixed on her. She said" Mother
L cannot see you now, but l heal
you; don't weep"
She called me, forgetting for q
time that hundreds of miles separ-
ated US. With deep anxiety her
mother answered, then bending
down. she heard Mary's last whis-
perl see Jesus now, I'm going
home" That dav ~ tae armchair
va. - as vacant, and the mother wsspt
4 l.