Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1867-10-01
A Dying Wife to Her Husband.

We are indebted to lady friend saws the
Savannah News & Herald, for the following
most touching extract from a letter written bv
a dying wife to her husband, which was found
by him some months after her death, between
the leaves Of religious volume which she was
very fond OF perusing. The letter which was
literally dim with tear marks, was written long
before the husband was aware that the grasn
OF fatal disease had fastened upon the lovely
form OF his devoted wife, who died, it is stated,
at the early age of nineteen. 1t shows how
tathomless is the depth of true woman's af-
fections:
When this shall reach your eye, dear G..
some day when you are turning over the relics
OF the past, L shall have passed away forever,
and the cold, white stone be keeping its lonely
watch over the lips you have so often pressed,
and the sod Will be growing that shall hide for
ever from your sight the dust of one who so
often nestled close to your warm heart. For
many long and sleepless nights wrestled with
the consciousness of approaching death, until
at last 1t has forced itself upon my mind: and
although to you and to others it might seem
but the nervous imagination of a girl, dear G..
Is 1t not so? Many weary, weary hours have /
passed IN the endeavor to reconcile myself to
leaving you whom love so well, and this bright
world OF sunshine and beauty and hard indeed
Is 1t to struggle on silently alone, with the sure
down alone into the dark valley but [ know
in whom have trusted" and leaning upon
His arm II fear no evil" Don't blame me
from keeping all this even from Won. How
could subject you, of all Others to such sor-
row as L feel at parting, when time will soon
make it apparent to you? | could have wished
to live, if only to be at your side when vour time
shall come. and pillowing your head upon nv
breast, wipe the death damps from your brow.
and usher your departing spirit into its Makers
presence, embalmed in woman's holiest PRAYER.
But it is not to be so-and | submit.
Yours is the privilege of watching through
long and dreary nights for the spirits final
flight, and OF transferring my sinking head from
your breast to the Savlor's bosom! And you
shall share my last faint pressure of the hand
and the last feeble kiss shall be yours and even
when theAHesh and heart shall have failed me
my eye shall rest on yours until glazed by death;
and our spirits shall hold one last fond com.
munlon, until gently fading from my view-the
last OF earth-you shall minge with the first
bright glimpses of the unfading glories of that
better world, where partings are unknown
Well do | know the spot, dear c.. where
you will lay me often have we stood by the
place, and as we watched the mellow sunset as
1t glanced inquivering flashes through the leaves.
and frightened the grassy mounds around us
with stripes of FURNISHED gold, each has thought
that one OF US would come alone; and which
ever 1t may be, your name would be on the
stone. But you love the spot; and I know
you'll love me none the less when YOU see the
same quiet sunlight linger and play among the
grass that covers your Mary's grave. | know
you will go often alone when [ am laid there
and my spirit will be with you then, and whis.
per among the waving branches, Il am not lost
but gone before"