Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1870-12-16
INTJlELANIp or REESE.

ANNIE WALTON, only child of d..
n. NJ, and Mrs. Mary Il. COLEMAN,
aged seventeen years, and ten months
1t IL no easy task to prepare fit
ting tribute 20 the memory of her
whom the angel of death has thus sud,
deEly taken from our midst. Words
cannot give, TO those, who knew hel
not, faithful portrait of the figure,
almost fragile in its delcacy, of th,
eloquent eye, The glowing check, and,
above all, the nameless fascination
and winning grace of manner, which
| rendered her so peculiarly attractive.
Those who knew her, need not our
aid to recall her to their memories
The loveliness ofherperson, tho melody
of her voice will not 'eoon fade from
the hearts ofany who have felt theil
irrestible influence. Aud to the nearer,
dearer, circle, to those, of whose life
she was the sunshine, to her who loved
her as even a daughter is seldom loved,
what can we say? Grief like theirs can
be reached by no words of human COM
fort. Even our sympathy and low,
must he pcweress now. The Lore
Himself is speaking to their souls :
and we can but Z" be still and know
that he Is GoaW
one sacred duty, however, may still
De ours. She being dead" yet, may
speak if by brief sketch of her las.
days we may shay the world how n
christian can die" yea, though that
christian be timid girl and though
that death be awful in its suddenness.
During the past summer she left her
home in Bristol, Tenn, for Visit of
few weeks 10 her relatives in Virginia.
Never did she appear in more buOyant
health, rs more unweariedly joyous
than during her sojourn there, and yet
there was sometimes and unwonted
lhOughtiuluess, not sadness upon her
brow, and She, on several occasions,
expressed her earnest desire, aud
avowcd her purpose to exchange the
pleasures of the world for the more en-
during joy and peace Of n life devoted
TO the Saviour. Her religious expert
encc seemed To contain no eliment of
fear. The beauty of the christians life
and death, the LOVING kindness of the
christians &c d, were the themes upon
which her mind most frequently dwelt.
She was ted not driven to the Saviour,
she loved him because lie first loved
us" OF her deepest feelings, however
she seldom spoke, and anxious friends
were constrained oftimes to conjecture
them hv II assing word or expressive
look.
Early in September she was sum
moned home, on the account of the
rapid decline Of her beloved father,
who has since followed her to the
" beautiful land of rest.n whose praises
were so frequently upon her lips. She
reached home on the 18th of Septem-
ber," writes Ole who knew her, look
ing better than | had seen her for n
long while. Poor little one! 1t was q
sad time for her when she saw her dear
Papa so changed she would remain
10y his side, tallsi " to him "a long ~
she could, aud tlen leave the room,
and weep S tho oh her heart would
break, excl imin o, ! cannot see him
die Little did she think that she
would cross the river before him Her
mother notice d IN worry short time
that a mari eel 81 laNge hai taken pla. @
in all her viz wsnnd ceilings even amid
her sorrow, an eSpiessicn of more
than gceiGnut on, of peace ard joy
shown upon Ter features. She told %
friend that she believed her " affections
were upon things above the worlds
pleasures now,n aud she most earnest
ly desired to spend another year in ed
ucatiug herself for the work of life.
But the Lord designed for her nobler
school, work which should know
weary toll, no unsatisiied longing.
On the 18th of September she was
stricken with the disease which, in
one short week, closed her bright,
young life, No danger, however, was
apprehcnded until, on the following
! Monday, size was seized with the fatal
chill, which, in few hours, removed
L No..
ness will be always precious to those
who watched by her bedside. From
the first il would seem that the ear
nest, trusting spirit was preparing it,
self for its fight, and though, by the
command of her physicians, she was
! seldom permitted to sreak from time
to time her brief remarks indicated u
u mind constantly employed upon
! heavenly things. On one occasion,
while listening to some of the Psalms,
/ she exclaimed, "Oh mother, they are
so beautifully and then, closing her
/ eyes she murmured, so, Jerusalem,
the beautiful city Of r,st!" When tho
| touch of the death-augel rested upon
! her, and the physicians told her family
| that she was sinking fast her mother
/ knelt beside her dying child, and whis-
| pered, 4" My darling, would you be
afraid to die ~ She was lying, pale
and motionlcss, her hands folded IN
/ their everlasting repOsc, her face wea :
/ ing that unearthly beauty, which no
/ human features ever wear but once,
| but at her mothers agouiIed words,
| she reused herself with almost super
/ human energy. and exclaimed with
an emphasis, of which we can give no
idea, " 10 mother, nD ~ Again and
rs her feet nearcd its " shining wulls,n
shemurmured, 80 Heaven, Heaven ~
and sometimes spoke of Il briSht-cyed
throng watching around her. May
we not believe that, in the words Of
her iavOrite song, the angels had al
ready "opened wide the mystic gate,h
aud that the glory from the great
white throne was streaming upon her
illuuined vision, lighting the waves
of That river, no longer dark to them
that belieVe,N and revealing to her
cl,ar gaze what our duller eyes might
rot behold? Our loving longing hearts
can follow her no farther than the
lrink of that more than sun-lit wave,
and now, as TIE ruusomed soul passes
nom our sight through The peary gates
of the celestial city. we can, though
with hears brcaking for our avn loss,
flank do for the "suf aud certain
hops" that she has gone ".trom "A life
Of love, by n death Of peace, into an
eternity an joy.