Middletown transcript., 1876-02-26

Ocdus eiuk W mCs etu& GU
gasped. and sank back on her pillow
Slowly the quivering voice Of Jea'
arose above the sound Of the wind sigh
ing through the branches Of the hal
leaAess trees in the street.
She sang
81 hear thy welcome voice,
That calls me, Lord, to thee;
For cleansing in thy precious blood,
That fiow'd on Calvary!
l am coming, Lord
Coming now to thee ~
Wash me, cleanse me, in the blood
That fow'd on Calvary 70
At times her sobs would almos
choke her; instantly she would quel
them and continue her singing
As !. she finished; "Amen !" cam.
from the lips Of the woman in cleal
tone
Then raising herself up again she
said ut is hard to part; hard fol
the soul to separate from the bedy. buI
| am glad my time has come nj Then
pointing with her hand above, and
looking on the -kneeling forms beside
her. she said +: -'Will you both NEE,
ne there?''
Jean sank down almost senseless,
her grandpa bowed bis head. ..sprinkled
with frosts Of years" murmuripg IL
will not tarry long behind thee, my
faithful wife
''Amen!" she replied. then lifting
her eyes heavenwsrd holy light SEEM
cd to play over the shruDken features
Il am coming, Lord!" she said and
fell back dead no not dead, only
asleep in Jesus--for. "wh ,soever be
lieveth on me shall not perish but have
everlasting life."
Jennie's hard earnings went to pur-
chase resting place for grandma 10
Old Swede's graveyard. No marble
stone marked the spot and told Of the
christian life she had led.
.'Only rich persons have them" said
Jeanette. bitterly. As she and her lit
lie sister turned away from the newly
made grave. one Sunday.
Her grandpa was too feeble to 60 bis
daily rounds now. as be, had done .
short time previous to the death Of bis
wife.
From pettsd young man Of wealth
he had come down to be q rag picker
10 the street. A sure result of ! life Of
dissipation.
In bis youth be was surr, unded with
wealth and hosts of friends. that van
ished with his riches. y
They loved the wine cup, cense-
quently be loved the wine cup too.
What is wine r. be said to one Of
these friends; "we can drink it, or
leave it be, just as We feel it. and !
would not give much for man who
could not control himself, 30 little. It
doesn't do one any harm to take glass
now and then; but. .confdentially, you
know. little Hattie is 50 skeptical shout
it /; she made me promise not to drink
any more. and | did to her, but to N.Y.
self l added-net until the next time
Aud 40 Hattie Thyer, believing that
shc-like many other girls before and
sitter her have thought-could turn him
from his evil habits. linked her Fate
with Thomas Preston's but alas her
hopes. like many others. never were
realized.
Years rolled on, .'Ysars Of pleasure.
years Of pain - tss ~
At last they came to poverty and
want They had aone child when 4
beautiful girl Of seventeen. she left the
parental roof and went out 10 the world
with the man Of her choice !; and after
many attempts, and Is many failures,
TO establish business. they. with two
little children. returned to, the now
humble home Of her parents. f
After many privstiens and want
'Long before her time, she died."
Leaving behind her Jeannette q child
Df nine aud Marguerite babe. then
not quite twenty months old. and her
husband, who soon afterwards was kill
ed in the .army.
At this period, Mr.. Preston obtained
work sufficient to keep them comfort
able and send Jeannette TO- school this
continued until she reached her six
teehth yesr, when her grandpa was
stricken with paralysis. ms
Now be could NO longer work, some
hing must be done, or their living
would stop.
Jean bravely went to work, she tried
sewing for weeks and weeks it was
past midnight before the ply Of her
needle would cease, and her work be
laid aside. Then she would rise with
The first peep Of dawn and take up the
same routine Of life. And thus, she
spent the long sultry days Of summer.
10 her Joyous school days little did che
lhink that this would some day be her
lot
"Work-work-workl
From weary chime to chimei
Work-work-work,
As prisoners work for crime
Band and gusset and seam,
Seam and gusset and band,
Till the heart is sick and the brain benumbed,
As we'll ~ the weary hand.
With fingers weary and warm,
With eye-lids heavy and red,
4 woman sat, in unwomanly rags,
Plying her needle and thread
Stitch stitchl stitch
In poverty. hunger and dirt,
And still with q voice of dolorous pitch
w Ould that it, tone could reach the rich.)
She sang the 'song Of the shirt.'"
As winter came on. many times she
gave her supper to Marguerite. and
went supperless to bed. : i.-
One cold raw day. their landlord
visited them, and Informed Je.n, that,
i the rent was not paid soon.. be would
AXE the little goods they had and turn
hem in the street. a5ae - eT
Il must seek help by begging;
surely they cannot turn away aud see
us perish"