The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1876-10-18
A Beautiful Tribute of a Dying
Wife to Her Husband.

The following most touching frag-
ment Of letter from dying wife to
her husband, was found by him some
months after her death, between the
leaves of a 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 grasp Of fatal disease had fast
ened upon the lovely form of his
wife, who died at the early age Of
nineteen:
When this shall reach your eye
dear C., some day when you are
turning over the relics of the past. |
shall have passed away forever, and
the cold white stone will be keeping
its lonely watch over lips you have
so often pressed, and the sod will be
growing green that shall hide forever
from your sight the dust Of one who
has of, en- nestled close to your warm
heart. For many long and sIeepless
nights, when all my thoughts were
at rest, | have wrestled with the
consciousness Of approaching death,
until at last it has forced itself on
my mind. Although TO you and to
others it might now seem but the
nervous imagination of a girl, yet,
dear G., 1t is so! Many weary
hours have | passed in the eudeavUr
to reconcile myself 20 leaving you.
whom | love so wei, and this bright
world Of sunshine and beauty and
hard indeed it is to struggle on ST.
lently and alone, with the S1t1e con-
Uictj01. that | am about to leave al. |
forever and 20 down alone into the
dark valley! But l know in whom |
I have trusted; and leaning upon
His arm I fear no evil. Don't blame |
me for keeping even all this from
you. How could l subject you, of !
all others, to such sorrow as | feel /
ut parting when time will soon make |
it apparent to you? / could have
wished to live, if only to be at your
side when your time shall come, and,
pillowing your head upon my breast, |
wipe the death-damps from your
brow, and usher your departing spir-
it to its Makers presence, embalm-
ed in WOman's hottest prayer. But
it is not 70 be so-and | submit.
Yours is the privilege of watching
through long and dreary nights, for
the spirits final flight, and of trans
ferring my sinking head from your
breast to my Saviours bosom And
you shall share my last thought, the
last feeble kiss shall be yours; and
even when flesh and heart shall fail
me, my eyes shall rest on yours IN
til glazed by death; and our spirits
shall hold one last communion until
gently fading from my view the last
Of earth you shall mingIe with the
bright glimpses of the unfading glo-
ries of that better world, where part
ings are unknown. Well 10 | know
the spot, dear G., where you viii
lay me; often have we stood by the
place, as we watched the mellow
sunset, as it glanced in quivering
flashes through the leaves, and burn
ished the grassy mounds around us
with stripes OF gold. Each, perhaps,
has thought that one Of Us would
come alone; and whichever i; might
be, your name would be on the stone.
W loved the spot-and l know you
will love it none the less when you
see the same quiet sunlight and gen
lie breezes play among The grass
that grows over your Mary's grave.
| know you will go oftener alone
here, when | am laid there, and my
spirit shall be with you then, and
whisper among the waving branches,
Not lost, but gone before"