The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1877-02-22
Happy Grandmother.


pie8t women ever knew. Although
she lived eighty-seven years, and saw
many shadOwy as we'll as sunshiny
days, her life was beautiful all through.
She accepted the sorrows as we'll as the
Joys, as sent by her best friend, and
trusted Him in the darkness as well asin
the light. But her greatest source of
earthly happiness was the fact that her
children and her grandchildren loved her
so truly and so tenderly. She never felt,
as too many dear, blessed souls do, that
she was other than constant Joy and
comfort to them.
In many ways she was great care and
burden. But they never allowed her to
feelit It was beautiful to see them all
80 loving in their attention to her. And
now that she has come into possession of
her mansion in the skies" how pleasant
to the dear ones left will be the memo
ries of the happiness they gave her,
through many long years, and especially
the last few, when she appreciated them
50 thoroughly.
Her husband was prominent physi-
clan in one of our smaller cities, and
while he lived there were no two persons
in the whole country more loved or re-
spected than the doctor and his kind,
sunny, bospitable wife. But twenty
years ago that good christian doctor, who
had cared for the souls as well as the
bodies of his patients, went to the "bet
ter land" and the home was broken up,
and the lovely, lonely mother went
away to live with a dear daughter,
whose husband ,one of the best ministers,
preached in a town not far distant.
And all these years the son and the
daughters, with their children, have striv.
min every way to make grandma happy
She was not always left at home when a
pleasant picnic, or a nice drive was pro-
posed, as too many grandmas are; but
there was place and welcome seat for
her. Her room was the sunniest, her big
chair the easiest, her bed the sOftest of
any in the house. She was a great
reader, a very interesting talker, and
from her long and varied experience
never lacked for listeners. The happiest
hour of the twenty-four for the children
was the one after prayers, and before bed
time, when they all sat around grandma's |
knee and heard a sweet bible-story, or
some bit Of her own history, related in
her quaint way.
But, a short time ago, she began sud !
denly to fail, and ere many weeks had .
passed dear grandma's chair was vacant,
and the children would whisper softly at
twilight, as they missed the pleasant
voice and the accustomed story, " How
strange it seems without grandma"
| want to tell you of her last birthday,
which began so sweetly on earth, and
whose close found her in heaven. Her
daughter a few days previous to this
sickness had just returned with her
children from the centennial, and one
morning she said to her mother:
" How glad am that we came home
before the severe sickness! Did you
think when you were taken sick that
perhaps you might die when l was
goneP'
Yes" she replied, I did"
How would you nave felt if you
h"d?' asked the daughter.
Her reply was: "MarY, l did think I
would like to spare you the trial OF see
ing me die" (
What lovely, unselfsh mother! !
The day before her death, the daughter s
and two Of her children slipped Oh for /
awhile Qeaving her husband to sit by |
ner) to purchase some birthday presents !
LOT grandma. They bought her pretty
new cap, a necktie, a handsome new |
counterpane for the bed, and ordered the i
most tempting things for her dinner they 6