Richland beacon., 1881-11-26

~ '''' " f'A'N'; ~ '"i!i4i'5 'tht - GLOSS.
! called him posses, Il soauc dayS. lar
Joshua said he was only powerful h"al-
thy. We loved him. He WAS cur first
born, and he tw;ucl about oar hearts
Just rs the pariridge vine cling, to the
warm earth. Eat the spring wurh WAS
coming on. | was ambitions. | was at
work again before my strength camc
back. i Iclawlcd about the house more
like a shadow than young girl not yet
20. Broken res. at night and long days
of ceaseless work tool, the SUNK I'll ont
of ne. | Kind Of murmurcd in my
heart, but Lord forgive IT,, for that wis
only the beginning.
"Josic!! lad just got the planting.
done, powerful large lot, when lie VAS
taken sick never was sick before. Ty-
piIoid fever, doctor said anl he would
have hard one. was 80 weak | ju.t
laid 'Siah bv his father and then crept
up stains to the south Chamber. Vh,
moon Was tnll and seemed to mock me;
the fields, glcen rs they Were, only made
Ey heart acne. flung myself Oh tir
floor anl lifted up al exceeding bitter
cry. / charged The good l. I'D fuolisEly.
/ reh,l,c1 at my condition. | s.il it j.
cruel. He doa't care. | h,a~i some
noise h iow and then l thought, how
sinful perhaps Josiah will de; hc
needs you now, AMI here you are, giving
way to despair. l did not see ny folly,
int picked up little courage AMI went
down.
"What summer that was! josiah
Kept growing worse, until lie seemed
dead in all but hr,athing. Cray; Oh,
how he rayed Some OF the time he
seemed to think | lal married the Bos-
ton man and he WAS living alone on lis
farm. and then he would pray. Those
prayers were the finishing stroke. Josiah
WAS not professor. Ihad done my duty,
but all the time L rehclied; / almost
cursed God. Again and again | stole up
to the south chamber when josiah was
9uiet, and thought and Thought until it
seemed as If l should 90 mai. One
night l came down more aespnra than
ever. Josiah seemed t. be asleep, and
little 's;;ah was beside him. Tie n.0on-
light tell on him Ike Il glory ;lre"
mysclt by the bed, AID josiah all al
once Legan to pray. He never did such
q thing before. His dci:r;um had nc;
left him, hut hc seemed inspired.
never could tell what lie scit,. i2as, 0i-, /
wouldu't Try. God knows, b'a tn, nIl'-
aud ne ne took right up to God Al
mighty. The mooubea;ns seemed :
shining ladder, and the Lord himself
came right down. He pointed TO his
bleeding side and lis bruised hands. aud
| thought heard him say: For you.
Il Cont know, mister, hut You are
tired. josiah went to deaths door. He
seemed to cross over, and then, tor love
o me. he came back. Il was not unit!
TIE fro.t cane that he could do any
work. Again and again ] rcbe!lcd, but
Josiah's prayers brought me- back. Tor.
strange n it may seem, when the deilri-
um left him he i.ert on praying. and IT
wis the lords voice calling me. We
laid up 10 money that year. The doe
tors hill and the wages OF the hired man
took all the profits and left us little
more in debit Little 'Sah had BEEN
piniug all the season: wA} nvrfworked;
had never gained any strength, and lie
tclt it. How We loved hin. as he would
pet his fathers head, his little wee face
trying to smile. Imalle an idol Of my
child. When the white frost came and
Josiah could Just crawl about to 10 his
|. chores, little 'Siah grew worse and III a
week he died Perhaps you have never
lost child you don't know, then. We
buried him under the apple tree, our
dear little hoy. The night lie died h
crept up to his father, as he knoClcd be-
side him, and Josiah hc prayed, and the
words seemed to open the gates to that
city where the children are, and his
spirit tluttered away.
! "And then l gave up. l cursed God
IN nv heart. I asked for death. Weeks
passed, but lay III dumb stupor; III"
doctor said must be reused or die.
had thought it WIS evil luck for Great
urc TO live. | believed in nothing.
The spring came. Josiah WAS strong
again. One day he lay single May
! flower in my thin hand. God watches
over the flowers, Sukie,' no said, an
then my tears began to flow. | had
not been able TO cry for months. Thosc
little pink petals spoke to me. came
to myself. ! began to pray. l saij i
will no: die.
"Another autumn. May came 10 us,
calm. placid child. l Lad something
to live for, and rose u1 with new III