Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-08-24
A Fashionable Lady's Death.

A beautiful woman lay on bed of sick
ness in an elegant residence on one of the
finest and most fashionable of Boston's
avenues. She was surrounded with every
luxury and attended by kind friends anxious
to anticipate every wish, and to relieve the
monotony OF her weary painful days in
every possible manner. One afternoon she
opened her eyes and said, in low, weak
voice: Read to me, please. o dear, how
/ wish there was something new in the mat
ter and manner in the literary world. l am
so tired of everything" Her sister went
into the next room for book of poems, and
while she was gone the professional nurse
who sat beside the bed took from the pocket
of her plain drab wrapper a small Bible,
and opening it began reading in subdued
voice: "And seeing the multitude, he went
up into mountain and when he was set
his disciples came unto him, and he opened
his mouth and taught them, saying" The
sick woman listened attentively until the
nurse paused with the words, "And the
people were astonished at his doctrine, for
he taught as one having authority, and not
as the scribes." "That is beautiful !" she
said; "that will create a sensation Who
wrote it Where did you get it 7" "Why,"
said the nurse, in astonishment, looking
with surprise at her patient, and thinking
at first she was wandering in her mind; 1T
is in the Bible; Christ's Sermon on the
Mount, you know" "That in the Bible ?
Anything so beautiful and so good as that
in the Bible 2" "What do you suppose
was in the Bible, if not something good p
asked the nurse, seriously, yet smiling in
spite of herself at her patients tone of sur
prise and incredulty. 40, don't know ]
never opened Bible in my life. 1t was a
matter of pride with my father to never
have Bible in the house. How did this
one come here ? o, it is yours-your pocket
Bible. 1t is strange you should have sur
prised me into listening TO chapter, and
that should have been so charmed, and
not know to what | was listening" "You
have certainly heard the Bible read in
church 7" asked the nurse, in surprise
"Not | | never have been to church. We
have always made holiday of Sunday
Papa got into that way in Paris. We have
been to all popular places of amusement, Of
thought about the Bible. did not sup
pose it had literary merit. had no idea il
was written in the simple, beautiful STYLE
of the portion you have Just read. wish
had known it before" A few hours latel
her disease took fatal turn. The physi
clan came and told her that her time OF
earth was very short. She would never Sc,
another sun rise. 1T cannot be possible,
she said. 81 never supposed 1t possible fol
death to come to me. What was that prayer
you read, nurse? 'Our Father, which ar
in heaven Say it with me, husband" ant
he complied with her wish, and did so.
wish | had known it BEFORE" she said, owe
and over, until she fell into sleep from
from which she awoke in eternity, and tina
wall of regret was the last word upon he
dying lips. The nurse said it was the sad
dest experience of her career to see tina
beautiful, cultivated, gifted young woman
with kind friends, loving husband, and &
beautiful home, who had all her life takel
pride in ignoring the Bible and the Chris
tan Sabbath, turn, when death came, iron
everything she had priced to the little de
spised book, aud die with the cry upon he
lips, al wish l had known it before. Mrs
Annie A. Preston.