Sacramento daily record-union., 1883-11-07
A LrME-KrLs CLUB OBITUARY.

When the meeting had been opened and
the roll called, Brother Gardner asked Sir
Isaac Walpole to take the chair. The
:, grand old gray-haired man ascended the
platform, and greatly to the surprise of the
majority of the members he announced the
death of Uncle Daniel Whitbeck, a local
member, who had been present at the last
meeting.
"You knew him to be old an feeble an
sort O waitin' to GO" continued Sir Isaac,
"an' yet the news surprises you. A week
ago he sot heah wild us; tonight he am
lyin' in his coffin. Sich am de onsartain-
ties of life. Brudder Gardner an me has
knowed Uncle Daniel since we was all
chill'en togeder in de far-away days. When
he realized dat de summons was drawin'
nigh he sent for us. an we sot beside him
when de angel took his speerit an few
away.
"Uncle Daniel was a poo ole black
man, unlettered, unlearned, an lookin'
back only to vars of toll, an privashun,
an sorrow. In de days of slavery dey sold
shot down an buried in a ditch. He had
scars on his body and scars on his soul.
Men who heard him pray had scoffed at him.
Men who heard him say dar' was God an
hereafter, kicked an abused him. Men
tried to whip his faith away. Men robbed,
an cheated, an lied about him, an sneer.
ingly asked why his faith did not protect
him. Men argued wild him, an though
dey could silence him dey could not shake
his belief. He saw poverty, woe, an mis-
fortune almos ebery month of his life, an
yit how did he die?
"Dar' was sunthin' grand in dat death
bed scene" continued Sir Isaac in whis-
per. Eighty Vars of toll an anxiety an
sufferin' was drawin' to close. A life in
which dar had been many clouds an leetle
sunshine was about to end. He remem-
bered dat great lawyers an doctors an
statesmen had said dar was no hereafter.
He remembered dat men had called him
fool fur thinkin' of hesben an prayin' to a
God. He was low an ignorant-dey was
learned an great. Dey could read an
argue an discuss-he could only cling to
dat faith planted in his heart when he was
chile in de humble cabin. Now came de
test. 1t was de faith of one poor ole down.
trodden black man agin de sophistry, argy
ments, assershuns, an deducshuns of hun
dreds of infdels.
81 see him, as de sinkin' summer sun
crept inter de winder an turned his white
h h'ar to color of gold. He woke from his
soft sleep, an dar was sich happiness in
his eyes, an sich glory in his face as l
nebber saw befo'. He listened like one
who h'ars de far off sound of sweet music,
an de glory deepened as he reached out his
hands to us an whispered:
"' kin see my ole wife an de chill'en
up dar. I kin see glory, an rest, an
peace l kin look across de dark valley
an see such happiness as man nebber
dream of :
can he passed away like babe fallin'
asleep, an you who go up dar to-morrer
will find dat same glorious smile lighting
up de face of de dead. He has suffered
an believed an had faith an gone to his
reward. His words as he left de scenes of
airth to walk de path leadin' frew de dark
valley to de shores of heaben am mo-
powerful argument dan all dat intidels have
spoken or will eber write His smile as he
heard de soft rustic of de angel comm fur
his speerit was an answer dat will stan
above de sophistry of all unbelievers. -
Detroit Free Press.