The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1885-07-30

upon Clo piazza anu SPOKE quleIly w tlAo
physicians He told them he thought the
general was very near to death The med
ical men hastily entered the room where the
sick man was lying and approached his side.
Instantly upon seeing the patients face DR..
Douglas ordered the family to be summoned
to the bedside. Haste was made, and Mrs.
Grant, Mr.. Jesse Grant and wife. U. s. Grant,
Jr. and wife and Mrs Col Grant were
quickly beside the doctors at the sick mans
cot, and Mrs. Sartoris and Mr.: Dawson had
followed the doctors in from the piazza, and
the entire family was present
AT THE BEDSIDE.
COL Grant seated himself at the head Of
the bed with his left arm resting upon the
pillow above the head of the general, who
was breathing rapidly, and with slightly
gasping respirations Mrs Grant, calm, but
with intense agitation brayely suppressed,
took a seat close by the bedside. She leaned
slightly upon the colonel, resting upon hef
right elbow, and gazed, with tear~stainaq
ewes, into the generals face She found
there, however, no token of recognition. for
the sick man was peacefully and pain!essly
passing into another life. Mrs. Sartoris came
behind her mother. and leaning over her
shoulder, she witnessed the close Of life in
which she had constituted a strong element
of pride. Directly behind Mrs. Grant and
Mrs Sartoris, and a little distance removed,
stood doctors Douglas, shrady and Sands
as spectators OF a closing life theik
efforts and counsel had SO prolonged
On tho opposite side of the bed from his
mother at44 directly before her stood Jesse
Grant and U. y. Gra..t. r., and near the cor
ner of the cot, on tho same sias - Jesse and
near to each, was N. f. Dawson, the geRetalk
stepographer and confidential secretary. At
she tuHI 81 the bed, and gazing directly down
into the xept.4F* face, was Mrs. Col. Fred
Grant and Mrs y. T. i.rant. IT., and Mrs
Jesse Grant while somewhat rEma1e1 from
the family circle, Henry, the nurse, ago
Harrison Tyrell, the generals body servant,
were respectively watching the closing life
of their patient their masher: DR.. Newman
had repaired to the hotel for breakfast and
was not present The generals little grand
children, u. s. Grant, Jr., and Nellie, We're
sleeping the sleep OF childhood In the
nursery room above. Otherwise the en-
tire family and household were gath
cred at the bedside of the dying man.
SUMMONED JUST IN TINE.
The members OF the group had been sum-
moncd not q moment sooner than was
prudent The doctors noted, on entering
the room at,d pressing to the bedside, that
already the purplish ti4ge which was one of
natures signals of final dissolution had
settled beneath the finger nails The HANG
that DR.: Douglas lifted was fast growing
colder than it had been through the night
The pulse had futtcred beyond tbs point
where the physician could distinguish it
from the pulse beat in his own finger tips
The respiration was very rapid and was
~ hall ;,,1,o 1o%;@
but toward the close they became less labored
and almost noiseless. This fact was in it's
result comfort to the watchers by the bed
side to whom was spared the sce4e Of an
agonizing or otherwise than a peaceful
DEATH The wife almost constantly stroked
the face, forehead and hands OF the dying
general, and at times rs the passionate long
ing to prevent the event so near would rise
within her, Mrs. Grant pressed both his
hands and leaning forward terderly kissed
the face OF the sinking ,:;;an. Col. Fred
Grant sa5 silently, but with evideat feeling,
though his bearing was that of soldierly
son at the denthbed of hero father U. s.
Grant. Jr:, was deeply moved, but Jesse bore
the scene steadily, and the ladies' while
watching with wet checks, were silent as
betitted the dignity OF a lite such as was clos
ing before them. The morning had passed
five minutes beyond 8 o'clock ald there was
not one of
THE STRAINED AND WAITING WATCHERS
but who could mark the nearness of the life
tide to it's final ebbing. DR.. Douglas noted
the nearness of the supreme moment and
quietly approached the bedside and bent
lheae it, and while he did so the sorrow Of
the grays&.ajred physician seemed closely
allied with thai - the family. DR.. Shrady
also drew near 1t was seyen minutes after
8 o'clock and the eyes of the general We're
closing His breathing grew more hqsAe9
as the last functions Of the heart and lungs
were hastened to the closing Of the ex-presi-
dents life. A pescefnl expression seemed to
be deepening IN the firm and strorg-l lined
face, and it WAS reflected as closing COM
fort in the sad hearts that atquickly under
the stress of loving suspense. A minute more
passed and was closing as the general dreWa
deeper breath. There was an exhalation
like that of one relieved of long and anxious
tension. The members of the group were
impelled each TO step nearer the bed, and
each waited to note the next respiration,
bnt it did not come then; it never came.
TheEe was absolute stiffness In the room
and tlusk Of expectant surprise No sound
broke the silence saye the singing of birds in
the pines outside the eptt2ge and the meas
nred breaking of the engine G4at gil night
had awaited by the little mountain depot
down the slope.
THE END or ALL
at is all OYER" quietly spoke D1. Doug
las, and then came heavily TO each witness
the realization that Gen. Grant was dead.
Then the doctors withdrew; the nurse
closed the eyelids and composed the dead
generals head, after which each of the fam
ilv group pressed to the bedside one after
the other nnd touched their lips upon the
face SO lately .*llled. DR.: Shrady passed
out upon the piazza, and rs hs did so he met
Or: Newman fastening up the steps. aHe is
dead" remarked Dr.. Shrady quietly. Ttle
fact of having been absent from the side Of
the dying man ana his family at the Last
was a cause of sorrow and rcs<et to the cler-
gymaa, who had awaited all night at the
cottage. He had been summoned from hiY
breakfast 3 MotIeRt TOO late. and reached
the cottage only in time to painistcr to the
hushed lips CO the general, to whom DF.
relations
LOOKING BACK.
Soon after Drs. Douglass and Shrady left
the death bed they conversed feelingly of
the latter hours Of Gen. Grants life. The
pulse first had indicated failure, and the in
Jellect was last to succumb it's elearness and
conscious tepaeity, which occurred after
midnight. Last night. though circumstances
at 8 o'clock indicated eognizance.
DO you want anything, fatAer?" questioned
Col. Fred at that hour.
water" whispered the general, ilusltly.
But when offered water and milk they
gurgled in his throat and were elected, and
that one word Of response was the last utter-
ance of Gen. Grant DR.. Douglas remarked
that the peculiarly of Gen. Grants death
was explained by the remarkable vitality
that seemed to present an obstacle to the
approach of death.