The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-11-11

II //>@
ssruE LAST uorB IS GONE"
drops fell FROM his eyes and dampet
his shrunkcn palsied hands. John ane
some Of the other men crowded about
him. begging kim to tell the import Of
his trouble.
"Ah. nen," he said. at lsst, mine is
q sorry story You all know what suf-
icriuy is Of reu would not be here,
but tkis& my 10, must be = l:ttle the
hardcst * ~ay. Fssr ysasS age lost
everything rAsscssed. 20 matter how.
and With oy wife left our old home
and caulr here to live with our son,
who VIZ; voung rnas and had entered
claixo II n useless to recount the
har.4slipH and disapppintments VIC
sn,ierness. fer you are sll but too ~cll
ncouaiX.>l with tkcm. Lsxt fall my
son t,.ok t..s fever, and after xu illness
that ls tel through months 'ie died.
MY wits. already feeble with age. fol-
lswee! >.,rx after with = long spell of
the malaria. and Yesterday she died.
In the rS"sntirnc rrthing that I
caald SC. tn raise money was sold. and
tvcrythin. that coNld mortgage was
mert,r;.ye,i. oad yet, gentlemen. I have
the sad consciousness of knowing that
she slica Of want. But she is dead,
and thank God for it. never
expected that ShorId live to see the
day when y-on;d rejoice at tie death
of my lovc'l life c,hnpanien, but such is
the cas-. rejoice OYER her death be-
cause | !::,ow that She i, now beyond
tn. reach 81 want. and that the pangs
of hanger can neycr affect her again.
Yes. reiuict,l ct hcr dcath-ttc death
of my dearest friend. because in that
saw her only hope OF relief. To-day l
came here to try to borrow few dol
lars with which to bury what remains
of her, bnt he" pointing to Mills Of
flee, refused to lot me have it. and
now must 90 to the county and ask
to have my wife buried as a paupcr.
The farm and everything on it is under
mortgage, and tomorrow all the house
hold things and the farm tools are to be
sold, and will be alone and penniless
in tho world, with 40 money. no home.
and no friends. Would to God, men,
had never lived to see this day, and
now having seen it, have nothing to
look forward to but death. That is the
only hope and the only consolation that
is left me-"
Not man in the room but what
would have gladly given the old man
aid if it had been possible, but the fact
that noze of them were much better off
made that impossibl so ali they could
do was to sympathize and pity; and
though they attempted to offer words
OF consolation, they felt that it was but
a mockery.
AS they remained about him looking
upon his bowed form, his head dropped
lower and lower upon his breast, his
nervous hands became more quiet and
composed, and at last it appeared that
he hsd fallen asleep. Some one 30 re-
marked, and John Green stepped for
ward and laid his hand on the wrinkled
brow.
"Yes," said Johrin a low tone, che is
asleep, and his sufferings are all passed.
Hunger, want and cold will never affect
him moro, and never again will he feel
the force of mans inhumanity to man"
And it was even 80. The poor old
mans broken spirit had ned from it's
worn-out, emaciatea tenement and
bounded up and away to that bright,
immortal glory, the Inheritance Of the
poor and the lowly who have, like the
Master, suffered the pangs and sorTows
of this life.
He is dead" John went on, 'and I
thank God that he is. 1t is better, far
better, that such as he should die than
that they should live to become wan
derers on earth or objects of public
charity. In calling him away God has
shown His greatest mercy"
"It is even So" said an elderly gentle
man who stood near. This world has
no fitting place for such as he, save the
grave, and it is thousand times better
for him to sleep there than to live out
few more years Of wretched existence
here
No one doubted the Justice OF these
remarks, and not one Of all the men in
the room felt that it was not matter
OF rejoicing, rather thau sorrow, that
the oed man was dead.
While the men were still standing
about the silent form, the door to the
private oface opened and Mills came
out He saw at a glance that some
thing unusual had happened, but the
Gordon Of men shutting out the sight,
he approached the group and in rough,
gruf tones asked:
Whats the matter here?"
The ring about the old man parted.
showing to Mills the liteless form, but
for an instant no one spoke. At last
the elderly gentleman who had spoken
before, and who, it traDspired, was q
Christian minister, turned his eyes
upon Mills and said, in slow, measured
tones:
"Mr. Mills, God has had mercy on
him to whom you showed none. He
has taken the poor old man out of your
tolls and removed him beyond the reach
of your greed and avarsce- There lies
! the unconscious form of one of your VIC
tins. You brought him to his death.
Yen robbed hin Of all his possessions: