The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1896-03-19

| lC1Siuo 10 see MS young WlIe, con-
tinued to sink slowly, and as the days
passed by and she came not, to ask,
lis she coming?''
Upon her arrival at Winchester Mrs.
Christie was met by two officers of her
husbands regiment-Dr. Vines E.
Turner, formerly the adjutant, but at
that time quartermaster, now living at
Raleigh, and Captain James johnson,
of Charlotte, n. C.-who had remained
to meet her. Their countenances indi-
Gated Enthusiastically sad news for her,
aud she at once implored them to tell
it all, her suspense being extremely
painful. The first to speak was DR.. Tur-
ner, her husbands dearest friend, who,
with tears in his eyes and tremulous
voice, could only say "He is no more"
" lis sweet to know there is an eye will
mark
Our coming: and look brighter when we
| come"
but fate had decreed that it snould be
otherwise in this case, for the Colonel's
eyes had been closed in death. He had
died on Friday morning, July II, 1863,
just two days before her arrival.
As the sun sank slowly to rest be-
hind the hills the next evening he was
buried with military honors in the city
cemetery. whence his remains were
shortly afterward removed to Stonewall
Cemetery. where they have ever since
reposed. Rev. William J. Hoge, the
widows friend and her much-loved tutor
services. His feeling allusion at the
grave to her and their association as
teacher and pupil, and their lasting
friendship, lilled the eyes of the SOL
diers with floods of tears, and made
the occasion most touching one to all
present.
The otherwise loneliness of Mrs.
Chrstie's trip was greatly relieved by
the companiouship Of a Mrs. Brown,
a lovely Christian woman, from Savan-
nah, Ga, who was going on a similar
mission. She remembers with CRATE
full heart the loving care and sympathy
Of this noble woman.
During Mrs. Christie's brief stay in
Winchester she was the guest of Mrs.
Smith, in whose house Colonel Chris
tie had fingered ten days, and finally
died. Here DR.. Sears, the attending
surgeon or physician; Bishop Wilmer,
of the Protestant Episcopal church,
and DR.. Hoge called to see her, and
did much to comfort her. Their low
ing, Christian ministrations still iinger
in her memory, and will never fade
away.
Mrs. Smith, kind, sweet friend,
had tenderly nursed 1.-THE dying SOL
d;er,' and was prepared to relate to
his widow his longing to see her, his
oft-repeated wishes that she would
come ere he died, his fears, as the
days passed by without her coming
that his wishes would not be graft
fled, and the loving messages he
had left for her. Just before his
death he called Mrs. Smith to his
bedside and bade her kiss him for Liz
zie. With this request she willingly
complied. for she had learned, as she
said, to love him as brother. 1t is
needless to add that Mrs. Smith has
tened as soon as she met Mrs. Chris
tie, to give her this sacred kiss re-
ceived from the lips Of the dying SOL
dier.
Mrs. Christie soon returned to Hen
derson, and thence to Suffolk, her old
home where she has since resided.
Before she left Henderson the people
held a public meeting, and took steps
purchase and donate to her a
house and lot in that place, on the
single condition that she should reside
there, as an expression of their sympa-
thy for her and their appreciation of
the services her husband had rendered
his country; but she did not accept the
gift, feeling that she could not do so,
in view of the great distress of the
times.
The few members of Colonel Chris
ties regiment who survived the car
mage of Gettysburg raised among them
selves $1,000 in Confederate money,
and sent the same to his widow as an
expression of their love for their late
commander and their sympathy for
and desire to assist her. Though this
gift was highly appreciated, she en-
deavOred to return it, but without sue
cess as it was Impossible to reach the
soldiers. She felt that their wants
were greater than hers, and they could
not afford to do without the money.
Finding that she must retain it, she
invested the money upon the lot upon
| which she now resides in Suffolk. In
her eyes. in view of the source from
which the means came TO enable her
to purchase it. this lot is sacred and
precious spot. us any one might well
imagine it to be.
'MATILDA.'
1t so happened that wkSle Mrs.
Christie was a young girl, and a pupil
at Buckingham Female Collegiate In
stitute. in Buckingham county, Va.
she met and became the warm friend
of Matilda G. Smiley. one other school
mates. Of Miss Smiley it could be
truthfully said, "Poeta nsascitur non
ft.' She was born a poet She had
been sent to the institute to be edu-
Gated by her friend or guardian, the
late Rev. George w. Motley. It minis
ter of the Virginia Conference of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
She wrote poetry with great deal of
ease, and soon became noted for her
compositions. She had left school and
married Mr.. Alpheus Edwards. OF
Washington, ID. G. Soon after Mrs.
Chr.stie's return to Suffolk she told
the story of her sorrow III letter ad-
dressed TO Mrs Edwards, who at once
sat down and. with the information
impaired by the letter, wrote 1.-The Dy-
ing Soldier" which embodies the
thoughts suggested by Colonel Chris
| t;o'S ct words for ssT izzio Tho MAN,
. was first published in the Richmond
Christian 4drocate of March %, 1864.
and has since appeared in volume OF
southern poems. and frequently in
newspapers. This, however, is the
first time the full story ofits origin has
been nublished. Mrs. Edwards wrote