The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-01-19

with tears SHINING bright IN his
eyes;
How the angels had taken her from
him, and carried her up to the
skies.
"She comes to me oft in the night
time" he whispered, land when at
the dawn
I reach out my arms TO embrace her,
find, to my sorrow, she's gone.
But some time, / know, / shall see
her. shall kiss again her dear face;
Shall pillow my head on her bosom,
and then l shall have to leave
Grace.
You'll give her to me up in Heaven, IL
horses to Heaven should go;
And vou-Bob, you'll have so many
that you viii not miss her, /
know"
/ smiled as / said: you can have
her" | didn't know death lurked
so near
For how could I know that an angel
was waiting cen then to appear,
And how could know that the fever
called Yellow Jack lurked at the
gate
No tiger that's hid in the jungle had
ever so fearful a mate.
The stable boys came at the dawning,
and told me that something allied
Jim.
| knew what it was just the moment
that | had set eyes upon him.
I'd seen it's grim reaping at Memphis,
the year it touched me with its
wing,
When strong men and women together
fell down at the touch of the king.
For days we kept watch at his bed
side, and, God! twas a pitiful
sight;
He'd ride all his old races over. and
oft, in the dead of the night,
He'd start from his sleep and he'd
Whisper smile on his little,
thin face
THE flag has gone down, and were
leading; We'll show them the way,
won't we Grace?''
"Get out of the way" once he shouted;
you're crowding too close to the
rail;
| can't hold the mare, and we're com
ing along with the speed of a gale.
Your horse is dead beat, Billy Saun-
ders; stop whipping the brute,
he can't win;
He would if he could, for he's willing;
to punish him now is sin"
He'd pick at the bed clothes and bah
bic of playmates he'd known long
before;
Then, whispering, ask his dead mother
TO wait for him there at the door.
And from his parched lips, in the dark
ness, the ghost of a wandering
prayer
Escaped, and ] fancy the Master was
bending and listening there.
In the darkness and gloom of the sta
BILE, made sweet by the smell of
the hay,
The angels stood close by the bedside,
as, once, on far-away day,
They stod in Judean stable and wait
ed the birth of a king;
But this time their mission was diff
ferentthey waited souls TAX
ing wing.
We watched there. The night before
Christmas the bells rang their mes
sage Of mirth,
OF peace and good will to all beings
that live on the face of the earth.
And jim started up at their Ginning,
and reached out his thin hands.
II see
The gift of the Christ-child," he shout
ed; they're bringing a crown
here for me"
I'm going! Good by, Bob" he whis-
pered, I'm going, and can ]
take Grace"
Eyes, take her, my poor lad" / answer
ed my tears falling fast on his
face
God bless you, old fellow, he muir
INJURED, and then, quickly grasping
my hand,
He said, TITS all right! There's my
number gone up at the top Of the
stand"
His fingers relaxed, aud l, turning,
just caught his last futtering
breath,
The low spoken, sweet words, my
mother" the Jockeys first greet
ing to Death.
\ smile curved his lips as he lay there.
/ knelt for a moment in prayer;
The sound of the bells merry music
still rang on the startled night air
The boys came 10 meet me at the
dawning, and told me the mare
Grace was dead;
Was well when they left her at even,
and eating her supper, they said;
81 gave her to Jim, boys" / muttered,
II gave her to Jim ere he died
The way may be long. He was weary.
The angels wished him TO ride"
= =
I've no explanations to offer. Explain
ing don't lay in my line;
ffne ways OF the good Lord would
bother a brain that is larger than
mine.
Each year. at the coming of Christ
mas. ] look on the lads pictured