The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-03-26

was gone. Poor, tired little soul! The
frail hands were no longer able to meet
their last work; the brave heart could
scarcely respond. She was tired,
For | am weary. and am overwrOught
With too much toll, with too much care
distraught.
Lay thy soft hand upon my brow
and cheek
o peaceful Sleep
For ten weeks she kept up the strug-
gle which for more than score of
years she had 50 heroically hraved. At
times she rallied. and then She would
once more he her cheerful self. She
pleaded for her letters from her girls.
and they were given her in moderation.
The pen had still that wondrously gen
tie touch. that remarkable genius of max
ing tear or Il smile. And during those
last weeks hundreds of letters were sent
out to her girls" They are all that
| have now" she said. and she poured
out all that remained of her strength
and heart to them. Up to the very last
she worked for her girls her thought
was of them. The day before Christmas
she sent them messages Of the day, and
as she signed the last one she said:
Tomorrow / will send some more
But tomorrow was not to be with
ruth Ashmorc. Her work for her
girls" was done. She had opened the
last letter from them; she had sent them
her last message of hope and cheer The
pen which had helped innumerablc thou
sands was not again to be taken up.
The dawn of Christmas Sunday came to
her, and she smiled at the faithful friend
and physician at her side She knew
what the day was-thc Birth it heraldcd.
And for her it was, too, to herald a new
birth. Quietly she closed her eyes. Pain
had gore. The threads of cbbing life
simply remained. Slowly, like tired
child she slipped into that peaceful
sleep which her tired little body cravcd.
Deeper and deeper she slept. slower and
slower came the breath of this life, UNI
til as dawn was breaking into her win
dow for the last Tuesday of the year,
she breathed a soft, gentle breath. And
she slept She had simply
-. taken up her lamp and gone to
bed
To the thousands who have read Ruth
Ashmorc" in this magazine the news of
her passing away will come in the sense
of a personal bereavement. To her as
Socates on the staff it is that. She was
the personal friend of each. TO the
writer of this she was dear friend.
For sixteen years we had worked to-
gether nine of which were spent in work
on this magazine. Only one or two peo-
pie knew her better. perhaps. In all
those years of close cOmpanOnShip she
proved as sincere friend, as true Il
woman and as loyal Il worker as it was
ever given for one to have. She was
clever. perhaps the cleyerest and the
most versatile woman of the writing
world of today But she herself was
even greater than her talents. She was
great-hearted in every sense. She loved
to help people Nothing was too much
for her to do for one of whom she was
fond. She thought nothing of sacrific-
ing herself for another. 1t W. no effort
for her; it seemed to come = lturally.
Friendship meant staunchness to her.
She gloried in the success of Il friend;
yet even reader was she to share with
him i'll any sorrow or trouble. The
griefs of her friends were her griefs:
their anXietics were her anXieties. \
friend never found her wanting in time
of trouble She was always there.
TO part with such an associate is not
easy, even with the conviction that it is