Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1900-11-07
STEPHEN.
Son of Philemon and Agatha Webb.
Died. Aged Six Weeks.
God be merciful to me. a slime
.s-s-.,-.l-:.-.s..s.-,.-.s.-.,.-.,.-

- - q
Now what does that mean? Did you,
ever hear any one say?'
:, NO." was his old wife's answer.
Perhaps she was one of those Calvin.
list folks who believe babies go to hell
II they are not baptized"
But her children were all baptized.
I've been told so; some of them before
she was well out of her bed. God be
merciful to me n sinnerv And the chick
not six weeks old! Something queer
about that dame If it did happen more
than 30 years ago"
What did you see over the grave Of
the child who was killed by lightning
in her arms?"
'This:
".And he was not, for God took
him."
Farmer Waite had but one word to
say.
She came to me when my Sissy had
the smallpox, the only person in town
who would enter my doors. More than
that, when Sissy was up and went to
pay the doctors bill found 1t had
been settled. / did not know then who
had enough money and compassion to
do this for me; now do
Many an net OF kindness which had
been secretly performed in that town
during the last 20 years came to light
on that day, the most notable Of which
was the sending Of a certain young lad
to school and his subsequent education
40 minister.
But other memories Of a sweeter and
more SECRET nature still came up like
wise, among them the following:
A young girl who was Of very
tmid but deeply sensitive nature had
been urged into an engagement with a
man she did not like. Though the
CONFLICT this occasioned her and the
misery which accompanied it We're ap-
parent to everybody, nobody stirred in
her behalf until Agatha Webb took it
up. She went to see her, and, though
1t was within fortnight of the wed.
ding, she did not hesitate to advise the
girl to give him up and when the poor
child said she lacked the courage
Agatha herself went to the man and
urged him into display of generosity
which saved the poor. timid thing
from life Of misery. They say this
was no easy task for Agatha and that
the man was sullen for a year. But
the girls gratitude was boundless.
OF her daring, which was always on
the side Of right and justice, the sto-
ries We're numerous. So were the &C.
counts, mostly among the women, of
her rare tenderness and sympathy for
the weak and the erring. Never was a
man talked to as she talked to Jake
Cobleigh the evening after he struck
his mother, and IL she had been In
town on the day when Clarissa May
hew ran away with that Philadelphia
rascal many said 1t would never have
happened, for no girl could stand. the
admonitlon or resist the pleading Of
this childless mother.
II was reserved for Mr.. Halliday
and Mr.. Sutherland to talk of her
mental qualities. Her character was
20 marked and her manners SO simple
that few gave attention to the intellect
that WIS the real basis of her power.
The two mentioned gentlemen, how
ever, appreciated her to the full, and it
was while listening to their remarks
That Frederick was suddenly startled
By, some one saying to him:
You are the only person in town
who has nothing to say about Agatha
Webb. Didn't you ever exchange any
words with her, for can hardly be-
risve you could have met her eye to
eye without having some remark to
make about her beauty or her influ-
encei"
The speaker was Agnes Halliday,
who had come in with her father for a
social chat. She was one of Freder-
lexis earliest playmates, but one with
whom he had never assimilated and
who did not like him. He knew this,
Ms did every one else in town, and 1t
was with some hesitation he turned to
answer her.
IT have but one recollection" he be-
gan and for the moment got no fur
ti1er, for In turning his head to address
) his young guest he had allowed his
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