The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1907-01-11
STEPHEN,
Son of Philemon and Agatha Webb,
Died, Aged Six Weeks.
God be merciful to me, a sinner.


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 he'll
if 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 sinnerv And the chick
not six weeks old Something queer
| about that dame if it did happen more
than so 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 1 found it had
been settled. l did not know then who
had enough money and compassion to
do this for me; now / do"
Many an act of kindness which had
been secretly performed in that town
during the last 90 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
as o minister.
But other memories OF a sweeter and
more secret nature still came up like
wise. among them the following:
young girl who was of a very
timid but deeply sensitive nature had
been urged into an engagement with
man she did not like. Though the
conflict this occasioned her and the
misery which accompanied it were APP
parent to everybody, nobody stirred in
her behalf until Agatha Webb took it
up. She went to see her, and, though
ii was within fortnight of the we'd
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 were numerous. So were the ac-
counts, mostly among the women, of
her rare tenderness and sympathy for
the weak and the erring. Never was
man talked to as she talked to- Jake
Cobleigh the evening after he struck
his mother. and if she had been in
town on the day when Clarissa May
hew ran away with that Philadelphia
rascal many said it would never have
happened, for no girl could stand the
admonition or resist the pleading of
this childless mother.
1t was reserved for Mr.. Halliday
and Mr.. Sutherland to talk of her
mental qualities. Her character was
so marked and her manners so simple
that few gave attention to the intellect
that was 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 1 can hardly be-
lieve you could have met her eye to
eye without having some remark to
make about her beauty or her infiu-
ence?"
The speaker was Agnes Halliday,
who had come in with her father for a
social chat. She was one OF Freder-
ick's earliest playmates. but one with
whom he had never assimilated and
who did not like him. He knew this,
as did every one else in town, and Ii
was with some hesitation he turned to
answer her.
II have but one recollection" he be-
gan and for the moment got no fur
Their. for in turning his head TO address
his young guest he had allowed his