The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1907-04-12
TIJpEIO, MISSISSIPPI. FRIDAY APRIL II, 1907
The Two Friends United.
By COL. w. L. CLAYON.

Ing D0on pdlQ OUT since Cne Time
of his possession thereof in 1866:
When first he became the posses
sor thereof the date and all the
other inscriptions were plain to
be seen and read. but now there
is no sign of anything of the kind
ever having been stamped there
on. The coin now looks only
like a round piece Of silver, much
thinner than an ordinary MeXi-
can silver dollar, though remain
ing in one place and following in
the footsteps of a farmer for
forty-one years tells upon the
life even of a silver coin. But,
listen! The years have not pass
ed without their impress upon
the old farmer either. The young
! manhood and maturer age have
left the old farmer and the
strength of his youth and the
elasticy of his step have given
place largely to disease and age.
The vigor, vim and push of other
years have given place to a desire
for rest and peace that peace
which passeth knowledge. The
woman whom he chose as a help
meet in early manhood still clings
to his side and does her part to
smooth the rugged places in his
pathway. Thus we leave them
as we turn our attention toward
the other friend, the Spanish
coin. When the war between the
states had ended, our Spanish
friend moved from pillar to post
and hand to hand for manyyears,
still, however, remaining in the
north till 1906, when he dropped
into the till of a clothes manu-
facturer. Call it fate, or chance
or luck or Providence as you may,
the manufacturer in 1906 having
finished a suit of mems clothing,
placed the Spanish coin in the
pocket of the suit and sent it
forth, as if on the wings of the
wind. But He, who suffereth
not a sparrow to fall to the
ground without his care, and who
tempereth the wind to the shorn
lamb, directed the suit of clothes
in the pocket Of which was the
Spanish coin, to the farmer sol
dier who had so long possessed
his Mexican friend, and, 10 and
behold, when the old farmer
bought and put on the suit, whom
should he find in the pocket there
of save the Spanish friend. Thus
side by side after many years of
separation, the two friends now
rest together in the same pocket.
Rest thee, friends, thy, wander
ings done, thy separation over
until the time shall come when
the old farmer-soldier shall be
called to his long home. Jingle
thyselves together and content
thee with the work already done.
And thus, methinks, we may say
of many brothers, some OF whom
have left the old home and its
many delightful associations, and
made their homes in some dis
tant state or foreign land, while
some remained behind and laid
the old folks to rest. The time
has been long and the way
thorny and difficult. Wander
ings have been many and falls by
the wayside oft, but the Guidine
Hand has been through it all.
And some day, some good day,
some golden day." the Hand that
guides and the Heart that loves,
will bring together the scattered
ones and garner them in His
house above. ''Let not your
heart be troubled" but let them
be stilled and mellowed by the
hope that the Everlasting Arms
are beneath, and by the thought
that after the storm comes the
calm, after work comes rest, af-
ter warfare comes peace-peace
that foweth like a river and ON
which can pillow heads. May
the old farmer-soldier, with
whom now rests our two friends,
see a halo Of glory as his own lit
tie bark sweeps toward the sun
set of life.