The farmer and mechanic., 1907-03-12

/ / -
DR.. II. H. Whitaker.
/ deaths. At her approach the guard,
placed there to watch, fed and she
i was left dlone She fell down ana
prayed and then hcaping. up some
| gpaxv logs OF wood. she was a bic 70
climb up high enough to embrace him
and stroke back the hair from his
| face He entreated her to leave him
lest She should be found there and
fall under the cruel revenge of Queen
Agnes.
Il will die with YOU" she said. It's
for that | came. and no power shall
force me fror' you. And she stood
near him and tried to help him bear
his pains. all the night long.
When the day began to break. the
guard returned. and Gertrude took
down her stage of wood and continued
kneeling ana praying at the foot of
he pole Crowds came to look and
ne kind hearted woman pitied her
snd offered 10 give her something to
eat and drink, but she declined to ac-
Cept anything. The priest came and
exhortad Rudolph to confess the crime
for which he was being punished;
but with great effort he managed to
CencG
Prince Leopold and his sister Ag-
nes rode by. and seeing Gertrude
there with her dying husband. in
harsh language commanded that she
should be dragged away. one Of the
mobiles interceded for her. and al
though carried away to a little dis
tance she was allowed to return. 1ile
priest blessed her, saying: BE faith
ful unto death and God will give You
Il crown of life.
All day long she knelt beneath her
han n (. ol J,ra
At length night came on and with it
Il stormy wind. one of the gu2S S
brought her a cloak to protect her
from the storm. She climbed on the
wheel and spread the covering on her
husbands limbs and then with her
shoe she brought some water anl
moistcned his Iips. sustaining him
above all, with her prayers and cX-
hortations to look to the joys beyond.
He had ceased to try to send h1r
away and thanked her for the COM
fort she gave him.
That night and another day. until
in the evening he continued to suf-
fer. Gertrude watching and praying.
Just before moving his head for the
last time she raised herself near to
smile lighted up his dying face:
"Gertrude. this is faithfulness TIL
DEATH and died. She knelt down
and thanked God for having enabled
her to remain for the last breath.
Margaret. the daughter of Sir
Thomas Moore. who was beheaded by
the cruel edict of Henry VIII. was
quite as devoted to her father as was
Gertrude to her husband. After his
head had been severed from the body
it was ordered that it be placed on d
pole on London bridge Margaret
passed it many times and prayed that
she might again hold that head on her
lap as she had so often done when
her dear father was living.
Tradition says that as she passed
under the bridge in a .oat, one day.
praying that she might yet possess her
fathers head. it fell into her lap. She
carried it home had it cmbalmed and
kept it as long as she lived: and when
she died it was placed in her cofIin.
But. | have wandered away off. I
simply started out to express my ad-
miration Of Miss MaXwclls $ noble pur-
pose, though it resulted in her death
For the sake Of saving the children
She was willing to risk her own life.
BY the way. when my friend. Mr.
Turner Bailey's residence was burning
in Kenly q few years ago. it was a
bold. a very daring act on the part of
Mr.. Henry F. EdgertOn to rush up a
long flight of stairs and into !, room
filled with smoke. to save little boy
Indeed, it was at the hazard of losing
his life: but, as it turned Out. he and
the child were saved.
But they might not have been saved
had not Mr.. Joseph Darden gone at the
peru OF his life and rescued them for
Mr.. Edgerton, after finding the child
had lost his way in the smoke and he
ana the child were rapidly suffOcating
when Mr.. Darden, by his quick move
| ments, rushed them down stairs. out
! of the smoke and heat
W nat q holocaust of death by flood
nv IN
quak es, railroad accidents mine ex-
| ploSlonS and otherwise has the world
! witnessed within the last year, In
/ the olden times wars were brutal
monarchs We're cruel and prisons were
dungeons of darkness and death: but
| IN these days. the most Of our calami-
ties are due to the rapidity and the
manner of travelling and living In
the olden time horse might run away
ana Kill man and wife. Now "a
! smashup on a railroad, kills scores
In the olden time people lived more
simply and ate food that was less in
| furious. and, as d result they were not
! dyspeptcs. Now they eat richer food
! ana more of 1t, and the consequence
IS, they are not only in peril by land
ana by sea by earthquakes tOrnadoeS
ana cyclones, by wars. peStilenceS. ia M
ines; by railroad smash-ups burnings
ana droWninSS"bJt in peril on ac-
count of the heterogeneous conglomer-
atIon of ViandS with which stOmachS
are loaded. ranging from bacon and
greens TO puddingS, pies, pound cakes
lcltlcS ana creams. and a score Of other
Things which are calcut3ted to severely
tax the acuinCrN of the ordinary
taoii;i. But as all of us have To die
somehow. 1t iS. At least. moro in har-
InonN with our feelings to eat ourselves
| To death than tn Starvc in q prison
OF have our bones broken o.t n wheel
OF even have our heads chopppd off
| wish all tho mothers Of North
!
Carolina could havc heard Governor
! Glenn at Edenton Street Methodist
'hurch last sunday night. All mo-
thcrs want th"lr BOYS to hc good. and
| that was Just what Governor Glenn
| ;alkcd about-the need Of good bows
and of Christian young men. | would
! do his speech a great Injustice did
undertake to quote from it, therefore
| | will content myself with expressing
| the opinion that il was one Of the
most timely aud most appropriate ad-