The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1912-05-30
A Visit 10 Mothers Grave.

After an absence Of nearly a quarter
Of a century | stood the Other day at
my mothers grave. 1t was on a lonely
hill not far from Resaca, Ga, from
which Sherman's batteries played upon
JohHstou's veterans IN d]eep-toued
thunder at the time Of the famous bat
tie at that point in the march of the
Federals toward the sea. Close beside
her are resting the remains Of my
brother and sister who preceded her to
the better land several long years be-
me- II was in the late afternoon and
the sun was dipping in the far west.
The wildwoods were clad in their rich
est yestments Of green and the impreg-
mated air was redolent with the per-
fume Of flowers. From out Of the wood
ed bowers fell in varied notes upon my
ear and the subdued tinkle Of a far.oH
COW bell added to the weird thought Of
the occasion. felt a loneliness that
recalled the sad day in the long ago
when | stood beside that open grave
and saw the earth swallow all that was
left OF her mortality. My heart beat a
triile faster, a strange lump came into
my throat, and my eyes began to moist.
IN with tears. Memory opened the
door to the storehouse Of the past
years and forgotten pictures began to
throw themselves upon the canvas Of
ported back to the scenes OF my child
hood when | knelt at eventide beside
her knee and her sweet songs again
echoed in the chambers Of my heart. !
looked into her angelic face once more,
| heard the sound OF her silent voice
and | felt the touch OF her vanished
hand. | was at home again! For the
time being there were no scars upon
my heart, no sound Of battle was in my
ear and life was a dream. | knew no
sorrow, grief was a stranger, disap
pointment was unborn, and my tears
we're in the future. She was talking
to me once more and there played up
IN her lips the smiles of her young
motherhood. ] was her boy and size
was my own dear mother. 1t was next
loor TO Heaven! | listened and heard
the footballs of angels. ] looked and
saw the nutter of white robes, and
there came into my heart an old-time
Joy that written speech a not ade'
quately express. But the sight of those
three graves rudely woke me from my
temporary reverie and | found that it
was a dream. / was no longer a child
but a man far out on the journey o
life, with burrows upon my brow and
the frost Of winter upon my head and
there before me were the sorrowful re-
minders of the grief and loneliness OF
the intervening years.
1t was not home, mother was moi
there to greet me and her smile wa
only In my imagination. | was new
81 lonesome in all my life and my hear
hunger was intolerable. How | cried
out for one more moment in her pres.
ence, for one more grasp OF her hand
for one more kiss OF her lips, But Their,
was 10 response from the silent mound
to my cry Then my faith turned from
things earthly to things heavenly, anC
| heard a voice sweetly singing | an
the resurrection and the life; he tina
believeth on me, though he were dead
yet shall he live" And my response
came not from the silent grave, bul
from Gods unchanging word, | turned
my thought toward the future and
realized that in His own good time lie
would speak and those graves would
give up their dead aud we would strike
hands again on the eternal morning?
"How sweet it will be in that beau.
tiful land
So free from all sorrow and pain,
With songs on our lips and with harps
in our hand
To meet one another again.'-Geo
c. Rankin in Texas Christian Advo-
cate,