Putnam patriot., 1913-06-13


heart trouble with which she had been
afflicted for some time. The end came
peacefully in sleep. 1t was the way
she had often expressed desire to be
taken and her prayer was mercifully
answered.
In the morning Mrs. Williams
seemed unusually bright and cheerful
and in the early afternoon she walked
as far as Grove street with her niece,
Mrs. f. II. Gilpatric, who was return
ing TO her home in New Britain. She
would have walked to the station but
her niece urged her not To. She SEEM
ed in excellent. spirits when she left
her niece to return To the house.
Mr.. Williams went to Mantle that
morning to make final arrangements
for accommodations for the choir of the
Congregational church to spend their
vacation, he and his wife having plan
ned TO accompany them as heretofore.
He also went 10 Norwich to attend a
meeting of delegates from the various
business mems associations OF eastern
Connecticut. Hereturned TO Putnam
on the five minutes of ten p. m. trolley
and went Immediately home. He
found the door locked and bolted and
being unable to arouse his wife by re-
peated rapping, he rang the door bell
which called l.. F. Merriam, who oc.
cupies the tenement upstairs, TO the
door, to let him in. He lit the lights
and found Mrs. Williams lying on n
couch in the dining room. 1t was APP
parent that after she had cooked and
eaten her dinner she had laid upon the
couch for rest as was her custom. She
had apparently fallen asleep and in
sleep had passed away. The end had
come as she had hoped and prayed
that 1t might, when she was called,
peacefully while she slept.
The following imperfect tribute was
prepared by Mr.. Williams:
Thirty.one years ago the approach
ing Saturday, June IA, Julia Fredell
Randall and Lewis Owen Williams
stood in the little parlor at the home
of the BRIDES parents on Elm street,
and before their pastor, the Rev. G. s.
Brooks, pledged themselves to each
other to love and cherish "until death
do us part, and one of the happiest
| homes earth has ever seen sprang into
being at "The Gables" ~ South Main
street. There have been cloud and
darkened skies, but so much OF sun
shine has frightened that home made
possible by the UNDERSTANDABLE love and
| tenderness, devotion and sacrifice of
| the beautiful little dark haired bride,
that cheer and happiness abounded in
such boundless measure that life's vex.
atoms seemed to be submerged. Cares
! of business vanished at the threshold
and loving kiss, and the occasional
message over the phone with almost a
caress in the voice, during business
hours, made earth's daily grind Won
derfully light.
As boy and girl, husband and wife,
similar tastes, in social life, in church
relations, both uniting with the Sec
ond Congregational church in their
youth, in music, the bride in the choir,
the groom on the organ bench, IN ath-
letie sports, and in their love of home,
| their lives had been so united, that
although they had vowed to love and
cherish "until death do us part" now
that death has parted them, the vow
remains unbroken.
The home was never blessed with
| children, but in no home in the COM
munity were children and young peo-
pie more welcome, or made to feel
more at home.
The death of brother, father, mother,
| the dismantling of her childhood
home, and the active, sympathetic
hand with which she lifted the bur-
den from friend and neighbor, were
too severe strain, and tired nerves
gave way, so that for many months
while greeting all, at home or on the
street, with the same CHEEKY smile,
she longed for her eternal home. In
| the watches of Thursday night, she
nestled little closer TO her companion
and with a sob repeated the prayer he
had heard many times, 80, If | could
only go to sleep and never wake up"
and then fell into quiet slumber.
With the dawning Of Friday morning
| she awoke CHEEKY and bright and the
good bye kiss was as sweet and happy
as any in the old days, but the home
| coming can be undergone but not de-
scribed. She had lain on her couch
| for her afternoon rest, and while asleep
God had taken her to himself 50 ten
derly that nothing disturbed the beau
| ty and calm of her face. She was cold
| and rigid like marble. Tears and kiss-
es, caresses and sobs, whispers and en-
treaties, and even the old dear love
terms brought no response. God had
answered her prayer.
Monday afternoon the home, with
everything as she had left 1t, was filled
with relatives, the choir so dear TO her,
friends and neighbors, to show their
esteem at the service of farewell. Ey-
erything, from the hour of the service
to the smallest detail was in accord TO
her oft repeated wish. Her pastor,
Rev. f. ID. Sargent, conducted the ser
vice, assisted by Rev. John r. Trow-
bridge, a cousin, of West Groton, NJ ass,
who pronounced the invocation. Rev
| G. J. Hartman, Of St. Philips church