The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1915-02-27


les, rough hew them as we Will. Here
back In the SOS this pale-haired,
bright-eyed, nervous, wiry young man
farm boy, with nothing unusual In
his life, genial. the pet of devoted
mother, saw the war clouds rising In
the sky and the lurld light playing
along this western border. Riders
and men came down upon this peace
full and quiet home and did things
that outraged the sense of right and
justice in this young man. 1t sent the
warm, red blood coursing in his
veins; II stirred the tiger In him, and,
booted, spur ed and armed he became
a rider and raider, and as is often
the case In this life. one false step
led TO another till he became fasci-
mated by the glamour and urged by
aggravating causes here and there.
"But / have reason to believe from
frequent interviews with him, and
our intercourse was peculiarly inti-
mate, for with me he wore HIS heart
upon his sleeve, that he had an abid-
ing faith in God. can say here be-
fore his pulseless face that there
was never an hour when the still
small voice of conscience did not
plead with him, and had lie been mas
ter of his own destiny his early life
would have been different.
There was deep affection be-
tween him and the woman he mar
ried Through all the tempests and
storms that beat so hard upon him,
like good angel she walked by HIS
side. whispering in his ear, of trust
and hope, and where he went, she
went If she could, and her spirit
broded over him at all times. I can
never forget the ordeal OF that trial
in 1888. If there was, on that occasion
anything that gave inspiration to
my mind and flame to my tongue, IL
was the pale, anxious face and fearful
eyes which she turned upon me- I
never saw or felt a happier moment
i'm my life than when he was set free
and given back to this woman. And
wasn't that a good thing? Hasn't he
been a good citizen? And kept the law
and the peace, and asked nothing,
not even sympathy. but just the OPP
portunity TO be and to live, and 10
make amends. The flend OF reproba-
ton In season and out of season fol-
lowed him with insistent clamor
even when he was pleading with the
earth for subsistence, even In adj
versity.
II have often thought IL the good
Lord dealt with men IN the spirit OF
undergraduates and unforgivingness
that men do with their fellow men
how few OF us would get into the
kingdom. Yet unmurmuringly ne en-
dured the SCOTS and contumely OF a
mawlxlsh world, and by fortitude and
courage he was enabled, like to
Robin Hood, at the end OF his tragic
life, to ask mercy for the erring and
pity for the weak
shakespeare said, lie that dies,
pays all debts AS for myself, / feel
today that emotion OF sympathy
which makes all the world kin.
Oh be his failings covered by the
tomb,
May guardian laurels DER his ashes
bloom
"A funeral In the gloom and desc
lation OF winter always depresses
me. These forest trees, berert OF fol-
iage. the grass dead. flowers faded
and gone, these flowers that lie
over his casket all too soon fade away,
the summer birds hushed, all earth
lying drear and chill; but we know
that after a while the sun will rise
higher and higher toward the zenith
TIL it's warming rays will meet the
ice: the birds will begin 10 sing as
the harbingers OF spring, gentle
flowers will peep from beneath their
winter beds and lend their checks "a
be kissed by the summer sun. into
new life. and all Nature will again
perform the sacred mystery Of re-
productive growth. To me this Il az
epItome OF the resurrection, an as
surance that this mortality will put
on immortality. and when the morn.
lng sunlight OF the resurrection das
lhall fash over the cemeteries and
| tAe ashes and dust Of loved ones gon,