Year: 1867




[The beautiful and touching fragment
below has probably appeared in our col
umns before, but so long since that it will
well bear re-printing. ED. TINES.


The following most touching fragment
of letter from dying wife to her hus-
band, was found by him, some months after
her death, between the leaves of relig
ious volume, which she was very fond of
perusing. The letter which was literally
dim with tear marks, was written long
before the husband was aware that the
grasp of a fatal disease had fastened upon
the lovely form of his wife, who died at
the early age of nineteen:


When this shall reaca.your eye, dear
c., some day wien yod are turning
over the relics of the past, shall have
passed away forever, and the cold white
stone will be keeping its lonely watch over
the lips you have SO often pressed, and
the sod will be growing green that shall
hide forever from your sight the dust OF
one who has so often nestled close to your
warm heart For many long and sleep
less nights, when all my thoughts were at
rest, have wrestled with the conscious
ness of approaching death, until at last it
forced itself upon my mind and although
to you and to others it might now seem
but the nervous imaginings of girl, yet
dear C, it is SO Many weary hours
have passed in the endeayor to reconcile
myself TO leaving you, whom love so well,
and this bright world of sunshine and
beauty; and hard indeed it is to struggle
on silently and alone, with the sure con-
viction that l am about to leave all forever
and go down alone into the dark valley !
But / know in whom have trusted, and
leaning upon His arm, fear no evil.
Don't blame me for keeping all this from
you. How could subject you, of all
others, to such sorrows as feel at part
ing when time will SO soon make it appa-
rent to you?


l could have wished to live, only to be
at your side when your time shall come,
and pillowing your head upon my breast
wipe the death damps from your brow,
and usher your departing spirit into its
Makers presence, embalmed in woman's
holiest prayer. But it is not to be so. and
l submit. Yours is the privilege of watch
ing through long dreary nights, for .he
spirits final light, and of oftransferring my
sinking head from your breast to my Sa-
viour's bosom And you shall sha my
last thought; the last faint pressure Of the
hand, and the last feeble kiss shall be
yours; and even when flesh and heat t
shall have failed me, my eye shall rest
upon yours until glazed by death and
our spirits shall hold one fond communion,
until gently fading from my view-the
last of earth--you shall mingle with the
first bright glimpses of the unfading glo-
ries of the world, where partings are un-
known. Well do / know the spot, dear
G where you will lay me; often have
we stood by the place, and watched the
mellow sunset as it glanced in quivering
flashes through the leaves and FURNISHED
gold, each, perhaps. has thought that one
of us has come alone, and whichever it
might be, your name would be on the
stone. But we loved the spot; and /
know you'll love it none the less when you
see the same quiet sunlight linger and
play among the grass over your Nellie's
grave. know you'll go often alone there,
when am laid there, and my spirit will
be with you then, and whisper among the
! waving branches, 4" Tam not lost but gone
before !"