Year: 1870

warm flannel, and before half an hour
she was comfortable. As soon as she be-
came easy, she closed her eyes and was
sinking into restful slumber, when
touched my lips in blessing upon her fore.
head.


oh. Chatty, child of mine.' she said
crying right ont, Il never have been hall
good enough to you. should not have
taken you from your writing to-day you
little tender thing, what pity you fell
into such cruel handsr


l slid my arm around her neck, and
gathered her to my bosom, and cried ov-
er the dear old broken down molher2the
woman of many sorrows, stricken when
in full leaf and blossom with blight that
would have been death to any other less
brave. and true.


l crept into the bed beside her. and just
rs she was sinking into n sweet and pain
less sleep she TREMENDOUSLY said. 'Chatty,
don't never tell it, but il is the truth, ncv.
er did one of my daughters come to me
IN answer 10 my means Of distress when
| was sick Mt night. What was it? Didn',
they love me rs much as you dop'


/ soothed her by saying had always
been the little nurse and doctor mt home.
and my ear was open to catch every cry
of pain. 1t calmed her and she rested
until morning.


Little things like this drew US togeth er
and we soon became warmly attached to
each other. Oh, we had pleasant times
togetber-my mothcr.in-law and I.


When wee baby Charlie came to ME,
the little pink and white flower, his grand
mother opened her arms to him, rs tho
he was great blessing sent TO her from
Heaven. He touched her heart and filed
il with JOY she had never known before.
The fountains ol my own soul were open.
ed and life assumed new realities and
new beauties. and sweet song Of glad
ness broke from my lips, and flooded my
soul.


Crowned with motherhood. | walked
with feet aunointed, and the glory of the
stars seemed to gather about my brow,


From the time that mother was attack
ed with sickness in the night she seemed
to fail and To grow more and more lovely
rs she gradually faded from earth. She
would sit for hours and play with the ba-
by, and laugh at its funny little ways. and
think that he looked just like her babies,
who had lain under the sod for twenty
years.


Ii is very pleasant 10 die thus like n
light growing DINNER and DINNER, like
the sunset tint fading from the hiIltops
into soft twilight, creeping into the
dmncss OF darkness gradually.


The last summer we lived together we
had not much work TO do. and look back
now TO the May and June and October rs
| would remember song or poem. or
book read by the seaside, or something
that gave me sweet pleasure and left
beautiful memories.


After she WAS confined TO her bed, she
would lie and watch me. and follow my
footsteps with tender. loving gaze-eyes
full OF The light of love. and often she
would sag 10 me, oh, Chatty. you are
the best child know have been stern
anl cold, but YOU have been The same
duiiful daughter. You have overlooked
my faults, and you have kept back the m-
kind reply many time when was un-
just to you. You have helped To make
me better woman than WAS, and for
all this. YOU know, bless and love your


Oh, how much better it WAS for me
now. that yielded my will and wishes
to hers in the few years of my married
life and treated her respectfully. too, in
the appointments of her own household! |!
What to me was the praise or blame ri
my butterfly friends now in comparison
TO the good will and earnest love Of my
husbands mother.


Before mother died, was her nurse for
seven weeks; she would have no other.
gave her medicine and attended to her
wants, taking rest as best | could. could
not have endured it much longer; | was
worn ont and pale and thin, and felt all
the time as if was dreaming.


One morning sat in the rocking chair
beside her; John held the baby as he sat
on the other side of the bed. Her hand
WAS in mine-her little bluc-veined. vast
ed hand, on which was beautiful ring,
the gift of q brother who had died far
away from home.


She said in a voice, looking londly up
on me: 'Chatty, you are so tired; but
YOU will not have mother to care for to.
night wish you to take off this ring,
and put it on your own hand, and wear it
for my sake. Whenever you look at it,
remember what | have often told you
lately-how dear you are to me. and how
much love you


Before noon that day the strange
silence of death came stealing over her
face. knew what it meant. We had
so grown together that it was like rending
life from me to par. with her. and with
cry fell back fainting. Dying as she
was, she heard the fall, and turned her
head to look, and died with her last long
gaze fixed-oh, SO tenderly and lovingly!