will at last undertake the great
task to which I have put off from time
to time to tell you about our dear fathers
death he seemed to be in a deep sleep
nearly all the time the last month
he lived he would wake up & take
his nurishment & go back to sleep
but he took to having feavor & the
last week we just had to feed him
with a spoon when we knew he
needed it he woke up on Sunday morn
a week before he died & seamed to no
every thing & went back to sleep
& never woke up any more untill
mon. morning I went & ma asked
him do you no both & he nodded his
head & went to sleep again & tuesday
morn I had been in the other room
I came in & he opened his eyes &
looked up at me & I sed good morning
pa & he raised his had & I took it I
said how are you pa he whispered
I am better I said dose any thing
hurt you & he just closed his eyes
& never opened them any more
atall untill just be fore he quit
breathing & he just opened them
as wide & looked strate up for a
few minutes like he was looking
into heaven & I believe he was
ma went to him & put her face
against him & asked if he
could see us & he never seamed
to hear her he commenced breathing
a very hard on friday before he died
you could hear him all over the place
& Saturday about noon he commence
breathing larger but short of breath
that way tell the last it shure
was a long struggle but but he
lasted Sun 2 oclock & he just
breathed till he just wore out
& never moved a mussel every
body said he died the easyest
they ever saw one one we feel
asshured he never felt the sting
of death he so often wish he could
die we all felt like it was best
I guess you new he told Bro Selvage
the last time
he ever came to see him at Waxa
about 4 years ago that he wanted
him to preach his funeral & he told
pa he would if he was living & every
time pa would talk about dieing
he remind us of that he wanted to
be taken to Bardwell & buryed
by Grace but some time before
he died he ast Mat about the
grave yard Alvarado & said it
would be a heap of trouble to
take him to Bardwell but she
told him just what he wanted
should be dun & she said it
seamed to pleaes him & he told
them not go to a lot of expence
to just bury him plain ma told
him she was going to put him away
nise & he sed he didn't want us
to greave after him & didn't after
he was gon but oh just to stand
an see him struggling with that
great enemy death so long I
could hardly stand it so on
Saturday when we knew it
was about over we phoned to
fornid Okl for Bro Selvage
& he started that night & came to Cleaburn
& on up to
Alvarado & his son Will lives
there & they drove to Mats
& just as they drove up at
the gate pa drew his last
breath they came in &
stood by pa & Bro Selvage
looked long & hard so he went
with us to Bardwell we had a
hurse to take pa to the train at
Alvarado & when we got to Waxa
to change to Brayes Valley the
boy had the horse & carage
redy to carry us ovefr to the other
train & they phoned to ennis
& had a hurse at the depot at
Bardwell & all the neighbors
& frieds were ther with convances
to carry us all to the church
& the masons wer ther & they all
marched with ma & Mat &
me folowed & the posesin
followed some of the kin in one
& some in another just as they
had room ever one was so nise
had the funeral at 11 oclock
Bro Selvage made a splended
talk sed Bro Lovelesss is ded but
a sleep in Jesus. Said if you want
to die like Bro Loveless died you
must live like he lived & spoke
of his opening his eyes & seeing
his way clear he said someday
you will redd in the papter that
Bro Selvage is dead but he
want be dedd onley a sleep in
Jesus they had flowers enough
to cover the grave my children
bought a reathe at the flourist
at Waxa cost six dollars it was
made of ever green moss & covered
with white carnations & tube
& Mats folks go some & the folks at Bardwell made a
large cross that hung down the
side of the coffin they brought
the flower all in at the church
there was enough to cover the
coffin & the floor under it so
after the funeral the good people
caried us in proseisn to the
cemetery as from the church
rite after the hurse & the Bro
masons buried him with a very
impresive service rite by his
onley dead child where he wanted
to be every thing was don just
like he wanted & we are all so
much better satified we got
him a beautuful shroud it
was black with white shirt
collor cuffs & tie all made to
geather & buttoned up in the
back & a beautiful coffin cost
forty dollars & ma is going
to have a stone put up soon
yes there was a good criwd of
masons H P Mizell went down
with us from Waxa he was
B write & I don't know the rest
Ma held up fine so much
better than we thought she
would she stayed 2 wks at
Bardwell Waxa came on
over hear & stayed a while &
wanted to go to Mats we
took her over there I had a card
from her saying she was down
in her back she wanted to come
she you all but couldn't she
was able to stand the trip
well I will close for this time
was glad to hear Willie is
able to be at home with you
all aggain
Yor sis
E C C
yes I saw Charlies folks kitch & all they
at the lucky Janson place
are doing well seams to be
Myrtle in in talequah Okla going to school
& teaching music & Truman is
teaching in G V again this year
we are quite long som
let Bart read this
as I neve can write
another or I would write
him one
