Letter from Hattie to Clara, April 20, 1889

Letter from Hattie to Clara, April 20, 1889

Heart failure; Death; Physicians; Heaven;

Harriet recalls this time last year when Dr. Bigham was with them around the time of their father's death. She was out with Dr. Kerr and Martha earlier and Dr. Kerr believes the cause of her father's death was the accumulation of fluid in his heart. She goes on to talk about their parents' memorial and how she is happy they are now in heaven.

Noyes, Harriet Newell

The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #4

Unpublished

1889-04-20

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

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eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_411

Canton China
April 20th 1889.
My dear Clara -
The rest are all in
bed and I hope asleep but
I will write a few lines to you
before I follow their example
It is now after ten-o-clock with
you it is about the time that Dr
Bigham was with us last year.
The memories of that day have
been with me all day, to-day.
I remember so well just how
Father went up stairs the last
time . How it would have
seemed to me then if I had
known that in a few short hours
his lifeless form would be carried
down by others. I shall never
forget the startled look in
Edward's face when he came
in that day . how sudden
and unexpected it was but
we could never have felt ready
to give him up and God's
time is the best time. I
have been out with Martha
and Dr Kerr this afternoon.
He went to see one of his patients

the one who took them on
the boat trip . and we went
with him . On the way home
we talked about Father's last
illness . He thinks his death
was caused by the accumulation
of that fluid in the heart . and
that those spells which we
called cramp were due to the
[?severe course?] . He does not think
that he had anything like
pleurisy nor that he took cold.
I asked him if he thought
he probably suffered intensely
and he said he thought that he
did not I found that he
thought so from what we had
written . He looked so comfortable
and seemed to feel that he
could go to sleep so that I
can not think that after he
went up stairs he was really
suffering [u]intense[/u] pain . He
said it seemed very hard to
bear. I shall never never cease
to be grateful that neither
father nor mother were obliged
to bear intense or prolonged
suffering . It seems very

comforting to think tonight
that Father has been perfectly
happy for a whole year and
that little Mother has not had
a care nor trouble of any kind
to mar her perfect enjoyment
of the bliss of heaven for two years
However hard it is to do
without them and however
much we may wish to see
them we could not wish to
have them take up again
the burdens they laid down
ere they crossed "the shining river".
They are "with Christ which
is far better". I am so glad
you all feel pleased with
the monument. and so [u]very
glad[/u] that I waited to see
it finished . I did not think
there would be another grave
so near before decoration day.
It will not be long I presume
Mr [?Cary?] too will be
laid to rest. It seems
such a precious spot because
there those who are sleeping
will use sometime to meet

the Saviour when he comes
again. It seems to me as
Mary writes that it does to her
that more of the rest of us will
go soon . I think we shall be
spared to each other for
many years and at the
last go home nearly together.
But how little we can now
perhaps it will be as the
premillenialists and in
a few years we shall all
be glad to meet the Saviour
at his second coming. You
remember the young Doctor King
of whom I told you in
Springfield O who had that
tumor . His waiting time is
past and he has gone to be
forever with the Lord. He
suffered very much but it
is over now. I must try and
find time to write to his
Mother .I wish so much
to know something of his
last days. And now I
must say good night for
it is after eleven and I
always think how Father liked
to have us go to bed early --
[Note: Written sideways]
With much love from Hattie --



中国广州，
1889 年 4 月 20 日。
我亲爱的克拉拉——其余的人都在床上，
我希望睡着了，
但在我效仿他们之前，
我会写几行给你。
现在已经过了十点和你在一起，
时间差不多了去年比格姆医生和我们在一起。
那天的记忆一直伴随着我一整天，
直到今天。
我记得很清楚，
父亲上次是怎样上楼的。
如果我知道在短短几个小时内，
他死气沉沉的身体会被其他人带走，
那我会怎么想。
我永远不会忘记那天爱德华进来时脸上的惊讶表情。
这是多么突然和出乎意料，
但我们从来没有准备好放弃他，
上帝的时间是最好的时间。
今天下午我和玛莎和克尔博士一起出去了。
他去看了他的一个病人，
那个病人是带他们去乘船旅行的。
我们和他一起去了。
在回家的路上，
我们谈到了父亲的最后一次病痛。
他认为他的死是由心脏中积聚的液体引起的。
那些我们称之为抽筋的咒语是由于[？严重的课程？]。
他不认为自己患有胸膜炎或感冒。
我问他是否认为他可能遭受了严重的痛苦，
他说他认为他没有 我从我们所写的内容中发现他是这样认为的。
他看起来很舒服，
似乎觉得他可以睡觉了，
所以我想不到他上楼梯后他真的很痛苦剧烈。
他说这似乎很难忍受。
我永远不会停止感激父亲和母亲都不必承受剧烈或长期的痛苦。
今晚想到父亲一整年都非常幸福，
而小母亲两年来没有任何关心或麻烦来破坏她对天堂幸福的完美享受，
这似乎很令人欣慰。
没有他们，
无论我们多么希望看到他们，
我们都不希望他们再次承担他们在渡过“闪亮之河”之前放下的重担。
他们“与更好的基督同在”。
我很高兴你们都对这座纪念碑感到满意。
所以非常高兴我等着看它完成。
我没想到在装修日之前会有另一个坟墓这么近。
用不了多久，
我想卡里先生也会安息。
这似乎是一个如此珍贵的地方，
因为那些正在睡觉的人会在救主再来时找个时间来见他。
在我看来，
玛丽写道，
对她来说，
我们其他人很快就会离开。
我想我们会在很多年里彼此幸免，
最后几乎一起回家。
但是，
作为千禧年前论者，
我们现在所能做的可能是多么少，
几年后，
我们都会很高兴在救主第二次降临时见到他。
你记得我在斯普林菲尔德告诉你的那个年轻的金医生，
他有那个肿瘤。
他的等待时间已经过去，
他已经永远与主同在。
他受了很多苦，
但现在已经结束了。
我必须设法抽出时间给他的母亲写信。
我非常想知道他最后的日子。
现在我必须说晚安，
因为已经十一点了，
我一直在想父亲是多么喜欢让我们早点睡觉——
[注：横着写]
来自海蒂的爱——

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