Julia M. Bachman. 233 



to take her accustomed drive. Her father saw her 

 losing ground day by day. He noted, besides, her 

 ever increasing watchfulness over those at her bed- 

 side, in her anxiety lest prolonged vigils should ex- 

 haust their strength. As he read to her the Word of 

 God, he eagerly marked her rapt attention and the 

 tender light in her eyes; yet, as a Minister of God, 

 he craved fuller evidence that her heart was en- 

 tirely fixed upon her God and Saviour. 



August 22d, 1847. 



My dear Children There has not been for an 

 hour since I last wrote, a favorable symptom in our 

 beloved Julia's disease. Dr. Burke has watched 

 with us, at her bedside, night after night. We have 

 seen her poor frame slowly wasting away from 

 suffering, She is yet lingering on these mortal 

 shores ; but we cannot expect to have her with us, 

 for many days longer. * * 



To VICTOR AUDUBON. 



August 29th. 



Alas, the only change is for the worse. It grati- 

 fied our poor invalid to have birds, and I travelled 

 miles daily through the mountains to procure them ; 

 now she cannot eat them my occupation is gone, 

 I have no employment, and seem daily less fitted for 

 any. God help us in our sorrows ! 



I still cherished the hope that we might have the 

 satisfaction of removing her to our peaceful home. 

 Now I know that I must abandon it wholly. * 



As the deepest, highest love ever desires to man- 

 ifest itself in service to the beloved, the very diffi- 

 culty he experienced in procuring game, among the 



