iSecoUection^ 



"Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind." 



Luola Murchlson married my uncle, James 

 Sprunt, in 1883. My earliest recollection of 

 her pictures a very sprightly, cordial, and 

 sympathetic person, who always knew what 

 was the matter when anything went wrong, 

 and how to set it right. Today recalling her 

 as I saw her the last time, just a few weeks 

 ago, the words of the greatest eulogy in our 

 language come to me: "She was my friend, 

 faithful and just to me." For more than 

 twenty-five years her friendship never for a 

 moment faltered — never once lost an oppor- 

 tunity to perform some gentle service. 



Very precious to me is the following page 

 in my childhood, very dear to me because I 

 love to think how closely she was knit into 

 the warp and woof of our earliest years. 

 My brothers and I were still quite little when 

 our parents were called North and we were 

 left with Aunt Luola, who adopted us and 

 a fairy world opened up before us. She took 

 us to Masonboro Sound and cared for us with 

 a devotion and tact that I now recall as most 

 extraordinary. I admired her so much that 

 I felt I should like to acquire that power 

 which even as a child I felt she possessed. 

 On one occasion we were speaking of begin- 

 ning things and throwing them aside unfin- 

 ished. I do not know whether she intended 



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