KANSAS HOMES. 
61 
fresh, still gayly looking into the future — earth’s future — has 
passed beyond the unseen veil, and the praiiie grass waves over 
her. Ties of children, the unutterable love of a mother who would 
leave them orphans indeed, could not bribe the death-angel, and 
she too has entered the shadowy land. But now, the strong man, 
with the harness of duty on, has fallen at his post. Yesterday he 
was well as usual, and to-day he is not. It comes so suddenly 
upon us, we cannot realize that Dr. Clark is dead. 
Hard as it ever is to realize that death is more than a brief 
parting, that our friends will not return, until time and their 
long absence force the sad truth upon us, doubly so is it in this 
case, where but yesterday his patients shared his care. How sadly 
will this intelligence fall upon the ear of his brother, now absent 
on a tour in the territory ! With the stricken friends of his Mas¬ 
sachusetts home we can almost feel the shrinking heart, the over¬ 
powering oppression, the utter desolation of earth, as the missive 
bears to them the mournful intelligence. Earth has its thorny 
ways, and hedged about with sorrows. Among the saddest of 
them is for friends we loved so well to die in a far-off home, and 
we be not there. 
No one more than Dr. C. had the esteem, the love of the people, 
and their grief is heartfelt and sincere. 
There has been much sickness on the Wakarusa, and for many 
days the doctor had taken no rest. Last evening, at tea-time, he 
said he felt better than usual. He was soon after taken with the 
disease, which, owing to the exhausted state of his system, quickly 
ended in death. The procession is now winding over the hill to 
the place of graves. 
6 
