Letter recounting Mother's last illness and death (continued)
Book 1, Page 145 ·1874
Transcription
A two-page handwritten spread continuing the prior letter in cursive ink. No page numbers visible at top.
Left page
Vans’ [uncertain] maid — was a great help & comfort — I had never any other than a feeling of repulsion for Flora, though I had never seen her — but no one could have been more quiet, efficient, & devoted in Mother’s chamber. She seemed to take in Mother’s needs, in the most delicate way, & could not be persuaded to leave to rest, day or night — We had offers of help on all sides, & every sort of kindness in word & deed, from friends, & mere acquaintances, & the doctors were devoted — Her pulse gave them hope till the last. She wandered at times, & muttered, but the sound of any of our voices would recall her instantly — She died most calmly, just breathed gradually less, & less
Right page
from three o’clock till nine & a half — she knew us all to the last. Her tongue was parched & dry, & got so coated, that she could not articulate but till the last, we could catch now & then a name or a word. After death, her face was so youthful, that in all its perfect joyful serenity it was not at first entirely Mother to me — but I gradually got over that feeling — Louisa was standing where she could see, & told me she saw a look of radiance come over her face — I did not see that — but I know Louisa is true — Wm. told me most touchingly, how he had never in any picture, in any beauty of nature, in any exquisite music, had
AI Notes
Two facing handwritten pages continuing the long letter on Mother’s final illness and death — part of the 1874 Barker family death cluster. The dying ‘Mother’ is Ellen Milliken Barker (1807-1874); the writer is her daughter Susan Milliken Barker; the addressee is her sister Ellen Milliken Barker Porcher. The left page describes the devotion of Flora (the household servant, introduced on p144) — who, despite the writer’s initial ‘feeling of repulsion’ for her (because never seen) turned out to be quiet, efficient and devoted, taking in Mother’s needs delicately and refusing to leave to rest day or night. The doctors stayed hopeful from Mother’s pulse till the last; Mother wandered at times but voices recalled her instantly; she died calmly — gradually breathing less from three o’clock till nine and a half. She knew the family to the last; her tongue was parched but they could catch a name or a word; after death her face was so youthful that in its joyful serenity it was not at first Mother to the writer. Louisa (Louisa King) saw ‘a look of radiance’ come over her face; Wm. (most likely Wm. Matheson, one of the nurses introduced on p144) was ‘most touchingly’ moved — never had any picture, beauty of nature, or exquisite music brought him such a feeling. ‘Wm.’ is ‘Wm. Matheson’ (the household nurse from p144); ‘Louisa’ is ‘Louisa King’ (the family friend from p138). ‘Vans’’ (first word) is preserved as written with [uncertain] flag — the apostrophe-possessive is unmistakable, but the owner-name ‘Vans’ is not a person identified elsewhere in the archive. Letter continues.
Letter continues on next page.