Three children of Brother and Sister I.L. Miller, of Sycamore, O., died about the beginning of 1893, of diphtheria. Brother Miller wrote us some of the particulars; and from these an account, though imperfect, is subjoined, mostly in his own language:
“One was a girl of thirteen years, who was converted in our meeting, two years ago. Another was a girl of nine years, who was converted a short time after the death of the first, at family worship. Also a son, eighteen years of age, who was converted during his sickness. He rejoiced, and praised God until death.
“The first, little Effie, was an earnest Christian worker." Often as we started for prayer-meeting, she would say: ‘Wait until I go and get a little schoolmate." She talked much during her sickness about Jesus, although her suffering was great.
At one time, a day before she died, she said to me: ‘If I could rest a little while.’ I said: "Don’t you think Jesus would help you, if you would ask Him?" "Yes," she said; "you ask Him." She folded her hands and fell asleep, for a full half hour. On waking with a smile, I said to her: ‘You had good rest.’ ‘Yes, I had; and I saw Jesus. He talked with me, and said he was coming for me soon. He showed me heaven; oh, such a beautiful place!’
Soon after she called all, bidding them good-bye, saying: ‘I am going to live with Jesus, and I want to meet you in heaven.’ As the family were weeping, there was not a tear on her cheek; but with smiles and expressions of delight, she said: · ‘Don’t weep; Jesus will let me stay another day.’ And so it was.
“The next one was little Vetta, who died about a month later. One day she had been in an apparent stupor. She commenced to call ‘Laurie,’ several times. On waking she said that she had seen her aunt Laurie and her sister Effie; that they were together, and she would never come back any more to live here. So she talked freely of leaving, and of heaven. After this she, refused to take any more medicine, and said she wanted to die, and go to heaven, where Effie and Jesus were.
- Thomas K. Doty, Editor Christian Harvester
Touching Incidents and Remarkable Answers to Prayer - 1893