The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-09-09

ventured to disobey her father, and re
mained true to her first love. He
father did everything TO conciliate he,
and make her change her mind. Mr.
Nardal, that was the young minister:
name, had peculiar views of religion
a Congregationalist, think, he called
himself, but they Tailed with those o
Abram Lot, aud the old gentleman
bailt this church expressly for him tt
preach in. That's the true history O
how Bleaberry Church came to be built
and how my story might end, If that's
all you wanted to know"
"Oh, no, aunt! Go on, please; want
to hear more about Abner and Anna
and how they came together again"
"Ahem! So you think they did come
together again, my dear "
"Of course, Aunt, Pm certain of it,"
"Well, after building the church
which nobody ever came to much-fol
our people here are pretty piert, as they
call it, and didn't even fancy such MAI
as Abram Lot putting himself so for
ward-after. building the church
Abram Lot thought he had done all he
could do to make Anna look kindly OF
Mr.. Nardal. But he had done the
young clergyman more harm than good
by his pertinacity, both with Anna and
all the church-going people of Bleaber.
ry. Neither he nor his views were pop
ular here, and after years trial Mr
Nardal went away.
"After he was gone, of course Blea,
berry Hall was more lonely and dismal
than ever. To every effort which Anna
ever made to find out the secret cause
of her fathers refusal to her marriage
with Abner Charel, her father replied
in precisely the same terms: My
daughter, have / been good father tC
your Yes, papa Then trust me
when / say / have the very best of rea-
sons. You will never get from me any,
thing more than this"
But why did not Abner Charel in
sist on the reasons being made known
Why didn't he confront Mr.. Lot like q
man ~
"Now Just you keep quiet, my dear;
Pm coming to all that. Let the old
woman tell her story in her own way,
You may be sure Abner had his reasons
Anna was satisfied with his fidelity as
long as she knew that he was unmar-
ried, and this she did learn by chance
from time to time, through the rumors
that reached us by friends travelling to
and from the city.
"Atleugth the hour came when Abram
Lot was to die and render up his ac.
counts for all the misery he had caused
-needlessly caused, say-to two poor
young creatures whom God never meant
should be kept asunder. was there
| watched him breathe his last. Anna
and were alone with him in his room
When his moment had nearlycome, he
motioned Anna to his side. She was
standing few feet distant, pouring out
his medicine. In second she was be-
side him. He was gasping for breath
and could just manage to speak in
whisper. ! heard him say, Swear tC
me, Anna, you will never marry AbncI
Charel' | shall never forget what took
place then. | said she was girl with
great control over her feelings, but all
her control left her then. 1t was a
heavy blow for her. Father" she eX'
claimed, almost shrieked, and flung hel
hands around her dying fathers neck
and cried and laughed for Il minute oil
two, like Il mad-woman. 1t was the
first time had ever heard her call hin
father She had always said papa,
and the strange effect of that one word
father pronounced in such tone,
can't pretend to describe. The emotion
that Anna had given way to was too
much for Abram Lot, and before Anna
recovered herself her father was dead
at was only the worst of the Blea
berry gossips who ever thought o.
speaking of her as one who had beer
crossed in love. And the way she loved
children. Oh! it was beautiful to SET
her with them. Even the rudest of the
little village boys loved her, and there
was not q boy in all the village that
would have thrown a stone at wren
on Anna Lots grounds. And that's q
miracle, l can tell you, my dear, for it's
tradition around here that wren has
three drops of the DEVILS blood in him
and so the poor wren has no chance
where n boy has an opportunity o.
throwing stone at him.
"One thing seemed strange, and
could not help fancying that sometimes
Anna thought so too. Abner ChareI
never came near her from the hour
when her fathers letter from New York
reached her until the hour when she
was laid in her grave. Then he came
and then it was too late. Poor fellow
he couldn't help that either.
"The time soon enough came when
Anna was to follow her father. She
had no disease except that nameless one
under which she had been sinking fol
ten long years. She had suffered much
for a woman only thirty years of age
and she was just that when she died.
81 cannot tell you, my dear, how beau
ltifully and sweetly she talked to me
about him when she lay dying. II
was the first time she ever had talked
so to me of him, and she spoke unre'
servedly. The last days of her life she
spent in writing long letter to him,
writing little every day, for few mo
ments at a time, and then falling back
worn out, on her pillow, to think ovel
the sentences for the hundredth time
until she had altered them to express Il
the exac test shade the thoughts thai
were in her heart. 1t seemed as though
she lived Just long enough to finish that
letter: for five minutes after she hat
copied it out, and put her signature tC
i it, and kissed it, she died. 1t Vas giver
into my hands, and was to give it t.
him. / did so, in the house, after thu
funeral. had found out his residence
| in New York, and telegraphed him t
come to Bleaberry Immediately. Wha'
that letter contained, of course, l neve,
knew, and never wanted to know. Blu
if ever an unhappy pair of lovers wer
faithful to one another, their names wer'
Abner Charel and Anna Lot"
Here my aunt made long and EN-
phatic pause, and knitted on in silence
"Well. aunt i"I asked.
"Well, childi"
'Is that all, aunt ~
That's all, child"
G"Oh. but the reason, aunt; Abran
Lots reason for forbidding the match 2
"You want me to tell you that, child
Then you want me to tell you what
have never told 10 living soul yet
and one of the persons most concerne'
never learned herself. As long as Alb
ner Charel lived, never breathed t,
any one the confession he made to me.
aConfession, auntn
confession. Abram Lot had rea
( sou for acting as he did Some DeODlI