Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1879-05-15
fAl Will 4 Ii, Eli lrssAH.

/ the confinement OF the Slck
chamber, and lifting up her pret.
ty rosy mouth to her fathers fol
kiss, she said, affectionately
"Dear, good papa, if it is moi
asking too much, ] would love tc
go and stay at Rosie's till tea.
time." nm AF3
Certainly, my pet" answered
Mr.. Allen, with almost unseem-
ly haste to be rid of her. "Youl
poor uncle is very low, and if
if anything well, if the worst
should come, he would rather
have me by him."
Another kiss, and Annie took
herself away, and her father re-
turned to the sick room, where
the irregular breathing OF the
sick man, and the dim light, gave
a sepulchral gloom to the scene.
There was not a man in ali
N whose escutcheon shone
brighter than John Aliens. No
church member ranked higher,
and no man was so lionized in So
ciety. Three years before our
story opens, his half-brother had
come to him deep in grief at the
spendthrift behavior of his only
son, and his Indignation was in
no wise modified by the willy
John.
'I'n cut him off without a far
thing!" he said determinedly.
"Not a cent more shall the fel-
low have! Ipaid $10,000-gam-
bling debts-for him last week;
debts Of honor, they call them,
but why, | can't see-never
could; and that is a trife, a mere
trifle, if they were all told. You
see, John, the lad would beg
gar me in no time. Your re-
ligion teaches you to forgive sew
en- times seven, and kill the fat
ted calf for the prodigal son.
Pve done it, John, done it, and /
haven't your religion, either; so
don't preach to me; l shall make
my will to day, and viii give
everything"
"To found a society for re-
forming the young men," said
the brother, smiling and opening
his eyes; "or some church Or"
"Confound your churches and
your societies.! No; if home IN
fluence fails, what's the good of
either? I'll will everything to
you, John everything! You
are nearest kin, after the boy,
and mine shall be yours"
John Allen OH the strength of
his brothers promise, and in fact,
having seen that promise execu-
ted, entered largely into specu-
lations, and at the time our sto-
ry commences, reckoning up his
profit and loss, found the greater
part Of his fortune dissipated,
and looked with daily increasing
dread upon the half-brother's
feelings, which were growing
kinder toward his waywar1 son,
81 don't know, John" he had
said, "but / have been too hard
with the boy, after all; / think
some of these days, I'll put a CO
dicil to my will, giving him
something if he'll reform" /"
eyes, very good, do So" an.
swered John. @I'm sure1 cant
bear to see a father hard to his
child; and the chances are that
| if he promises to reform he Will
and if he don't-wcll, the chan
ces are even"
That doubtful "if' had the de
sired effect; there was no haste
and the relenting parent would
wait awhile. And now disease
was here, and the doctor hat
gravely said:
"Your brother cannot last an
other forty-eight hours" "
John Allen had prepared him
self for a terrible struggle will
Ibis dying half-brother, and HI
had sent his daughter away tina
she might not be a witness
He feared no interruption from
Ihis wife. No, poor woman! sh'
had been suffering from a disor
dered mind brought cn by sud
lden shock, the doctors could no
tell the cause, and her husban,
said he could not; yet there wer
times when this man trembled Il