The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1886-02-11

had surrendered and the var Was over
While the nation reioiced. one man fsl
no pleasure. Stephen Hiland bitterly re
grcitci that be had "held on to his WOO
40 long.
/ Wall, father. said Mary Ann, it can't b
helped now. You did il for the best, and
you must sell night of. as quick ~ you
can. You'd oughter get good price now,
II you're spry about it.
Yes. said stephen humbly. Ill do tbs
best can.
Throughout the long summer that fol-
lowed the wool buyers were bargaining
for that wool. One day, Stephen would
be almost ready to sell; the next, be would
hear Of some one who had paid little
more for wool than he had been offered.
aud. after period Of indecision, he
would conclude ITO hold on spell lon
ger" So the winter set IN. and the wool
was not sold.
This was repeated year after year. The
price Of wool steadily declined. He know
perfectly well that he ought to sell his
stock for what be could get. but hs could
not bring himself to part with II for less
than be had once been offered.
He grew moody and snllen. 1t was
dangerous to allnde to his wool. He
would answer angrily, with wolhsh snarl,
showing his teeth and looking, as one
man said. "for oil the world as il lie would
bite" Even Mary Ann dared not mention
it TO him, and she and her mother felt that
they had fallen on evil times. His hired
men found their lives less pleasant than
ever.
But landl they can leave, and cant,
said Mrs. Hilsnd, after an unusually try
ing day. Mary Ann, do believe your
fathers going crazy.
There we're others who thought SO. He
behaved very strangely at times. He
would sit for hours on beam high up in
the storehouse, looking down at the wool,
muttering to bimself. Mrs. Hiland and
Mary Ann we're full of apprehension, suf-
fering as women do when trouble is i'm
pending which they are powerless to avert,
and understand but vaguely.
Four years have passed since the fall of
Richmond. and another spring was open
ing. Stephen Hiland sat one sunny day
on his iavorite beam in the storehouse,
brooding gloomily over his mlsfortunes.
As he turned to leave the house he made q
misstep. His foot slipped. He failed to
catch the crosspiece by which he usually
swung himself down, and fell upon the
wool below. 1t was not q bad fall; but he
had wrenched himself in some way as he
fell, and was unable to rise. His calls for
help were unheard; and he lay for hours
upon his bed Of wool, until at last the day
was ended, and Mrs. Hiland sent the hired
men to call him to supper.
Carefully, they lifted him and carried
him into his house aud laid him on his
bed from which he never rose. Some
obscure internal injury which baflied the
doctors, combined with his nervous de-
preston and his morbid mental state, re-
suited in his death before the summer was
over.
Like flock OF evil birds OF prey, the
children returned to the old homestead,
and began wrangling over what was left.
The married daughters were continually
on the watch. The son returned from the
West Each clamored loudly for his or
her share Each was jealous and suspi-
cious Of the other. Mrs. Hiland was anx-
ious about her thirds, and the married
daughters quarreled over feather teds and
silver spoons. In the midst Of all the
contention, MARY Ann faded peacefully
away. No one but her father had ever
loved her; and, without him, she did not
care to live.
One day when the Administrator was at
the farm, she had few words in private
with him; and the next day be came again,
bringing with him lawyer and two men
Of such unqucstioned position and charac
Ter that even the Hiland heirs did not ven
ture to intefere with them. Mary Ann
was going to make her will.
Great was the indignation Of the family
but, as Mary Ann said grimly, ''they
could't help themselves" They sat in
solemn conclavs in the best parlor, erect
and stiff as II it were funeral while in
Mary AIMS room the legal formalities
were arranged, and her last will and testa-
ment was duly executed
First Of al, she said, want $500 set
aside Tor monument for father. | want
him 10 have real handsome one, and
know the others won't get him anything
decent Then want the rest Of my share
tied up, so that nobody kin touch it, and
kept for mothers benefit as long as she
lives. When she's gone, the rest OF them
kin have it, But 1 want her comfortable;
and know Just how they will use her, il
they get chance
There was a cessation of hostilities
among the Hilands after the signing Of the
will until Mary AIMS death, and then
they qusrreled fercely. They wrangled
in public and private. The administra-
tor said he had never seen such avarIce
displayed. The probate Judge rebuked
them openly in court for their unseemly
contention. Hopeless OF ever settling the
estate amicably, the administrator pro-
cured an order from the court 10 sell ev-
erything at public auction; and, at this
sale, the wool, which had caused Stephen
Hiland so much distress and at last had
cost him his life, was sold for 40 cents .
pound. A broker had offered several
~ - Al.