, 1889-02-07
Shouted the Roman Catholic bell.
MYSTERY OF THE HALLowAY.

About eight miles from Forsyth, on the
road that leads from that place to the vii
lage of c., is curve com Gonly known
as Halo~ ay bend. This place has borne
its name 80 long that the oldest inhabit-
ants Of the couuty know not from whence
1t derived the name or who gave it. A
traveller. approaching the village of c.,
passes in front and around ~ the left of
an old dilapidated house. This was once
the home Of Billy Divine, or, as the neigh
bors called him, BILLY the Fiddler. u
And. by the way, there 10 quite touch Of
romance in the life of Will Divine, for
that was the name he bore when his hair
fell in raven locks upon his broad fore
head and youth gave elasticity to his step
and grace to his carriage.
On one occasion enjoyed the hospitality
Of u family rasidinH in the neigbborhood
lated by Mrs. L., a lady who is now
past rs years of age, the history Of this
old house and its occupant. In anti.bel-
lum days the Divines were q family OF
considerable wealth and large farming
interests. Will Divine was an only child.
His mother died when he was three years
of age, and his father soon afterwards
placed him under the care Of his aunt,
wdo. with her husband and an adopted
daughter, lived about six miles from the
Divine home, and in the house ut Hallo-
way bend. The war broke out, and the
elder Divine, leaving his farming in
terests in the hands of his brother, Joined
the first volunteer company that left the
state, and was later killed at the mine ex-
plosion near Petersburg. This left the
boy an orphan and heir to his fathers
estate, which had been considerably re-
duced by the war, the slaves and other
property being finally taken from him by
the result of southern defeat. The boy
still remained in the charge OF this aunt,
and his uncle, who was now his guardian,
neighborin0 schools afforded; and was
often heard to remark that he hoped to
lay up u suificiency from the income of his
wards estate by the time he attained the
proper age to place him in a university.
The boy, and the girl, who had been
adopted into the family of his uncle, were
about the same age and began school to-
gether. They attended the same little
school.house on the hill, recited the same
lessons and were at recess inseperable.
And 50 they grew older, and were well ad-
ed about In the neighborhood that more
than the ordinary attachment of
friendship and companionship existed be-
tween the two. Together they gathered
wild flowers, read books, and attended the
old bench church in the grove.
It is beautiful in summer in the
meadows around Holloway bend, when
the sun brings out the delicious aromatic
perfume of the pines, and the birds sing,
and the crows call from the corn fields
near by. As free as the insects that filed
the air with their buzz Of contentment.
these two strolled through the meadows
and over the hills that lay around their
home. She was tall and very fair, and
with eyes like q summer sun---warm, kind
and true-eyes that breathed love and em-
braced the object of their admiration.
He lived in their light and saw them in
his dreams. When they were walking to-
oether through the fields and woods she
nsed to sing a song for him; twas one she
liked and one that met his fancy, and he
msed to play it on his fiddle at evening.
The lands of the Divine estate did not
yield as they were expected to; and, find
mo that his uncle was unable to assist
him, Will Divine gave up the idea OF at
tending the univei city and began farming
with his uncle. 1t was generally known
that he would, on his 2lst birthday, make
his adopted cousin his bride. With anx-
IONS i'm patience he awaited the day. as he
was often heard to express it, should be
the fairsst of his life, day which no
cloud could darken." But Providence,
vhose hand no human agency can guide,
NTH blessed and cursed him with that day.
When il came it found the fair form and
features of Will Divine's cousin wasted
a,,G devoured by fever. The physicians