The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-11-04
THE LAST OF HILLTOP.

1t was the evening OF our last day Mt
Hilltop, and the western sky was still
glowing when We went to bid Uncle
Arad and Aunt Tishy goodbye. They
sat in silence before Il dying fire, with
Tidy curled up on the braided rug in
the warmest place.
"Ei ever was glad to SEQ human
cFetur, its you Two, % said Uncle Ar&d,
reaching out shaky hand, while Aunt
Iishy rose TO set chairs Tor US. NOW
we've got somebody to talk over things
with Jest MS we did spell ago he con
tlnncd, leaning his head on the stat be.
tween his thin knees ">eGms rs ef
twould be comfort. Did y'ever see
the beat o Abuer's up an dyln' right
out o hand rs twere?' lie winked
away IL tear drop that glistened OH his
nose, while Aunt yishy picked up Il
corner OF her apron.
"Why, that boy jjst as good $ be-
longed TO us. Al my prop'ty was made
over to lim. Never brought nay mlud
to bear on wlddeF. Nidder Geddlc!
Land! The perpIcXin'Ist thing 'tever
happened, an the suddenist. When
the parson said he'd took typhoid,
thinks to me, tue boys b'eu q studio
too hard. III 20 over an ret mold on
him, and fetch I'm home for a spell.
Aunt Iishy's muster hand ut boneset
lea. When was down in the mouth
uucc, way bar!, in the siXtles, old DR..
Buell. says he, Mis- Ridge, you'd ough'
to hey n dcgfee-D. T., says he, doctor
OF boneset' Well, she fetched me
through an saved a big doctors bill.
An | recioned 'twould be Jest so With
ADner.
$50 hitChed up an went over noun
tain kind o easy, watChin' the leete
yaller butterflies tiddlin' round, an the
thstle-seeds Wlloatin' SO shiny an calm,
an everything Iookin' so commended, an
some way got Abner's life all laid out
ahead rs easy. Nothiu' to hender his
bein' preacher eli he go minded, when
he'd got his eddiCation; or 4 LAWYER
though it did 20 leetIe ag'nst the
grain; or n reel good country doctor,
drivin' round IN hisowu shay. ownln'
land all round his place, layin' up two
or three hundred Il year mebbe, when
we was dead an gone. got to sort O.
"lshiu' we could hang on 4 spell longer
N we're likely 10; Jest curi's to see how
things would turn out. An when got
there moggin' 0long-'twas late in the
iorenoon--he was jost gone! Married to
the Brumley girl and gone, am no help
fort. Jest like sinutiin' ont Il candle ac-
cidental. Why, faint reasonable
Here ! be, nigh on to ninety year, and
he. Jest in the dew OF his youth. We
was get;in' so kind o proud an set up
abont 'im-weIi, the Lords ways amt
our ways
Didn't he look too good to put under
ground?" quavered Aunt Tishy. $50
like the other Abner! 1t all came back
30 me, that he was the boy used TO
know so long ago. 1t didn't seem right
to take him into the church, some way.
Ii he could only have been laid on our
own communion table; but there. 1t
was real good of you 10 stay with
Grandma Brumley and let Grace 20
and take care OF him. They say she
Just held on those two days and nights,
and wouldn't let him die. Seemed as
il she lived and breathed for him
Mother Hyatt said she never slept u
wink. And when the doctor said he
was going, our minister married them
Jest rs solemn. They'd sent Tor him, to
please Abner, for he wouldn't have
anybody else, he'd took such anotion
to him. Nobody but the doctor an d
Mother Hyatt for witnesses. They say
it was touching sight"
1.-The old woman took good care, said
Uncle Arad mournfully. "She nussed
Abner's mother when she was a.dyin',
an the boy he was dretful nigh to her.
/ was a-thinkin' Jest before YOU come
in, an a sayiu' to Aunt rishy, mebbe
we've ben a leetle hard on Grace all
along. not thnkin' she set so much
store by Abner. Wed got notion
twas the prop'ty mebbe, along o Alb.
uer's smartuess an good family an all
that. | tell you, human natur's quee r
stuH'-quGer stuff An | feel a sight
worse to think she won't hey his money
than | did when | s'p0sed she was
settin' traps for Abper, Why, his last
words to the parson was to let Us know
how he'd always wanted TO marry her,
sence he was boy, 20 TO say, an she
wouldn't. Makes me feel power
ful mean, some way. You see, she's
most related TO us, or might a
ben. Her pa was Aunt. RacheIs
Youngest; that ar Tom Jess took on his
knee | told y'bout when you lust come
here. The one he said ough' to ben
hisn. Yes, twas all wrong, Rachel
marryin' the way she did. Well, Tom
was the iikeiiest one on EN-. lie was q
sight like her, When he got his free
dom suit he took into his head to 20
over mountain an find somethin' to
do. Farmin' allays did stick in his
crop. lie pottOred around a spell irwin
one thing an t'other, an doin' odd Jobs
till Jest by mereckle, as you might
say, he got clerk in book store an
married the old mans daughter. lie
settled down to business, steady like,
an bought out the concern when the
old folks dropped of. He'd been
mighty glad to take Aunt Rachel an
do Tor her, but Mis- Brumley wouldn't
hear tot no way. She's good deal sot
in her mind vet.
well Tom was car'ful and SO was
she; an betwixt 'em they laid up
enough to get on comPtable till the
year o the fever that carried off so
many. Then he died, an they brought
him here to be buried, an after 4 spell
his wilder sold out an come here to
live with the little un."
That's Grace" said Aunt pishy.
you see her folks was all gone, an
she hadn't no call to 90 back, con-