The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1895-02-15
The WhippOOrWill's Call.
By AUGUSTA LARNED.
copyright, 1894, by American Press Associa>
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stranger arrived at the I1GtlenelQ ArLnS
by the station omnibus. He happened to
be the only passenger by the noon train,
and he alighted briskly, with handsome
alligator skin bag, slim silk umbrella
and q travelling rug. His portmanteau
had been taken down from the top of
the omnibus, and in defiance of the bag
gage smashers looked quite fresh and
new.
The young man made haste to regis
ter i'll the pretty little Office, where the
dapper young clerk kept glass of fresh
roses and honeysuckle on his desk. A
good room was assigned to the stranger,
and he went to it at once, asking that
his luggage be sent up.
! The proprietor of the Arms Eben
Hitchcock, sat tilted back against the
wall inside the Office railing, his spec
tacles very low down on his bulbous
nose, reading his morning paper. Now
he looked up, caught the eye of Star
buck, the clerk, motioned with his head
in the direction the young man had gone
and said, 'What name?"
"Hapgood, sir. A. Hapgood, Dun
barton. o. N. May mean Ohio, and it
may mean Oregon. -
"Hapgood, repeated Mr.. Hitchcock,
pursuing his lips and puckering his eye
lids. 'Don't know anybody of that
name round these parts except old Simon
Hapgood at Bolton, five miles away in
the country, and they do say he's Oh his
last legs. Was paralyzed some months
ago, and there amt anything alive
about him but his eyes. Hullo." said he
rs his eye again fell on the paper
"Here'sa notice of old Hapgood' S DEATH
funeral takes place today.
"Tell you what, Starbuck, he went
on, after chewing half q minute Oh a
toothpick he held between his lips, II
do remember all about it now. Old ST
had brother Job, who moved west a
number of years ago. and news came
back he had made money. l shouldn't It
be o bit surprised if this was Jobs son
come to look after the property, for they
do say the old man has put away Il
| pretty pile in bonds and good securities,
and the farm Is worth something. He
was trading man years ago and kind
of speculator in butter and cheese and
farm produce and has always been more
Of hoarder than a spender. Uncle ST
was married twice, but he never had
any children of his own. Two old wom-
en-, sisters to his last wife, lived with
him, and Elsie Ray, great-niece to his
first wife. There's been talk he would
leave all he was worth to this girl; but,
now this western Hapgood has come
shopping round, we shall see. Old
Simon was close, snug man and odd
as Dicks hatband but he was pretty
good to his wife's kin, but when it came
to disposing of property he may have
thought of his own flesh and blood
folks generally do"
"The young fellow looks like dude, "
"a western dude. You wouldn't think
he had sprung from such homespun peo-
pie as the Bolton Hapgoods.
mo, you wouldn't" returned Boni-
face Hitchcock, "and it's all conjecture
anyway, but I'll bet you a leather six
pence ain much out in my reckonin.
Tall oaks from little acorns grow. This
young fellow evidently feels his oats,
but you'll see if he's too grand to take
old Simon's money"
Mr.. A. Hapgood of Dunbarton, O.,
at that moment came into the Office.
He appeared TO be very tall oak in
deed and walked and looked and spoke
as if conscious of his own Importance.
He passed out onto the pleasant porch
paved with brick and with vines wreath.
ing the pillars and taking cigar from
its case stood there as if to be gazed at
and admired. Eben Hitchcock, in his
loose alpaca coat, with his waistcoat
open and watch chain dangling, tipped
Mr.. Starbucl1 wink and strolied out
to the porch as if to note the time OF
day on the town clock that adorned the
front of the old First church just across
the way In few moments he came
back looking rather chopfallen and dis
gusted
Cant make anything ont of that fel
low," he muttered to himself. ''Put;
on more airs than if he was president OF
the United States. guess if he is one
of the Bolton Hapgoods he's ashamed OF
his folks. "
Meantime the young man had strolleC
away down Main street, swinging hi:
stick and conscious that the eyes of Lit
tlefield were upon him. He liked the
appearance of the town and had noted
as he was driving through in the omni
bus the breadth of the shady streets and
the dignified seclusion of the best ole
houses. 1t had occurred to him ther
that he might some day come to live il
the neighborhood. Why should he give
himself away to Eben Hitchcock, the
hotel proprietor? He certainly looked
as if he belonged to enc of the first fami
lies by right of descent, and he was con
scious that his merits We're quite equa
to his personal appearance, Were you tx
ask how Mr. A. Hapgood of Dunbarton
O., had acquired such large opinion
of himself, l can only say it was proba
bly, born with him, for it is often no
ticed that one chick of o humble brood
will strut and crow and plume himsel
beyond all that was ever seen before il
the farmyard, and the plain birds will il
time begin to look up to this magnifi
cent one and to admire him as the grea
member of the family.
Thus it happened with the Dunbar
ton Hapgoods. Arthur had told hi
father before he was IS that he stood ol
d higher social plane than his parents
and now Il Q old man was dead, ant
Uncle 81 was lying in his coffin, and h
found himself the head of the house
with tha nm hitiou strOno within him II