Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1895-06-06
CHAPTER XIV

hlS NliIibs ll4dI VIC case was SlEOhkSI
than he had hoped.
CHAPTER XIV.
Mr. Flint had spoken in public of the
will in such terms of blame that Amer
son began to avoid him. Dabney,
hearing of this, asked Rachels to re-
quest him to call at the Office when he
next came to town. So on the next
Saturday, his day for coming in, while
slipping his first toddy at the big In
dian" Rachels said:
Uncle Lishy, Squire Dabney was in
here not long back and he asked me to
tell you, the first time ! see you. he
wished you'd stop in his office, as he
wants to have a little talk with you
about matter"
Squire Dabney!" said the customer,
setting down the tumbler which he
was raising. why, what do he want
along of mo. yo' reckon, Gustie? l
never had no business with him, ex-
ceptin' to get him to draw up will for
allays do for everything as / go up.
Did he say what it was about?"
''No, sir; but got the idee somehow
it might be about the Amerson will.
He never let on in them words, but
somehow l gethered that idee."
"Pearce Amerson's will! Why, my
Lord, l got nothin' to do long of
Pearce Amerson's will, exceptin' l
were one o the witnesses, and ben
sorry for that ever sence heard how
agin Cullen it went, that were my
favorite 'mong his two boys, and I
told Vile so. But that's every blessed
thing had to do with itI'
at mayn't be that, Uncle Lishy. As
for that will, it's shame it were ever
made, and it'll be a pity II it amt
broi-a."
Come, now, Gustus, come, now; !
can't foller you fur as that. A mans
Wills his will. The law say that, and
it won't let her be broke onlest they is
mighty plain good reason for 1t. The
law, they tell me, Is very p'inted in
sech a case, which and it ought to be-"
THAT may be so; but s'pose the old
man thought he done destroyed II
after making it, and s'pose he were
Rendered from destroying it by some
body unbelfnownst, which to my opin-
Ion that's SOP"
"Ah, Gustus, but such as that
have to be prove pine-blank. It's
troublesome case all round. Poor Gull
lenl but it amt a-hurtin' Of him now.
Yet there's his widder and orphin child
that it seem ruther hard on them.
been a-hopin' they'd compromise 1t,
which as for breakin' will dry SO, be-
cause 1t don't read accordin' to what
people think they'd do IL 1t was them
and theirn, / can't but be ag'in' sech
as that ! got a will myself which
some mayn't like when I'm gone, and
the beginnin' of a example o. breakin'
wills out and out, 'thout up and down
good reason, ! can't go to that extent
myself. Well, I'll swallow the balance
of my toddy and then go and see what
Arthur Dabney want with me"
Repairing to the office and assigned
a chair he took from his pocleet'a bis
cunt and said:
arthur call you Arthur because
you was raised right there by me, and
you've never talked or done like you
feel like you got above your raisin'-"
That's right, Mr.. Flint. That's
what prefer you to call me-"
'Jes' so; be II so, then. / were goin
to say that Gustus Rachels told me you
wanted to see me, and so I've come;
and If you hain't a objection to II, I'll
eat biscuit because I've jes now took
a toddy at Gustus' Big Injun,' as they
call 1t, and she amt goin' to do me the
good benefits I'm a-countin' on from
her 'ithout l put little somethin' on
top of her where she went, II you'll ex-
cuse me-"
Certainly, Mr.. Flint; make yourself
entirely at home. / thank you for
coming. Ionly want to chat with you
a little about old man Amerson's will.
An unfortunate piece of business,
wasn't it?"
"Very unfortunate, and IL onexpect-
eder to me don't reflect"
81 had heard that you were much
surprised and n good deal distressed
by it. Indeed, so far as / can hear,
everybody in Baldwin county is-ex-
cept, of course, Wiley Amerson, who
thinks he has everything in his sling,
as they say"
ellis father before him were an am
bition kind Of man about the gittin' o.
prop'ty and holdin' on 10 It. There's
where Wiley got 1t. Now his mother
were differ'nt, and Cullen he took arf-
ter her. A fine boy, uncommon fine
boyl 1t weren't right; that IS, to my
opinion, which business it's mono o.
mine; but TO me IL don't appear right;
but there 1t Is, you see, Arthur. Now,
that will you writ for me, one o. my
sons amt a-goin' to like IL when I'm
out o. the way, but the law, you know,
is ag'in the"
That's all perfectly true, Mr.. Flint.
Regarding your will, other people,
whether John thinks so or not, will |
say it was right, and certainly there
can be no suspicion regarding 1t. This |
case il very different In this there
has been great fraud somewhere, and |
It is of utmost Importance TO find out |
what IL was. wanted TO see you and |
ascertain what you might remember
in your intercourse with Pearce Amer |
son to show that he had not such pref
erence for Wiley over Cullen as thai
will indicates"
Mr.. Flint stopped carefully, picked |
up a crumb, and, going to window
threw it out. Rcsuming his chair. he
said, smiling:
MY old oman frelSwent gives me
scold about drappin' crumbs about
but as u that, | don't know as | know
anything exceptin' what everybody
know in our settlement The old man
Amerson were moDst'ous fond o.
Cullen, seem like to me, till
he got married to Harnah En-.
low, when seem like soon arter that he
got put out ng'inst him; but then, In
no long time, about year or sech a
matter, thought he had got riconcilcd
to him, and even a-includin' OF Harnah.
know he was monst'ous proud when
their baby come and they named II
arter him; that's what mako IL all
'stouish me SO. Why, sir, I've heard
him up till not two month before he
talten giclt OF fralkyent n-pOin' on I