Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-03-12
fcopyrioht nv A. N. K.llooo New,,,,

NellORk newspaper AO.l
and see us? Bring the young folks.
Fannie back with me-
II can't spare her to-day, squire, but
we will come down Sunday, with Capt,
Harper, on the Sunshine-Andrew, tell
Herbert to honor Squire Hills check
for what money he wants-good day,
squire"
Good day, Mr.. Lloyd, we'll look for
you Sunday" and Abner Hill, the owner
of Orion, the largest rice plantation in
the Carolinas, and 100 negroes, walked
out into the bank, drew n check for
what money he needed, pocketed the
same. and took his departure.
After paying u number of calls to
various merchants around town, the
planter proceeded to the wharf, and
took the steamer to Orion. At the land
ing he was met by Cudgo, one of his
negroes, with q saddle horse, which he
mounted and rode home, while Cudgo,
with a team, followed on with divers
bundles and packages.
The family of Abner Hill consisted of
himself and wife, Clarence, the elder
son of 90, Thomas, the second son, who
was at the military academy of West
Point. and an older daughter, Clara,
who was IS years of age.
Abner Hill belonged to one of the old
time families of the state, and his plan
tation and negroes had largely de-
sceEded to him from his father, as had
they indeed from father to son, for
several generations; each adding to the
broad acres of the ancestral home, and
to the number of slaves, until now many
thousand acres were included in the
tract, which consisted, on the lowlands
of the river, of vast rice fields, which
were hemmed In on the one side by On
immense dyke that fronted the river
for many miles, keeping off the salt wa
ter of the Atlantic, which at flood tide
would otherwise have converted the
fertile fields into an inland sea.
While on the other side, some two
miles from the river front, the surface
Of the earth gradually arose, and for
a full mile width was a sloping ridge,
which then descended to what would
have been q vast plain, but for the fact
that here grew in all their grandeur
the yellow pines of the Carolinas-
rearing their heads aloft, while their
green boughs bent beneath the pressure
of the sea breeze, which comes moan
ing, whispering through them, and the
words seem to come wailing from the
green treetops:
"Look at our Scared and hacked
sides-we are yielding up our life blood
year by year. Mingo and Caesar, Pom
pey and Ben are hacking us to death for
the turpentine, the rosin and the pitch
that we contain-it is our blood! our
life blood! and when you have sapped
it all, our green boughs will wither-
you will thea-level us to the earth, and
saw us into lumber at the mills-evcn
as all die, so die we to satisfy the never
ending wants of man.
The Manor house at Orion was a fine
residence for the times; it stood OIL the
ridge some 300 yards from the edge
of the rice lands. Stretching away to
the right was a long row of negro
cabins, while to the Left stood the barns,
stables, carriage houses and rice mill,
and over the ridge and on the bank of
Orion creek was the sawmill; this
same creek supplied the water with
which at certain seasons of the year
the rice fields were flooded.
Arrived at the house, n waiting negro
took the squire's horse, and he strobe
up OH the piazza; at the door he was
met by his daughter, beautiful girl,
with large black eyes, and an abundant
head of hair, hanging in ringlets clear
to her shoulders.
ooh, father; you did not obey my
ORDERS
Come here, child, and give your old
father kiss; Lloyd and Herbert and
Fannie will he down on the Sunshine,
Sunday; now tell me, child, which will
you be the most pleased to see? my
friend, John Lloyd, the coy Fannie, or
Nephew Herbert? All, child, you are
young lady now. and young ladies
catch beauN, and beauX catch wives
All. Clara!"
well, father, I'll never SET my net to
catch Herbert Lathrop for beau, and
wife, for he is n young man not
only dislike but fear; Mr.. Lloyd is SO
different. like him well, and Fannie,
she's u treasure. DO you know, papa,
think our Clarence is in love with
Fannie"
$50, SO. Well then, if Fannie be in love
with him, am we'll pleased. John
I.nv1ss rln1lorc
would go we'll together; but would
have my daughter make brilliant
match. Remember the lands and slaves
Of the Hills, with few exceptions, all
SO to the eldest son. 1t is following the
English custom of our ancestors; true
we generally find an odd penny to dow
er our daughters with, and the young
est son we make man of letters, a
preacher, or doctor, or put him in the
army. Tom chose the army, and will
! think, in time, do credit to it-but
you, my daughter, must marry man Of
wealth."
"Abner," said Mrs. Hill. who had
joined them, don't be putting mar
riage into my daughters head. can
not consent to losing her for many
years to come"
Nor shall you, mother" said Clara.
"Apd as for dover" said Sophia Hill
''leave your last penny to your boys
I've money enough and land enough
| TO dover Clara Hill.'
"Why, wife, SO you have but
wealth's thing person can't have
too much Of"
"4'll not have my daughter wed {
| money-bng that she does not love anG