Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1900-11-07

sell his stock. 1t distressed lin and
grieved my mother. but he said there
was no help for it. The stock must
40. | remember the night he came
home and told my mother that the
stock was gone-he had sold il to
Judge Hutchins for - GEMS on the
dollar-the stock that he had paid 100
cents for twelve years before Father
was sad and the tears fell on mothers
cheek and none of us cared for sup
per. When father went back to the
store that night | sat down by moth
ey's side and took her hand in mine.
Mother" said |. you must not feel
so bad about that stock. Let me tell
YOU secret Last night proposed
to Octayia llujchins. a.hed her to
marry me and she said she would and
we have fixed the time-thc 9Th or
March-and in less than three months
I'll get that stock back and il will be
in the family again. Now. don't yon
tell. but YOU MT int cry any more
and | kissed her on her cheek and
said. Mother. Mr.. Shakespeare says
Ais well that ends we'll " But my
dear mother was woman and wo-
manlike she told an intimate friend
what | said about getting the stock
back and that friend told another wo.
man in confidence and the confidence
kept spreading and spreading until
the engagement ami the .t0ck matter
gCt all OycW the village and at last to-
Judge tiutChirS. | vs. mortified ana
alarmed. but my aNiancei stuck close
to me-. for she was dreadfully in love.
though she denies it TO th's day In
dGc time We We're married ana were
so happy we didn't want sGy stock o.
anything cl - hardly. y f., days al-
ter our marriage. as was passing his
oilice. The stern old judge called me
in. He unlocked his iron .lrc and
taking out paper. said to me-. II
heard that yCu told ycur good mother
that you were going to marry Oc,dNla
and get that railroad stock back. Did
you tell her that?" was intensely
alarmed. but like George Washing
ton. would not tell lie. YES.
Judge. did" said !. but didn't
mean it," replied. saw the twinkle
in his eye. We'll" said ne. Il thought
that if YOU were determined to nave
!, | had just aS well give il to you
new AMI he banded me the certii-
cate with the transfer a'ccady written.
| dent know what said but he en-
jOyod my CmharIaSs Mcnt. What n
conSidc:ate man l." wa. remember
that few mCath- after he sent six OF
the family 1cg"CCS up 10 our house
one morning before we got up We
herd them talking on the front steps
aNd my wife asked me to EC' up and
sec wha; they wanted. They inform
cd me that "oll master told them he
had given them tC ne and Miss OC-
t2via and to come mp here" They
We're all servants who had long said
that when Miss Oct1yia Got married
they were gwinc TO live with her.
That WAS the usual pG-rimCIy Of
slave owners to their children. We
had no use for them. and sent them
back with a kind note begging the
judge 10 keep them for us awhile
longer. some years after that Mr.
Lincoln set thCm free and to tell the
truth | am glad OF it, for they We're
always a care and an expense.
Now. while ] write our train has
reached Union Point and remember
when we college boy used TO take the
tandem mule train from here to
Athens. II was an all ,ly journey.
for j; took us eight hours to make the
forty miles hat we rode on top and
had lots C., fun ana plenty of good
things to eat that our mothers had
provided. Yes. love to ruminate
about those good old times when cv-
crything had a rOSeate hue and we
wrote love letters 10 our sweethearts
and revclcd in loves young dream
Bill Arp in Atlanta Constitution.