The Atlanta constitution., 1900-11-12
Bill Hrp'S Lett0r
written for The Weekly C0nstitutIon.)
ON THE WING.


came over me as l journeyed on the old
Georgia Railroad from Atlanta to Au-
gusta. 1t was the first railroad l ever
saw and Travelled on. My good old father
was one OF the original stockholders. He
subscribed $1,000 and paid II ii was
called for. In those days roads were
not built on bonds or questionable, mys-
terious schemes. There was no pre-
ferred stock or income bonds or first and
second mortgages, but everything was
simple, plain and honest. | have great
reverence for that road. | fved In Law
renceville while II was being built. Stone
Mountain was our nearest depot, and 1t
was there / first ventured TO board a
train as | journeyed to Athens to enter
college How solemn, how inspiring was
that ride. | remember that IL seemed
20 me that the trees and fences and farms
and habitations were all moving swiftly
backwards. while the train seemed TO be
stlll and quivering on its track. l had
the same feeling the first time l ever
went up In an elevator. 1t was at the
Gilsey House. in New York and | was
not conscious of going up. but thought
the hotel was rapidly descending into
some subterranean cavity. Young people
nowadays have no such experience. They
DO not remember the time when there
were no railroads or telegraphs, nor sew
ins machines or cooking stoves, or
matches or steel pens, ana therefore they
cannot appreciate or be grateful for the
blessings they enjoy.
As we neared Stone Mountain and
looked upon It's bald, Majestic summit l
was carried back in memory TO the de-
lightful days Of my youth. when nearly
EtN
trysting place. and boys and girls jour
neyed there sixteen miles from Law
renceville ana spent u happy day and
while there and on the way we reveied
in loves young dream and eyes looked
love TO eyes that spoke aga.n. 4 re-
member when there was a tower on that
mountains top-a tower l60 feet high.
whose slender top did sometimes touch
the clouds, and it was built by Aaron
Cloud, whose very name made him q
fitting architect. 1t was the first sky
scraper ever built in Georgia. | remem-
Der the delightful day when bru-
nettc lassie with hazel eyes and i.dian
hair ascended those winding stairs with
me and as we sat together on its dizzy
pinnacle I thought / was little nearer
heaven than | had ever been before.
Under pretense of shielding her from
harm. | half enclosed her with my arm
and the palpitating lace upon her bosom
told me- how fast her heart was beating.
and there almost In the clouds NC plight
ed our trOth. / remember when one win
ter night the storm came and the rain
descended and the winds blew. and that
tower fel and great was the fall II II.
! remember when there was fine hotel
at the base Of that mountain and one
night there was bah on the spacious
dining room. and "brish, the lights
shOne Ger fair women and brave men,
and for the nrst time I saw THAI dueenly
girl whom the boys called Becky L1tti-
mer. asd whose dashing beauty drew
them to her as molasses draws flies. Her
father lived not far away a substantial
farmer and few years later "our
Becky became Mrs. Eebccah FELTON,, the
wife Of the learned ard eloquent doctor
Of Gainesville I remember when that
great solid mountain OF granite seemed
larger-yes. J Ich larger-than it looks 10
be now. for l was young then and nature
had not begun to shrink with me. Every
thing IS smaller now and every year gets
smaller stil. As Pope says of the dying
Christian, The world recedes-it Gisap-
pears and so it will 10 those who die OF
old age. Tom Hood expressed It beauti-
funny ana pathetically when he said:
Il remember. remember the lr trees
dark and high,
] used TO think their slender tops were
close against the sky,
But now I'm growing older and ind It
nttle JOY
TO know I'm farther on from heaven
than when / was boy"
J remember that historical town called
Madison. where many of my college
mates lived They are all gone now. not
one is left 10 comfort me I'm my declin-
ing years. II was here ] saw this rail-
road when I was "a boy of fourteen, and
II was completed 10 Madison What
sensation of wonder and alarm as I look
ed at the huge ievathan that came puff
fns down the track with train behind
a. Ny father had to hold my hand. for
t-embed lest it should jumn the track
and Kill as all.
My father was proud OF that road
proud because no helped 20 build IT, tie
kept that stock for twelve years without
receiving dividend. The stock wen;
down. down. down. til IL reached its l0w-
est point in 1S43. IL was then worth only
q cents on ths dollar bur ne had fa'th
and ciuug 20 II with hope. About that
time "a commercial revolution Crisls-a
paulc-cdme over the country and 90 save
his mercantile credit he was forced 20
sen his stock. u distressed him and
EIlcAfl NY NbtAtf. bNt it =.ilG t4ltFD WtS
40 help for it. The stock must go. { re-
member the night he came home and told
my mother That the stock was -oue-he
had Sold 10 to Judge Hutehins for p cents
ON the doliar--the stock that he had paid
100 cents for Twelve years before. Father
was Sau and the tears fell on mothers
cheak and none Of as cared for supper.
When father went back % the store thaC
night Z sat Gown by mothers side ana
took her hand In mine. "MOther." SAID I.
you must not feel so had about t1at
stock Let me tell you secret Last
nignt I proposed TO Octayia Hutch hus.
asked her - marry me and she said she
would aud we have fixed the time-the
7th Of March and ia less than three
months I'll get that stock back and II
Will be in the family again. Now. don't
you tell. but you mustn't cry any more"
and I kissed her on her cheek and said.
"Atother Mr.. Shakespeare says 'Alrs wen
that ends We'll " But my dear mother
WAS Il woman and womanlike she told an
intimate friend what l said about getting
tho stock back and that friend told
another woman in confidence and ths
confidence kept spreading and spreading
uI.dl the engagement ana the stock mat
ter got an over The village ana ut last 10
Judge Hutchins. / was mortited ana
alarmed. hut my afiianced stuck close 10
NE. Tor she was dreadfuily In love, though
she denies X 70 this day. In due time We
were married and We're so happy We didn't
want any stock or anything else hardly.
A few days after our marriage as | was