The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1900-11-30

| his stock. It distressed him and
grieved my mother, but he said there
was no help for it. The stock must
go. 1 remember the night he came
home and told my mother that the
stock was gone-he had sold it to
Judge Hutchins for 81 cents on the
dollar-the stock that he had paid
100 cents for IL years before. Father
was sad and the tears fell on mothers
cheek, and none of us cared for sup1
per. When father went back to theE
store that night sat down by moth
ers side and took her hand in mine.
Mother" said I, you must not feel
SO bad about that stock. Let me tell
you secret. Last night proposed
to Octavia HCtch;ns. 1 asked her to,
marry me and she said she would,
and we have fixed the time-the 7th
of March-and in less than three
months I'll get that stock back and
it will be in the family again. Now,
don't you tell, but you mustn't cry
any MORE" and I kissed her on the
cheek and said: Mother, Mr.
Shakespeare says 'All's we'll that ends
WE'LL" But my dear mother was a
woman, and womanlike, she told an
intimate friend what 1 said about
getting the stock back, and that
friend told another woman in conf
dence and the confidence kept spread
ing and spreading until the engage
ment and the stock matter got all
over the village and at last to Judge
,kal.s I'd nr,I
alarmed, but my affianced stuck close
to me, for she was dreadfully in love,
though she denies it to this day. In
due time we were married and were
so happy we didn't want any stock
or anything else hardly. A few days
after our marriage, as [ was passing
his office, the stern old judge called
me in. He unlocked his iron safe and
taking out a paper, said to me: Il
heard that you told your good mother
that you were going to marry Octavia
and get that railroad stock back. Did
you tell her that?" 1 was intensely
alarmed, but. like George Washington,
I would not tell lie. "Yes, judge, I
did" said 7, "but I didn't mean it,"
I replied. I saw the twinkle in his
eye. "Well," said he, 81 thought that
if you were determined to have it
1 had just as well give it to you now"
and he handed me the certificate with
the transfer already written. / don't
know what l said, but he enjoyed my
embarrassment What a considerable
man he was. 1 remember that few
months after he sent six of the fam
lily negroes up to our house one morn
ing before we got up. We heard them
talking on the front steps and my
wife asked me to get up and see what
they wanted. They informed me that
cold master told them he had given
them to me and Miss Octayia and to
come up here" They were all serv- :
ants who had long said that when
Miss Octavia got married they were
gwine to live with her. That was
the usual patrimony of slave owners
to their children. We had no use for
them, and sent them back with
kind note begging the judge to keep
them for us awhile longer. Some
years after that Mr.. Lincoln set them
free. and to tell the truth I am glad
of it, for they were always a care
and an expense.
Now, while / write our train has
reached Union Point and l remember
when we college boys used to take
the tandem mule train from here to
Athens. 1t was an all-day journey,
for it took us eight hours to make
the 40 miles, but we rode on top and
had lots of fun and plenty of good
things to eat that our mothers had
provided. Yes, love to ruminate
about those good old times when ev-
erything had roseate hue and we
wrote love letters to our sweethearts
and reveled in loves young dream
Bill Arp, in Atlanta Constitution.