The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-04-25
Looking Into Contents
Of His Fathers VIII

THIS lctteIt or q portion Oh IL, may Dc
thought by some best let alone. but
notwithstanding that have always
been ready to oblige others, there are
times when feel greatly inclined to
crafty my own feelings and this Is
one of them. Should this ever be, pub
lished 1t wili reach some for whom It
Is intended. / must confess that I am
not one OF that kind OF Christians who,
when slapped. turn the other unless
forced TO do so.
/ will now return to my uncle and
the will. IRE old man explained to me
the whole matter-how he had acted
and from what motive. And he was
q man never known to mtsrepresent
things recollect his look--I recol-
lect his language-and ! recollect my
own feelings. His remarks were
about like these:
Tom, no doubt YOU do and will
think that You have been neglected. !
and your Uncle Ben Howard are the
only members of our family who ever
liked your father. and were the only
ones who did not oppose his marrying
your mother. And 1t will do you no
good now to know the cause OF their
objections and therefore ! will let that
pass"
n then said to the old man that he
need not keep 1t back. for told him
that already suspected knew their
objections to my father. and told him
what they were. He then asked me
how had learned 1t.
I told him that 1 had seen my fa-
TIERS mother. two of his own brothers
and half-brother. aud had heard
them speak OF It: and had also heard
one of my fathers brothers say
as late as 1909. while pass
ing through Milledgeville with
Colonel Obed Kirkland on his
way to the Mississippi Territory, that
IL would search when got OLD
enough, I would find a copy OF my ia
theirs will. He believed that II was on
record in franklin County. Ga. After
listening to what have Just written
and which learned from the Wood
ward family, my old uncle observed
that knew more of my fathers af-
fairs than he had any idea of. and that
the objection Ito my father alluded to
an the mart OF the Howard family was
N consequence on his blood. He adj
mitted that my father was an intelii-
gent MAXWELL educated for the times
in which he lived and that the tamlly
stood high In South Carolina. particu-
iarlv In Fairfield District, and thar
the whole woodward family-men ana
women-were Wings during the fHeVo-
| luton.
must confess that this pleased me
n little: but the idea of its being
| Thought or known by my motner
family that / was Of a mixed race
annoyed me much. 1t was a thing
| + learned among the flrst things ! DID
| learn of my fathers family; ana IN
my raising / avoided letting u De
known, but by my sister VINO kne"
rs much about It as Sio.
NV Uncle Howard told me that my
/ father had left him nfsS executor, but
lsfhat he lived at too great distance
| 10 attend TO the matter, and that my
mother had married a second time
ana that there were younger children
| al hers by the second marriage, and
| that they were left motherless at an
early age: that he had concluded to
arrange It so that when / came OF
age, the will should be placed In my
possession and let me take nay own
course, and that he would have been
willing and was anxious TO have edu-
Gated me at his own expense had
shown any disposition to study or
fondfess for books; but that had
shown such a Discrimination to go to
achooI ami disposition to loiter on
| the frontier about the, camps Of the
Indians and soldiers. that he cpnclud-
ed to let me go, as 1t would have re-
quired measures more harsh than he
was willing to use to restrict me; and
said to me IL had from the neglect
of friends and from my own impru-
dence. been deprived of the use | or
knowledge of books I had been to q
school, where had no doubt learned
much of men. which he hoped In the
end would answer me as well as
though I had gone TO fcollege. That
good old man was right and Goo has
blessed him since.