“My dear friends, I am writin’ this as ef I was dead and you still in the land of the livin’, as we call it; I feel now as if when you read it I shall be in the land of the livin’, and you among them who feed mostly on husks.  I know by this stubbin pain in my side that I shall go to sleep, and jest step over into Clary’s room before long, and all that ain’t settled I am settlin’ to-night, and to Mr. Minot’s care I leave these papers and this box.  You have been good and true friends to me, and I want to help you on a little in the doin’ of good and perfect work.  When Silas left me alone he took with him little money.  I don’t know what possessed him; but Satan, I guess, must have flung to the winds the little self-respect he had.  He took one boy off with him to be a vagrant.  Silas’ father was a good man, and he left a good deal of property to this son of his, and we had got along, in a worldly sense, beautiful; so when, he went away he left considerable ready money and a lot of land, and I’ve held on to it all.  Sometimes I’ve thought one of ’em might come back and want some of it; but now I know they are dead.  From time to time I’ve sold the land, etc., and you see I’ve added to what was left.  I now propose to divide it between Emily and Louis, as one, Jane North Turner and her husband, and John Jones.”

As this name fell from my father’s lips, John’s dark eyes spoke volumes and his broad chest heaved with emotion, but he sat perfectly erect, with his arms folded, and I thought what a grand picture he made.

Matthias groaned: 

“Oh, de good Lord ob Israel, what ways?” Aunt Peg gave vent to one of her peculiar guttural sounds as father concluded the unfinished sentence with the names of Ben, Hal and his good little wife.

“Now, you can’t do a great deal with this money, but it will go a little ways toward helpin’ out.  I believe there is just three thousand dollars, and that figgers only six hundred dollars apiece.  Now, ef Ben’s shoulder prevents him from workin’, and he needs to have it, Halbert must give him half of what I leave to him, and I know he’ll do it.  Ben wants to get married, and I can see which way the wind blows in that quarter, and I think sense he’s been half killed you’d all better help him.  When that comes to pass, give to him all the furniture and beddin’ that I leave, for his wife will be sensible enough to be glad of it.  Halbert’s likeness of me in marble is a great thing they say, and sells well, and he will please to put me up again in that same shape, and then sell the picter and use the money to help the poor.  He’ll do jest what I’d like to have him.