The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-10-28
After supper his mother followed him

how many years will it be before you
can buy the lotsP"
"Yearsp The lotsp" in unfeigned
amazement. "I-how on earth can you
understand businessP"
1t was the first time she had ever
spoken in this way.
"I don't know. But I'm afraid ]
will not live to see it. 1t is so long
-1
She went back to the kitchen. The
dishes stood untouched upon the table
and Lefty was seated upon the steps, a
basket of red peaches beside her, which
the boarder brought down from his
room.
He was young man, a teacher in q
Virginia country school, who had come
up to these hills geo]ogizing in his sum-
mer vacation.
81 brought them from the Mcbride
farm, Mrs. Taney," he said. They are
a very common kind in the Shenandoah
valley" handing them to her.
Mrs. Taney's features grew warm.
remember tree just like these at
home," she said, "bv the old mill. My
old nurse used to hold me up to pull
them for myself"
"Your little girl tells me that you
came from Fauquier county. 1t is fine
county,"
cit is the most beautiful in the
world" said Mrs. Taney.
She stopped and went / hastily. She
felt the tears choking her. She could
hear Mr.. Burke tell the child that his
school was in Fauquier, and that he had
often passed her grandfather's house.
1t was for sale now, with dozen acres
about it; would sell very cheap, no
doubt. Land had deprecated sit ce the
war. GA quiet comfortable little
homestead, too," he said, "as any in
Mrs. Taney paused in her work.
"Oh, if could only show it to Lefty"
she said to herself. "The dear old
farm. The sunny porches, and the
Bourbon roses, and the great oaks, CEN
uries DID," She had never spoken of her
old home to her other children, but to
Lefty she had talked of it often when
they were alone. Lefty was like herself;
the Others were all Taneys.
She came to the door.
"Do you know, Mr.. Burke, if there
is an old negro on the place-a gar
denerP"
"Uncle Todp Oh, everybody knows
the old man; and his stories about
the Clevelands, de family, as he calls
them"
owe were the Clevelands. and old
Tod is really living yetP" she laughed
for the first time in a year.
When Lefty had gone in Mr.. Burke
paced up and down the porch. He was
a manly, large-natured fellow, and his
heart ached with pity for the poor,
pinched lives of this child and her
mother. All be could do to show kind
ness was to lend books to Lefty, which
she devoured eagerly, for she was fond of
reading; in fact she had obstinately per-
sisted in staying at the free school until
she had educated herself
William Taney waited until the young
man had gone. and then he went into
the pantry where his mother was strain
ing milk. Something in his manner
made her set it down, trembling.
"You have bad news to tell," she
said.
NO" with an uneasy, stricken laugh,
''mt st folks call 1t good. Fact is,
mother. I've made up my mind to
marry"
"Oh, William" her old cheeks color.
ing.
II made up my mind three months
ago. And the girls courted, and the
weddings to be tomorrow. There now
No need for you to look in that way. /
am generally pretty yclose-mouthed about
my own business; you might know that.
And don't choose TO have the matter
cackled over at home. The girl is Miss
susie Crawford"
His mother came toward him. He
was her son after all, and this was the
turning point of his life. She put her
arms about him and kissed him. God
bless you, my boy" she said.
But he stood as immovable as log.
Don't let us have any FUSS" he said.
"You had better sit down. You're
shaking all over. Well. that's all.
There'll be no wedding hubbub here. l
don't hold to spending money in feeding
a lot of guzzling fools. The Crawfords
have regular blowout in the morning.
But you dom; want to 60, reckonP"
uneasily.
81 should like to see you married, :"
she said, timidly.
"Oh, nonsense. There's no sickly
sentiment about me. III have Sophy
home by supper time. You'll have to
see to things here
He lighted his candle and turned to
By the way,.she was here a month
ago.
Eyes" Mrs. Taney remembered dis
tinetly the gross-featured, black-eyed
young woman WHO had staggered
through the farmhouse in her cheap silk
and gilt jewelry.
"She came just to look at her new
home, and-well, she rather took fancy
to the south chamber. You had better
fix ii up for her."
"My room, WilliamP"
"Yes. It's all the same to you. o
course you can go up to Lefty"
Lefty, who had been at work inside,
came out, sobbing, and threw her arms
about her mother. She knew that this
had been her mothers room for thirty
years. All Mrs. Taney's children were
born in 1.-THE baby died there.
William stopped and came back, say
ing:
Now look here. it's Just as well to
speak plainly at once. I'll have no OF
position to my wife from you, Lefty.
nor trom-from any other woman. l
am the head of this house. My dear
wife shall be mistress of it. She brings
me snug bit OF money, and I'll not
have her nor her family insulted in it -
my son."
But he had stalked off to bed.
There was no time the next day for
Mrs. Taney or Lefty to even think of
the coming trouble. They were up as
usual, two or three hours before day.
kindling fires, milking and getting
breakfast for the six harvest hands,
Then came washing, dinner at noon,
all the work of farm, in short, which
falls on woman, in addition to which
was the cleaning and preparation of the
room which the bride had chosen for