The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-04-27

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much larger than Lynchburg, observed an old
farmer dressed in homespun of ancient cut sit
ting in venerable gig in front of the store.
The old man and his vehicle looked strangely
out of place among the well-dressed people
and stylish carriages that thronged the street,
and an anxious woe-begone expression rested
upon his worn features, asihe cast many
glance towards the Hebrew emporium of fash
ion He aoas evidently awaiting the return of
some one who had disappeared within its Sc
from the crowd of women thronging the coun-
tiers, a stout, energetic looking female, whose
attire, though aimed at the prevailing style,
differed in many little details, familiar to a
practlced eye, from that of the city ladies
about her. The rural dame was making nu-
merous purchases, and one could read an air
OF determination in her Yisage which plainly
told who held the reins in her household. The
detected Old man in the rickety gig grew more
and more disturbed and once or twice when
clerk opened the door for the ingress or
egress OF lady, he eagerly called out 81 say
Mister, please tell myiwife, she's that tall wo-
man with yallar trlmmins on her bonnit, to
come on, | can't wait no longer" The busy
dame paid no heed to these remarks for time
out at length, perhaps by way of preparing
her spouse for his fate, she dispatched boy
with an assortment of her packages, and the
long Dill, which it was her husbands portion
OF the affair to settle. The old countryman
bestowed resentful glance at the huge bun
die laid at his feet, clutched the paper with
nervous hand and turned hastily to the
amount. AS his eyes reached the figures, he
Tell back in his seat, held the paper at arms
length, and calculated Good Lord!" in such |
despaIrlng tones, that the bystanders all look
ed round to see what had befalen the old man.
Some OF them stared closely at him for mo-
ment and taking in the situation laughed |
heartily as they went on their way
Sometimes it is the husband who is the
grasping partner in these conjugals arrange
ments, and was much amused lately at hear
ing the indignant protest of man millner.
whose interests had quickened his sympa thies,
against the selfshness of his sex A meek
looking woman had selected modest bon
net costing $780, when her lord and master,
who had been making purchases elsewhere,
drove up to the door and impatiently babe his
wife come along, as they had already lost too
much time, in the same breath demanding
how much money she had spent on her gew-
gaws. The woman timidly mentioned the
price asked for the headgear she had chosen,
but was ordered to take something cheaper
and be quick about it, for there was no time
to lose. The wife quietly took up a fifty cent
shutdown" and leaving her husband to pay
for it, went to take her place among the
boxes and bundles, which like herself wer,
his property. "Now just look at the mean
ness OF that man, said the disappointed ven
dor of bonnets Il have known that woman
for years, and that she is a careful industrious
woman as ever lived She is good wife
and mother and earns her victuals and clothes
it anybody does. That man makes good
crops and has bought just what he wanted
without consulting his wife. Indeed he had
box of manufactured tobacco and demiiohn
Of whiskey, and he paid good price for both
OF them, and yet he grudges his wife decent
bonnet to wear to church"
Sometimes the verdancy of the simple.coun-
try folks make, them fall prey to the sharp
ness OF the city people, and such incidents
cause much laughter ION the street." An old
negro man was seen lately, going from door
to door along Main street, with child's toy
trunk in his hand, crying pteously to each
dandified clerk who came forward to talk with
him, Master, is you the gempem what sole
me dis yere leetle box. Some gempim moth
er done sole me dis trunk, he talk so far al
'suade me oughter have it to keep my money
IN, so L tux an bought it, an when | cyar il
roun' dar whar my cousin lib, who | stays wild
in town, she lows done let somebody make
fool OBJ me, an I thought jess better take it
back an git dat gemplm what sole it ter me
to gimme my money agin." The young gen
tlemen of the street could not resist such
chance to vary the monotony of their lives
by little joke, and one and another courte
ously referred the simple soul to neighbor-
ing dealer, until the bewildered old African
had made the circuit of the city testers.
The present season has been an exception
ally hard one on all connected with the tobac-
co trade, the agitation of the tax question
having greatly interfered with regular bust
ness, SO that the laboring class have been kept
out of the employment, which is their chief
dependence for subsistence much longer than
usual.
Nearly everybody in Lynchburg will admit
that it is an injury to the town that its whole
interest shall centre in one industry, and many
arguments are brought to prove that it would
be well for all parties that there should be
diversity of manufactures, but as yet little
has been done to produce that desirable re-
suit. Indeed the tobacco trade enters so deep
ly into every fibre of the life OF the people
that many ties must needs be broken, and
doubtless some hardshps must be endured be-
fore any great change can be effected
ORA LANGH oRNE,
Lyaach6ury, Na., March, 1882
Well Endorsed by our Own Citizens
No matter how useful anything may be in