The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1886-04-15
Mt. Scion Items.
Reported for the VIRGINIAN.l

II GOOU.- w It'll Uuu ollSHo
we have had rain and flood from the 2Sth
ult., to the 9th. The North River has
been as flush as during the great floods OF
1870 and " but owing to the greater ca
pacity of the channel has not overfown
the adjacent lands so much, until, from
the continued precipitation of water, its
banks could no longer contain it and for a
few days it spread out over the bottoms
and carried away much of the fencing.
All the large cribs along the river erected
by the county and private individuals for
the protection Of the county roads and the
farms, with one or two exceptions, are
gone, and the hundreds of dollars ex-
pended by the county have been lost in the
vain effort to keep up Il public road in or
near the bed of this mountain stream.
During the latter part of .he flood four
families whose houses were surrounded
with the waters had to seek shelter with
neighbors in less exposed situations. We
have not heard of any casualty so far.
Deaths.-Mrs. r. M. Kyle, Of Messy
Greek, who has been declining for the last
two years with disease of the heart, died
at O'Clock, Il. M, on the lst, inst. She
was a long and great sufferer. from whose
lips no murmur or impatient expression
ever escaped. She was a member of the
Messy Greek Church and met her fate
with Christian resignation. Her death
has left Il vacant place in the hearts OF the
tender SONS. daughters and friends who so
unremiltingly attended to her comfort and
smootAel her pillow. Her neighbors will
no more meet the sunlit smile of welcome
that ever adorned her face. She rests
peacefully beneath the sod of the ancient
cemetery at Messy creek.
We regret to chronicle the death of
another long and patient little sufferer,
Doe Whitmore. II son of Mr.. M. S.
Whitmore near Parnassus. He was at
tackled with inaammatory rheumatism
last August year ago which finally ended
in chronic periostial Inflammation which
gradually Slapped the citadel of life. After
much suffering he died OH the I'd inst.
and was buried at Parnassus He was
only about fifteen years Of age and through
out his sickness during his intervals OF
freedom from pain he was always cheerful
and hopeful. The pinqs parents whose
early Instructions had prepared him for the
final change and whose hearts yearned over
that delicate frame so long, will ever be
cIeered by the recollec ton of the evening
prisons that fell from those young lips
whilst bowed at the parental knee.
ITEMS.
This letter should have reached us in
time for last weeks issue. 1t was mailed
on the 9Th bat not received until the 8th.l
FINE SPECIMENS OF DRAWING. Mr..
Sam M. Woods showed us, On Saturday
last, two specimens of free-hand drawing
executed by VIM. B. Sellers, one of his
pupils at Pleasant Grove graded school,
during The session just CLOSED, which are
really remarkable in point of excellence.
They are railroad locomotive on the
track and traction engine on the road.
The work was done with an ordinary lead
pencil without the use Of rule or measure,
and are as well proportional as if they
were the work of the most skillful artist.
Young Sellers also exhibits very decided
talent in pen work and with a little prac-
tice, under proper instruction, would soon
make his mark as a penman and draughts.
man. He ought to, by all means, eulti
vate his natural talent and not be content
until he has reached the top.
We have also been shown some beautiful
specimens OF free-hand drawing and paint
ing executed by Josie O'Conner, son of
Michael O'Conner, near Stribling Springs,
and a pupil at the Parnassus graded school,
Prof. E. 0. Peale principal. The specl-
mems were some half-dozen in number,
and any one of them would have reflected
credit on it's artist. Three of them repre-
sented the human system the skeleton,
the circulation and the muscles. The
others were drawings of chickens, birds,
maps, sc. Not only were the drawings
admirable, but the coloring was also ex-
cellently executed, evidencing the eye and
hand of an embryo artist, and giyin g.
promise of pronounced SUCCESS, with the
proper experience and INSTRUCTION. II
Little Annie, the -year-old daughter
OF Mr.. B. F. Fifer, and pupil in Miss
Mills room in the Public Schools, has just
finished a handsome and beautifully ex-
ecnted map Of the lakes and mountain
ranges of the United States 1t would be
a creditable piece of work for the oldest
scholar in the school, and is remarkable
production for an artist of such tender
years,