Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-11-01

| nave Ciicon take ne and the rags over
TO the Widow Watts, and see myself
that she understands just how that car
pets got TO be wovc"
But when, two hours later, she went
into her little sewing room to yet her
rags and chain, they were not to he
found.
"Gidcon," she called to her husband,
who was putting The horses To the light
wagon i'll the barn-yard, "havc you car
ricd them rags on; to The wagon?"
"No," called back Mr. Huff; al aint
seen your old rags. I'll bc glad when J
have seen The last Of 'cm, and you've
done a-scttin' up o nights a-puddin'
over en-, and uudcrmindin your consti-
tuition and your health"
"Wcll, they aint here said Mrs.
Huff, "and left them here last night,
all ready TO be carried out. Hammer, 'ev
you seen them rags?'
$40, replied Hannah. the hired girl,
Il aint seen Il solitary thing of EN-"
"That's queer" said Mrs. Huff, irrita-
bly,. "Thcy never TUX legs and walked
spose you've seen anything of my rags?"
Sam, the faT,n hand, happened to pass
the open window at that moment.
"Your rags. Mis- Huff? What rags."
"Why, my carpet rags
''Didn't know you had any," replied
Sam, briefly, MS he went unconccrncdly
on his way. -,
Then began an active search for The
rags. Mr.. Huff was called ill., and so
singular was the disappearance of such
bulky articles, that he joined in the search
with considerable interest.
cts the quccrcst thing" said Mrs.
HUFF. for the fifteenth time, as she looked
into places in which the bags of rags
could not possibly be- OTIS my
opinion, she said Il, last, 'ihat SOME
body has stolen those iags. They must
have done il. They never got away
alone; any one with common sense knows
Tint
M trace Of - tl;cf could he found, but
one could easily have come and gone
without the family knowing it. as thc
doors and windows were seldom fastened
In fact, some Of Them had been left wide
open the night before 10 admit the cool
sir at the close OF hot day.
After an hour OF unayailng search
Mrs. Huff droprcd wcariiy into u chair,
and said, in Il clini<ing voice, "Wcll,
they're gone, and gone for good, and
SOS my chance of getting the prize ut
.hc fairncXt week. Somebody must have
stole en-. reckon now that Calisty
Horn viii go; the premium with her car
pet.
well, we'll, what if she docs2" said
Mr. HUFF, conSoingly. you've ind it
three years hand runnin'. and you'd
ought 10 give somebody else chance,
anyhow"
They all have just us eood
chance rs I've had" replied
Mrs. HUH. "Ind the premium aint
nothing at all compared To the loss
Of that carpet that had callatcd sure on
putting down in the scttin room this
fall"
The rags were not found in the Gays
THAT interviewed before the fair, and Mrs.
Crlisty Horns carpet did get the first
premium.
''.ind sucl, Il looking carpet MS i, was, )"
said Mrs. Huff, somewhat spitcfrlly.
"'i'l:c rags was half I'M inch wide, and
shed got too much coppcr.s in her color
ing, and the stripe was nothing To com
pare I" what mine would have been"
Her loss ans! defeat weighed heavily OH
Mrs. HUH, ami She lay awake long
time thinking the whole matter over
after she had gone TO bed, when she
came home from the fair.
Sometime after midnight Mr.. lIuiT
awokc 10 find himself alone in bed, and
as he opcnci his eyes he fancicd he saw
So'Ao one pass the door leading into the
bail.
"!Iarriei, ne called, lis that you?"
i'herr was 10 reply.
Il won'ler,' he sail, Iii that woman
las rot up in The dead OF night TO bcrin
on another carpet, She shan't do it!
Harriet, what are you doing, You
sick"
sill! Harriet did not answer. Mr..
Huff arose, wrapped quilt around him,
lightc, - candle and started out To in
vcsiigotc. As he stepped into the hall
he heard a noise rs of some one moving
around in IN unused attic room above
him, room had not been entered for
weeks, which WAS now filed with all the
odds and ends of things that will collect in
house MS the years 20 on, and which Il
great many people save, under the i'm
preston. usually Il dcliiSion, that they
will sometime ''comc handy
Among the useless rubbish slowed
away in Farmer lIuni's attic was The
frame of all old carpet loom on which
Mrs. Huff had woven many n carpet in her
Younger days; hui years had passed since
the loom had been in use. The moon
light streaming in through a window
showed Mr.. Huff that the attic door was
opened, but there was no other light in
the room.
''IIarrict HuiT.' he cried, "what in
creation air you doing up there at this
time o. night' Hunting some more tor
mentcd old rags? Come right back to
bed! You'll get your death o cold
roamin' round ut night
She took no notice of his qucrulous re-
marks, but he heard no more sounds in
the attic. But he was Too much troubled
to let the matter rest as it was, and
accordingly mounted the stairs and