Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-10-18

BY JULIA l.. LEWIS.


EnSlcwood ia not very large place
| and IL not apt 10 grow much, for the
simple reason that it il situated some
four miles from railway station. Tho
town was settled long before the rail
road was built, and when the survey
ori were at work on the route of the
roa'i, they made arrangements 10 make
tllnt place ono OF their principal sta
tons. They never thought that thev
would he hindcrcd in this plan, but
they dit not know the people of Englo-
wood
There were only two classes of pco-
pie in tl,at town. One class included
the residents who had lived in that
town all their lives. and whose cl,l-
drcn would most likely occupy the
same houses, pursue the same bust
hess. and do just exactly The snmo
things as their ancestors Ind done.
This class was decidedly avcrsc tonny-
thing new. They hated improve
ments, frowncd ,lown every ENTERPRISE
that would change the primitive moth.
od of doing business in inglcwond,
and cndcavorcd 10 make that town the
same old sleepy place il always had
number of newcomers. who we're nnX-
ious 20 see EnglcwooI improve, but,
seeing no indications that such a state
o! things would occur, Nctc for maxi
ing all the money .hry could nul of tho
property they owned i'll Euglcwood.
between the two classes the railroad
company had hard time of it. Tho
oid-timc citizens positively refused 10
sell an inch of the ground 80 the rail
road company, resisted all their cf-
forts To secure ground, and by lcgi.la-
ton liampcrcd the company with such
restrictions that the operating expenses
in the vicinity of ltnglewood would
have been much greater than on any
other portion of the line. The other
class of people, thinking that the COM
pany would he compelled to tap
Englcwood, asked such awful prices
Tor their ground that the railroad COM
pahy refused to negotiate with them.
To solve the difficulty n new route was
surveyed. and the road branchcd off
in another direction, the nearest point
to EnSlcwood it touched being ut Cliff
ton, some four n>;les away. 4 line of
| coachcS and II few cabs carried passen-
gers from E.nglewood to Clifton.
One night in September, took the
train from New York to Clifton was
feeling miserable, and no wonder. for
! was just alont bidding farewell to
oil my friends in Englcwood, to leave
the associations had grown up with
sincc childhood, and so to far-disinnt
California 10 commence life anew Up
to two weeks before that Time | had
considered myself one OF the luckicst
lawyers in that portion of the country.
had good practice, splendid pros
poets, and enjoyed the best of health.
| Suddenly there came II sorrow into my
life that made me make up my mind to
break all the ties that bound me to
Eng lcwood and its people, and go to n
portion of IN" Cnitcd States where [
was unknown. As You no doubt have,
ere this, fathomcd the sorrow, | might
as well confess and tell you it was n
woman that caused me To mako this
resolution. She was the faircst crcn.
turo i'll Englcwood, with ripping
golden hair, laughing blue eyes, and u
complexion that needed no artificial
cmbellishmcnt to enhance its beauty.
had loved Ethel Linton for years,
but being one of those men whose
bravery and courage all ooZe out OF
them when talking TO beautiful
woman, had never asked if my love
was returned. True it was that Ethel
always treated me in cordial, friend
ly way, but she did the same with all
the rest of her admirers, and never
could tell whether she loved me or not.
AT last, / made up my mind that the
torture would have to end, and |
nervcd myself to ask the question
which would make mo either happy or
miserable. For weeks j cndeavored to
SECURE a favorable opportunity, but
Ethel always seemed to divine my in
tentions, and on some pretext or an
other would turn the conversation to
some other subject. / tried in every
way possible to find the time when I
could deliver the carefully prepared
speech L had rehearscd offering her
my hand and heart, but it camo not. III
became sentimental in my talk Ethel
woulk dash into some prosaic subject
that would take all the romance out OF
me. If 1 asked her for a few moments
serious conversation, she would tell
mo that life was too short to indulge
in seriousness, and would break ont
into rapid description of some gay
DAN OF party 3he ihu attended. Al
last, angcred by her seeming indiffcr.
cncc, L one evening called her heart
less coqucttc and left her, convinced
that she was toying with my affections,
and, unwilling to stay where l would
be perpctually reminded of my love
for her, L made arrangements Mt once
to leave Englewood forever. | had
almost completed arrangements for the
disposal of my practice. and had been