Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-10-04
DRIVEN AWAY.
DY JAHEs FEANKLIS Fits

Westinghouse on its summit. and the
Mcrimac, which winds round it. in the
distance. Here, fifty years ago. she used
to Sit with her knitting in the after
moons.
She dearly loved 10 talk, and, as
was her iavoTitc, many of her quaint OBJ
scrvations were addressed TO me. One OF
them now recall, as il has a certain re-
lation TO the matter of This narrative
more thah once, us | sal near her, have
seen her kind brown eyes fxcdly re-
gard me over her s;oel.bowcd spectacles
and heard her say, with perfect gravity,
My dear, think you'll be ain old maid.
You're Robbie through and through.
ana NEST OF their womcnfoiks were tina,
Kind. Indeed" she added, rclicctivcly,
81 came near being one myself"
The prophecy of the good old soul has
been fulfilled, but il was my choice that
lnaoc 1t so. When | WAS twenty four,
Joshua Cess came back on a visit from the
west, wniihcr he had gone ten years be-
lore to seek his fortune. He was Of the
pushing, thriving New England typc,
already prosperous in his new home be-
You'd the Mississippi, and promising to
~ r"'''N t'Spi i'Niii;l IiilOuS.
had corTe&pondcd with him occa-
sioniliy since he went away hal been
his !avoritc among the girls at school,
and was not surprised when he told me
one day hat his chief object in coming
back at this time was to induce inc 10
east my lot with his.
Ii was in this very room tina; he asked
me. Little Percy, only sour wears old
then, had come in tired from his PLAY,
climbed INTO my lap, and fallen asleep.
Joshua waited for my answer seriously
and anxiously. Ny heart said yes, but
looked Il; the child and duty bedc me
say no. II cost me dreadful pain, yet
did not hesitate.
Very frankly answered that this little
orphan IN my lap WAS riy charge; nat
my brother Ephraim would never marry.
and tina; my duty forbade that | should
leave Tic old home. Joshua listened.
lie did not demonstrate nor argue, but
hau never seen upon his face Just such
an expression rs il then had
For your own sake, Patience" he
SAID, Ill It trembling voice, Il hope YOU
have chosen wisely. Whether so or not,
know you too well 10 try to alter your
resolution. Good by"
gave him my hand-for all instant
watched him rs he slowly walked down
the road until the turn hid him from ms
eyes, and then my life wen: on again the
same rs il 10 interruption had occurred.
Ills life since then has 40. been IN
Known 10 me, nor to the country.
Should his true name be given here, i.
would be recognized as that OF one wiiosc
voice has often been heard in the Senate
of the United States.
When Percy was i0ur year. old and
twenty icnr, Ephrai'n was twcnty-six,
amt VIC three were the survivors OF the
long line of Billiards., Goifreys, Robes,
Halls and what not, running back far hc-
You'd tic War OF the Revolution, vino
had dwell in this ancient homestead and
titled this rocky farm.
In the Inst two years death had been
busy witii us. First. grandmother God.
frey, fail OF years and ready to depart,
was laid by hcr f:,:hcrrs. and within the
twclvcnonth both our parents were
stricken down by the terrible sconr.:c
That visited the village that summer.
They were carried to one crave on the
same lnornina', while Percy picked clover
tops in the yard, and laughed as the long
procession moved toward the hill
In s!c SIX or eight years following I
think we We're happier than cycr again
while Brother Ephr;im lived, for those
were The years when Pcrcy's sweet child
ish ways and cunning prattlc filled the
house with sunshine and music, anil be-
fore any troublesome question rs to his
future had come in to divide US.
Gods blessing and compassion, after
our sore tribulatiOn, seemed given US iii
this dear chill. lie WAS not nj all Hike
us, either in looks or actions; he never
was. Ephraim and were dark, almost
sallow, like our father, and We had his
slow, thoughtful speech and ways; but
the child was like mother. fair. blue
eyed, with all her li:htncss OF heart and
chcerincss OF voice.
The picture that comes back 10 me most
wildly from those old days is that OF
Ephraim, stern and serious, even when II
young man, rs he read the Bible aloud 1T
our early bedtime i'll his stro0G, nasal
tone, and bore with patience that he
would not have exercised toward another
the interruption caused by Percy's pat
ting his chubby hands upon the page.
The boy grew up bright, quick aud al
fcctionate, but not over siudious. lie
WIS full Of fun and spirit, and hated CON
fincmcnt. date the beginning of our
troubles about him from tho time that Il
copy of "Ro5inson Crusoc' fell into his
hands.
Tic book absorbed him. lie was tbir-
teen years old ut that time, hut ne said to
me, with all the gravity and positivcncss
OF man, that he could never be any
thing but a sailor. Thought little Of
what he said at the time. and treated it
as q mere boyish whim; but he never
changed his mind.
He was almost seventeen when he lei:
lis for the sea. think of what occurred
before that day with pain and sorrow,
but it must DC told. 1t WAS one night
after Percy had gone up to his chamber;
Ephralm had been sitting some time in
silence, and l saw there was something
on his mind At last he spoke:
tsPaticncc, that pervcrse boy will bc