South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1890-08-22
4EINTELLIGENCER
FRIDAY. AUG. %. 1890.
Not An Ord mary Girl.


rad dr wing them CRITTERS
Yes, i 5 her, barefoot as usual
'Ani the ground all fros y like II is.
II j. sh ,m of tha father of hers TO
tTea, her so.
Do~n tie roadway walked tie
young girl whose forlorn condition
'ad called for b these remarks, her
hare feet purple with c,ld. but size
seemed 10 have forgotten Their exls-
lence. for though she kept her cows
before her IN the road it was mechan.
ically, as she was absorbed in book
bat she held Cp in her hand.
Her name was Mercy Lord, but
somehow reop'e in that little village
had gotten into the habit of calling
her LDro's Mercy. partly tiom the fact
la she was The only child eft To her
broken-h arIed mother out of seven,
and also IN grim sense of humor as
showing the kind OF mercy some peo-
PIE receive in this world. Her faith
er. Thorn Lori. was what the far
mers around c5lled II driver and he
was one. indeed. and wbosoever lived
under his rule was driven and driven
TO work until nature gave way. But
he was as tough as pine knot him.
self, and could work from before day.
break to dark and still not feel tired,
SD lie would never allow any one else
TO 60 mplain az fatigue. His poor
wife, broken in health aud spirit sank
into an inva'id's chair, and would
probably have died had il not been
for Mercy who loved her mott er nj b
an sifec,ion as rare as beautiful.
Blu. little chance had tie poor ch la
to show her love, save by the kisses
as she flew in and out, up and down at
her work, which seemed 10 DC enough
for FIVE young girls Of Ter ;ge. How
she ever completed hor tasks her poor
IN .ther Gid no! know. \ large fsrm,
all the hands to cook iur the hou sc
to keep in order, the cows and sheep
and Other anima's TO attend TO, the
dairy an! tho liens to look aft r, and
all tie spinning, knitting, IN aking and
met ding TO d., AMI this burden on
the shoulders OF q girl of eighteen.
But she did l., md without co IL
plant.
The hardes. thing Mercy had to
bear WIS that Ler father was q mi er
and did not believe in girls DRESS
ing herself up, as he said, and he al-
lowed her but one calico dress and
one pair OF slo.s year, and no mon
ey 10 &C. anything else with, and so
hal atot
aud could 90 nowhere nor enjoy any
of the Innocent pleasures OF other
girls.
Another girl would have ;gr5wa
hard and sulien, and so, perhaps would
have done Mercy had 1t not been that
she did not think of her deprivstions
at ell. For Mercy lived in another
world, that OF books AMI study. Up
in the garnet was a whole chest fill
of books that had been left there by
q Young man who had for a time
boarded with her parents, and these
books we're Mercy's solace and help
From her mo. her she had learned To
read, and the rest was easy to tits
fresh young brain, and every one OF
| It's energies was devote to the mas
terry of the studies, and wherever
Mercy was she had in her pocket a
grammar or some other school book
until she had learned all of these, and
then she entered into the wonderful
realm of tho past ages, as shown in
geology; she knew every plan, tree
and flower by it's scientific name, and
the stars and elements held no longer
any secret from her that the best OF
| books could teach. The momsnts
when she could study were snalche
one by one, when she churned or knit.
ted, or spun or drove the cows, and
on Sundays and sometimes a little In
the evenings, so that few indeed were
the girls OF her age who could boast
Of SO excellent or thorough an eIu.
cation. She studied because she Low.
ed TO study, and no parties, visits OF
suitors diverted her mind and she
found her only comfort and pleasure
in them except that whicn came from
her intercourse with her fading mo-
| tue.
All the girls from the village and
those from the farms around pitied
Mercy because Of her round of cease.
less tUil aud her desp cable old father,
| but she knew nothing of their pity
nor wanted it. She was, If no. hap
Ply, at least content, and though her
poor hands we're bare and rough there
vas not one among thrm all who
could write as beautifully as she.
One day her mother felt that she
must make her peace with God. for
she knew that her time vas nearly
spent, and the minister vas sent for
and he came cut to the farm TO spend
The afternoon and talk and pray with
the invalid. Mercy lowered near her
mother as much as she could in the
intervals Of her labor and beard the
minister talking, and her mother saw
ing that her only regret was that poor
Mercy should be obliged to keep a.
long in the same old rut and die
at last Of bard WORK before her
time, and he tr!ci TO console her as
best he could, glaDciog carelessly At
Mercy the while.
After he went. Mercy began to
think Of herself She suddenly be-
came conscious Of the hardsbips OF
her life, and she ALEC became suddenly