Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1891-08-07
Mrs. Darrow's Poorhouse.
nY LAURA !. i.irrENrIo,-sr

through Inc gate THAI .cd into her sinai
yard, ana unlocked her door with nm
usual energy
She united her rusty blacl1 bonnc,
carefully brushed away some imaginary
d',t, opened a closet door, took ont ~,
h'inshioncd handbook and deposited III,
| bonnet in it.
Then She fooled her thin wolicn shaw
neatly, put ii in its proper corne; Of IN,
upper bu:tau drawer, and then rcD,aced
her "c!! alpaca lies; with diuvy
calico wrapper.
She was tall and thin, with har,i.sc,
face creased by innuner;.b!e wrink;.s
'h't MATE her appear much older than
She really WAS. Hex abundant dark hair
,h'ckly strcnkc'l with gray, wa, pulled
back tightly from her forehead aud held
III IN nn hccolnias knot by I'M obi ..,usk
comb that had been her mothers.
i"rc was mol a soft line in Mrs. Oar.
roN whole contour, and she seemed iii,
eMh'ii"cui OF angle, aud unyicl,liuu
iaF,inc.,.
She was a widow, now. Four year.
petorc poor Old Job Da.row nai ,rcc,,Iy
,'"" not nn~il!ing!y "ivcn up the .hosi.
III 'pite OF the yea, that had cIansc,i
since then, people still talked o! the hn-I
'iine he hat endured in his unhappy and
''"!"TcIy Eomc. where only the barcst
necessities were doIcd out TO him. thor.eh
he wa, " killed sober mechanic. ami
earned cool wages. His wife had nrr.
'i''c,l IN putin. the greater part of hi.
earnings III the savings bank. les, he and
she should come to the poorhousc.
So lad nurscd this fear of cndino
n"r days IN the pooriousc, until it had
become a mania with her: and after her
husbands death had given herself nm
wholly to the notion.
No suffering or restitution coulj h..
great enough To enlist her sympathy
sac worried the dealers from whom sh..
bought her scanty supplies by her ..tnst y.
''H-' winch often amounted to nearly
81 ihuch a. her purchases; aud by her
h'5@iin" pcnurlOus ways AMI fanlt.iiri
ill.,
'h No morning OF which write. Mrs.
barrow lace wore ;,n air Of triu,nnn
Her ric' shoac eagerly, and her thin Inns
were - near a smile AS it wa, po.sibl.
Tot them To be, after the lonr y.ars in
which smiling had become a lost art tn
ihem. ~ shc hastily but,onci he-
wrapper, he muttcrci to herself
"l'!! -rttlc the matter riuht now !
-'!r-' !! go over AMI drag it away he.
!oie thcy know wha, I'm up to. and IN
%; ')nc tramp u cut it up for IN. -.
loon can. ii! give him the p.hn,r
N Tie cupboard, and that cprn.br.nJ
size -, 50 hard anG lry cm't eat II
II Gems ikea shame To give tia: bone
% 10y, Sood-:or-nothing tramp, but
I'm AFRAID I'll have to. We'll. there's one
comfort about it-that polc'n mako
stovc-wood enough To- las, me At I,,s,
three weeks, and no. cost me q cen.
either.
NJ hi: point in her sol;loouy she tied
q faded gin.ham sunbonnc, tnop he,
neat and walked out OF her house. tho
All Of triumphant satisfaction merrino
INTO defiance. She crossed the street
and approached tir house OF her ncirb.
Dor ana onc-iime friend, Mrs. Rcbecc;
Johnson
Directly in front of Mrs. Johnson
mall housea iisusc'i ,cicphone.pole was
wing. 1t s.ad been blown Down md
broken b. a severe storm several wcr.
bef"Fe, aud Mrs. barrow hac
iocoNed upon it with covctuous eyes ever
sincc.
Morning, noon and might she thouyh;
oil he pile of s;ovc-wo0l into which i
might lie converted. until it seemed =,
II she co"ld never really res: arain ~,
les She possessed it.
This morning her grasping spirit bo,
irsr,i her to go 20 the manage. of til,
telephone exchange and ask permi,s;o,
u Use the pole.
10 10 her iusticc,it had cost her a har.
struggle to 90. She was 90 nrudr;ro
herself that she fclt SIRE he would r.
iusc and perhaps insult her: bu, in .pi,,
OF 'his fear. She ut last pluckcd uo cour
age to 90.
INF. Ingram, one of them telephone
poles has Eel! down in our street-brok.
II that big storm, you know. 'Taint
any account, and its dreadful,
in the way; do you care if [ hir,
q man to move it," she askcl. nor
vous;y.
Mr.. Ingram looked rp somewha. ali
'entiy. lie was very busy at that mo
mcnt, and good deal worried over ib
complaints of poor telephone service
with which he had been bcsierci sinc.
the night Of the storm.
lie locked at Mrs. Dar.ow, her snabb,
put clean dress. hcr thin, restless hands
her many wrinhl lies, and the sight touchc,
his heart.
son! YOU mean another one OF thos.
broken poles, do YOU In YOUR wav i.
1t! Certainly, madam, you can have 4
removed if YOU choose. | should bav,
had 1t done myself rs soon as I oot
through repairing damages. Shall b,
giad to have it disposed OF, I'm sure
Good morning, madam"
And so, before she fairly realizcd :.
Mrs. Darrow had been bowed out of III,
office. ''''
Her conscience did not upbraid her TO
havirg given him to understand that III,
pole was in her way, when it was rcail,
IN front of her neighbours house ncros.
the street. She even INDUCED in a sly
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