Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1891-09-11
and puIplo-hued pansles dotted the grass

Timothy, reilcctively, as the wagon rolled
easily along. "gIalf an acre would of
been enough, I should say"
''No, it wouldn't" maintained his
sister, stoutly. "I'm a-goin' into tho
gardenin' business, to raise truck fur tho
markets."
Timothy whistled.
You'll make failure Of it, surc us
guns" he declared, ruthlessly.
But Miss Ferobia was not to be dis
couraged.
"Therc's plenty of men make livin'
ut it, an why not met" she asked. "Ivc
got u little money laid by to start on.
An I've got stout pair of arms, an
never was sick day in my life; SO why
should make failure of lt2"
But Timothy only shook his head and
remarked, vaguely, that it was ''onprac-
ticablc, and she would find out" and
declined to commit himself further. And
the conference was cut short by their ar
rival at the cottage.
1t was n lonely place, but Miss Fcrobia
was blessed with strong nerves, and soli-
tudc had no tcrrors for her.
She had accumulated few odds and
ends of furniture from time to time, the
gifts of various friends and relatives,
which went good way toward furnish
ing her diminutivc dwelling.
And when they were arranged to her
satisfaction, and square of bright rag
carpet tackled down in the centre of the
room, Miss Fcrobia felt as happy us q
king.
She was too tired after her days work
to 10 more than take cup of tea and
retire to rest. But comfortable nights
sleep on the old-fashioncd square posted
bedstcad restored her energies, and for
the next few days she was rs busy rs n
miller over her preparations.
Lem Dodson was hired to pillow the
"truck- patch" COW with Il young calf
was bargaincd for, and few fowls of
the Plymouth Rock and Dorking species
were purchased and were soon cackling
vigorously around their new quarters.
After little more help from ncghbor
Dodson, and n vigorous use Of the hoe
on Miss Ferobia's part, the ground was
in readiness for planting, aud the am
bilious market gardener sat up till long
past her usual bed time looking over her
stock of seeds, and selecting those re-
qusitc for immediate use.
There might still be late frosts, she re-
llected, rs such tender plants rs beans
and cucumbcrs, summer squashes aud
nutmeg melons, would be better out of
the ground than in it for few days to
come.
But bcets and lettuce, spinach and
marrowfat peas and rutabagas, would
stand anything short of a regular freeze,
and might be safely planted ut once.
And, late though she sat up, the first
pink flush of early dawn did not find
Miss Fcrobia mapping the next morning,
nor for many mornings to come.
She WAS up with the birds, and after
hasty breakfast out she sailed, and
hocd and rakcd, wcedcd and trans.
planted, till her bncl1 ached and her fin
gers grew sore aud her nose frccklcd and
her checks tanned. But gardening is
hard work, at best, and though Miss
Ferobia laborcd with II will, the grass
and weeds would creep in here and there
in spite of her vigilance. The purslanc
-''pusly" she called it-and horse net
ties grew faster than her butter-hend
lettuce or white spine cucumbers.
Then the weather was not always pro-
p:tious, and her tirst nlanti>5 VI sugar
corn and oo.,y rose potatoes rotted in
But Miss Ferobia, nothing dauntcd,
rcplantcd the vacant rows with later va
rictics, and in due time the seed sprouted
and gave every promise of luxuriant
crop.
But from that time on it was, as the
little woman declared, "tussle" be-
tween herself aud the weeds.
While she was hoeing her cabbages and
kohl robes and wedding her silver-slin
onions, the cookie burrs and wild morn
ing glories were ilourishing among her
sweet corn and potatoes
She worked early and late, however,
to eradicate the tenacious iutcrlopers, and
finally succeeded i'll accomplishing her
task. When 10! one unlucky night Far
mer Nubbins's pigs forced their way
through broken panel OF the fence, and
played havoc among the growing crops.
Small wonder, indeed, if our heroine
lost her temper ut last, and peltcd those
pigs with clods, or whatever came handi.
esl, and even whaclied one of them across
the snout with the hoe-handle.
But with all her efforts it was late in
the day when the last one of the maraud.
crs was disposed of, and the fence patched
up, after fashion.
q will say here, in parenthesis, that I
do believe woman could vote, and even
make laws, and execute them, them, too,
as well as ii man, under some circum-
stances. When say ''under some cir.
cumstancea," mean if she were not
hampered by prejudiced and unreasona-
BILE colleagues. But when it comes to
patching rail-fences, the least said about
woman's capabilities the bettcr.)
However, Miss Feroba's workmanship,
if not exactly artistic was sufficiently in i.
genious to prevent further inroads in
that direction.
But for some reason, from that time on
the Fates seemed to turn cold shoulder
on her efforts
The rabbits feasted on her early York