Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1892-05-20

the buttcrnut tree.
Why?"
ooh, Car'linc's run away again. I
tied her up just as strong as knew how
to the front gate with piece of clothes.
line, and gave her two cookies and her
doll, to keep her amused while [ made
the grape jelly, don't see how in the
world she united that knot. Davy's got
to 90 an hunt her up"
"IIc1l go" said Mrs. Whitman. "Hc
most cried cause you tied her up the
other day. He told me he thought Sarah
was too bad. He Jest sets his eyes by
Car'linc. Davy, Davyl"
Mrs. Whitman stood in the door and
called loudly, but she had to call several
times before Davy heard. He was very
busy, indeed, gathering in his winter
store of buttcrnuts. lie had been work
ing hard all the forenoon, and had
gathered two bushels, and was well ON
towards Il third. His brown eyes cleaned
with steady radiance under his old
straw hat; his fingers flew. The provi-
dent instinct of the squirrel and bee
were upon him; he was laying in his lit
tie winter store like them, and took n
genuine thrifty delight in it. Then, too,
he had another object in working fast !;
he wanted to get the butternuts all gath
cred by o'clock, because he was 20
ing to party that evening. II was his
first evening party, and he was full of
delightful, vague anticipations. He was
going to wear his best clothes, and he
mcditntcd asking his mother for little
OF her hair oil with bergamot in it to put
on his hair; he was also going to blackcn
his shoes very particularly. Davy had
planned to go in the house about o'clock
and commence his preparations, and it
was about quarter before o'clock
when he heard his mothers voice calling
him.
He obeycd rather hcsitatlngly. oI
shan't get the but'nuts pic lcd before it's
time to black my Shoes" he thought, ms
he went over the dry October grass to
the house. Davy was only twelve years
old, and small for his age, although he
was an uncle. =;
His mother and his married sister.
Sarah, little Carolinc's mother, were
waiting for him in the door. uYou
must go right off and hunt up Car'linc:
she's run away" his mother called out.
as he came in sight. "Don't stop min
ute. Sarah was almost crying. "Hcre
It's almost o'clock" she exclaimed,
san that little bit of a thingl Go right
Off, Davy.
Davy looked startled, then inquired
(Which way do you sposc she went?"
ooh, dear, don't knowl l was out
in the kitchen making grape Jelly.
didn't see her. l didn't know how long
she's been gone. Oh, deal
cru tell you what to do" said Mrs.
Whitman with the air of n managing
general. She was not very old woman,
although her hair was gray and she GOV.
cred it with high blackcap and n
severe black front piece. She ALWAYS
wore large, stinly-starch apron.
Sarah and / will go up the road" said
she, IAN you, Davy, so down. An
don't you take Towser, because that last
time Car'line run away, an you took
him to track her, he tracked wood.
chuck instead, an you went wild goose
chase for two hours. That dog amt the
kind that tracks folks, an 1 don't want
you to lose any time foolin with him.
It's gettin' dark. You shut Towscr I'M
in the barn; then you start. You stop
at Mis- Briggs when you get there and
ask II they've seen anything of Car'line.
an you stop at Mis- Smiths an Mis-
Wheelock's an if they have you keep on
till you find her, no matter how far Won
have to go. Don't you come back with
out her.
81 can't see how she united that
knot, said Sarah. Her pretty face was
all streaked with tears and grape juice.
Her mother took corner of her apron
and wiped it forcibly as they started up
the road. "You keep calm" she said.
"Shc'll be found
Uncle Davy shut Towser in the barn.
Then he walked briskly down the road
There was not n house for some distance
but he peered carefully over the stone
walls across the fields Caroline was five
years old. She was very fair and chubby.
with carefully brushed, reddish curls and
a little blue ribbon to keep them out of
her eyes. She always wore q nice little
white tire in the afternoon. Davy
strained his eyes for a glimpse of that
white tire and those shining curls among
the bright October underground. The
road was very dusty. He kicked up a
white cloud as he walked. "Shan't
have any time to black my shoes" he
'nought, woefully. Uncle Davy was q
very particular boy, and needed a great
deal of time for everything.
When he reached the Briggs house
there was still no sign of Caroline. He
went around to the side door and found
1T open and Mrs. Briggs sitting Their,
mending coat. She was large woman
and seemed to quite ill up the doorway.
"Have you seen anything of Car'line2'
| asked Dayy standinO haforo bar