Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1892-03-18

it. A cows dreadful help in house
kecpin'.
Miss Rtchc thanked them and went
on her way, limping slowly along.
'Pd u hitched up old Jack and took
her the rest of the way home" observed
Tucker, us he stretched his neck to look
after the departing figure, elf / hadn't
a seen Harry Waits carpenter wagon
comm down the road. AM 1 guess 1
amt one to spoil sport"
: "Twon't never be n match if Kitty
Richie shoulders the burden o. that old
crazy aunt O. her'n," said Mrs. Tucker.
ga man can't be expected TO marry a
whole madhouscW
~ guess Kitty's worth it'll" declared
Tucker.
"Shc is good grill" said his wife.
"And there was one time folks sposcd
; she was'goin' to be I'm hcrcss-whcn the
old sen captain uncle came home with
the prize money that he gained in the
war"
81 don't believe there ever was any
prize money!" said Mr.. Tucker, resum-
ing his task of dcnuding the plump duck
Of its feathers. "Thcre!'
"I know there was!" nodded his wife.
"AIrs. Richie showed it to Inc herself.
All gold eagles; tied up in II shammy
bag, with n leather shoe string The old
captain give 1T to her for nussin' him
through that fever"
whats the reason you never said
nothin' about it bcfore2" questioned
Tucker.
"Mrss Richie madS,mc promise not to
srtslI <f She was,afeayflf\' bein' robbed"
Ind what evefSes 4 of it2"
h hats whit nobody knows. Jcst's
j not old Eben Richie put it into
s iron-mining' consarn that honey
:omr&ed Blue Mountain and mover done
10 go$ cd. Or p'r'aps he invested it in
otter$ b tickets. He never had no judg-
nent. Now, don't you go to chatterin'
about this, Gid Tucker. Mind, I'm I'm.
der hpromisc to the poor old crcetur
that's dead and buried"
"S44mc promises is better broken than
kept, said Gideon.
But! Mrs. Tucker knew that the secret
was safe with her uncommunicative
spousHc.
McI anwhilc, the builders wagon had
stopp1cd before the old. onc-storied ruin
of tlGe Richie house, strongly silhpuettcd
by tltle red shoulder OF the September
suns&t.
"}iitty," said young Wait, stealing
his FUN coaxingly around her waist, "you
CAM live i'll an old shell like thisl Give
up iour false pride, Lowell Let me make
a Tome for YOU"
Kitty bit her lip.
s. Gikn1 bnvn coi1 eosJ clio (t1l,ol
HInry Wait was the only one of the
n Witt family that made bad matchi"
WI don't care what people say"
: ~ do"
t Entity, let's go to the parson to-
X tight Let's be married."
l. kitS shook her head.
er "NA until I've, saved up enough to
buy accent outfitN" said she. mot
III until paid the lash debt that poor
no father on"
I'm p4Sem, Kitty"
mo, M, yWsl won't. I can be as
his unselhsh ass}5u are" cried the girl.
m ooh. 9Hl Who is thata"
MS A frd in the old floor had creaked
OK. soft a shadowy little figure had come
no Ward with siding motion, into the
Va, ght.
~ "Bc you Kitty2" asked n soft, high
pitched little voice. as this home2 I've
dome good ways, and I'm sort o. turned
| iound."
''It's Aunt Ruhamahl" cried Kitty.
"Why, how came she hcrel And all by
lersejf!"
"It'sa good ways" repeated the old
wtman, shifting her fiat travelling bas-
ke:, "and I'm sort O. turned round. But
followed sister Sarah all the way. She
went before, an she beckoned. I fol-
lowed her here. And she's gone out to
the old we'll. I'm sort O. feared to fol.
Ter her into the high, wet grass, but
she keeps a-beckonin', and guess I'll
have to go!"
She started for the door, passing her
hand in confused fashion over her fore
head
"What does she meant" asked Harry
/ Wait.
"She means mother" said Kitty
"mother that has been dead and buried
these fifteen years."
Don't you see her a-beckonin'7"
D piped the little old woman-"iust there
by the old Well2 We never could get
Eben to put'9p curb there, and sister
? Sarah was always afeard somethin' would
happen"
c II see the tall grass waving" said
), Kitty, "and cloud coming over the
surface of the rising moon, and that is
: ALL"
, ''Its sister Sarah" said Aunt Ruey,
: pushing resolutely ahead; sand she
wants me. Why, Kitty, do you mean to
tell me that you don't know your own
4 mother2"
g Kitty sent for Harry Wait the next
! day.
! "IIarry," said she, edo you want to
do something for me9"
Kitty"
"That's nonsense!" (But she laughed
and colorcd nevertheless.) az want you
to put curb around that old sunken
well. Aunti Ruey keeps wandering ont