The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1892-03-31

cay, the slow inroads of poverty and
desolation. Twenty years had left be.
hind them traces of their fight in CALLED
and quilted fields that formerly were fer.
tile. in hillsides grown up thickly with
broom sedge and sassafras, and in a gen.
eral dilapidation Of fencing and build.
ings. What the devastation Of war had
commenced poverty and unthrift were
completing, and the foot Of time but
marked the road that was leading to
restitution.
Anthony gazed over it all and scorned
it. He was 50 full Of energy. will and
activity Of purpose that the evidences OF
unthrift filed him with impotence.
All the tender beauty OF the scene, all
its Old World calm, its repose and soft
enchantment were utterly lost upon him.
The lotos eating phases Of existence were
beyond his comprehension would have
been beyond his endurance.
How small it all looksf' he unused
slightingly, as he paused in his whiting
to stroke his beautiful brown beard with
strong sunburned hand, "and vet
when | was kid thought this valley
was the world. Now it looks to me as
though ! could straddle that river and
push the hills apart with my two hands.
Lord. how the country has gone down
down to the very dogs. for want Of
money and push. They hadn't much
practical energy to start with, these peo-
pie, but with one thing and another
they seem to have lost the little they
had. They cant make work tell any
more tharfa kitten can pan ore. They
run to extremes and hit the best part of
their licks in the wrong place"
He finished trimming his stick Thought
fully, handling his knife dexterously,
cutting with firm, capable strokes, and
making every cut further his design.
The grain of the wood was close, its
fiber tough, but he worked on persist
emily, without hurry or waste. and
when he had completed the job to his
satisfaction he closed the knife with a
sharp snapNnd returned it to his pocket
The newmiitie cane was stout, and he
balanced it in his hand and then struck
1T smartly against the rail to test its
strength
I've known the time when a good
Virginia hickory would have been n
mighty pleasant thing to handle out
yonder." he thought That night in
0'Hara's saloon when | caught Neal
cheating at draw poker and pinned his
hand to the table with my knife, stick
like this would have been handy play
thing to amlse the roughs with. Lordl
how long ago the old time seems when
remember what's come between"
There was slight rustling among the
dead leaves and grass Of a brier patch
near. The man turned his head instant
~, as one accustomed to note the slight
est noise. and peered down into the
tangle. At first he could distinguish
nothing. but soon two long brown ears,
browning a soft brown lump materialized
from the uniform BROWNIES of its sur
roundings, and two black eyes, big and
startled. regarded the intruder specu-
latively. evidently trying to determine
whether his intentions were friendly or
the reverse. A sharp whirring sound as
the hickory stick left the strong hand
settled all doubts in the rabbits mind.
and with terrified bound she left her
form, as the missile came gathering
among the bushes.
Anthony leaped from the fence and
stopped for stone, which he sent whiz-
ring after the little beast, causing its
heart to jump in unison with its terrified
legs, but doing no other damage. An
thony trampled about among the briers
until he found his stick again, trifie
nettled by the futility of both throws.
He revolted against failure of any kind.
The evening was drawing in and the
air was heavy; from the river mists rose
and mustered in thick, vaporous masses
which rolled across the low grounds and
stormed the heights; the atmosphere was
dense with chill and moisture. AWAY
in the distance COW lowed with long
drawn insistence, and from nearer calf
answered Along the road at the foot
Of the hill the form of a woman passed
slowly, her steps so deadened by the
dampness that she appeared to drift
rather than walk. Anthony leaned for
ward, scanning the road through the
gathering dusk. Only negro woman
returning to her home from an errand
to the village, but SO magnifed by the
shifting fog, so etherealized by the illu-
sive mists. that she seemed an apparition
rather than thing Of human mold.
With hand appraised she steadied the
burden on her head and passed on.
singing, her voice rising and falling
with the wild, pathetic cadence of her
race And the burden Of the refrain
was disappointment and sorrow and
WEAKNESS, and the air, as it fioated back
to the listener, was weird and sweet and
infinitely alluring.