The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1892-03-30

N
And yet tOhen icds a kid Thought this
pdtteu tcds the World
the sky and the subdued drabs and
browns of the rocks. the bare branches
and the fallen leaves. The clean split
sides Of the chestnut rails shone whitley,
and the stakes which held all secure
where the rails Tapped at the corners
were finished off with workmanlike
caps, made Of bits Of boards with a
couple of anger holes drilled through
them, instead Of the usual sloyenly twist
Of wild grapevine. A thrifty looking
fence, stout and substantial evidently
the line fence inclosing the property Of
thrifty and substantial man.
The proprietor sat upon it and stared
about him, whistling softly and trim
ming a hickory stick cut in the woods
just back of him. The land, twelve hun
bred acres Of it, had formerly been a
portion of the patrimonial estate Of the
Beverley family. to whose present rep
resentatives there remained the old fam
lily dwelling aud modest surrounding
Of three hundred acres at the upper end
Of the original tract. Mr.. Anthony had
desired to become possessor of the entire
plantation. house and land. just as it
had passed from father to son in the
Beverley line, and to that end had in.
structed his lawyer not to stand on an
extra thousand or two, and had learned,
to his surprise and disappointment, that
the tract had been divided, and that the
upper end Of the farm, including the
house and lots about it, had been as
signed to Mrs. Hector Beverley in lieu
Of her right of dover in the whole.
1T is hers in fee" the lawyer wrote,
being naturally proud Of good com
promise with creditors effected by his
own sagacity, ..and hardly think any
offer would induce her to part with it.
as she is deeply attached to the place,
although not born Beverley. have
secured the major portion of the estate
for you at more advantageous terms
than those suggested by yourself, and
have had the necessary papers recorded
as per direction. The body of land is
fine, but the buildings are inferior only
q dozen or 80 cabins and the old over
seer's house. AL the home buildings
are on the widows part. However, If
you propose settling in Virginia, you
will of course soon remedy all that"
1.-THE devil willr' muttered the impa-
tent recipient Of the epistle from which
the above sentence is quoted. What in
thunder does he suppose l wanted with
the land without the house2 can have
new houses by the dozen; what wanted
was the old one. ! didn't know the old
lady was living still. She must be hard
on to seventy, for she had left the mid
die mile stone well behind twenty years
ago. I'd have liked owning the old
house; though the Lord knows what
want with it, or the land either!'
However, he wrote to the lawyer again,
giving the necessary instructions about
fencing and other matters, and intimat-
ing that his business might require his
presence in the east before many months
had passed, and that in that event he
would probably visit Virginia.
The months had passed, bringing with
them the necessity which Mr.. Anthony
had forecast. He had come east and
was now in Virginia. He had arrived
in the village the evening before and es-
tablished himself for the present at the
solitary boarding house ut could not be
called hoteD of the place, which was
kept by new people, who had been resi-
dent in the village only matter of ten
or twelve years and of course were un-
connected with that bygone time which
to Anthony seemed to move forward and
join hands with the present the moment
he left the train at the wayside station.
Twenty years. Had it been twenty
years since he had seen.it all? 1t might
have been twenty days, he thought at
first. for the little change apparent. The
same, river flowing on with gracious
curves and windings, the same willows
on its banks, the same fields and hills,
the same soft blue mountains in the dis
lance. Could it be twenty years since
he had seen it?
1t was fair picture for loving eyes tc
rest upon, and even the chill unkindnes:
| of the November evening could MOI
| spoil it; but the eyes that gazed from
under dropping lids were more critica
than loving. Soon to their searching
quest changes began to make themselve
apparent. In place of the sleepy old ca
\ nal of his boyhood there was a singh
track, unprosperous, looking railway
and telegraph poles marked the line o
what was formerly the towpath.
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