Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1893-04-14

"atCucu tne InOOu Us IL CAME SLOWLY up
through the trees and silvered the
waters Of the wide creek.
81 hate him." she murmurcd, aud
again a dry, choking sob. There was
glitter in her eyes that shoue brightly
under the radiance of the moon, and in
her heart sensation born of woe, that
this stranger was usurper and had no
right to this spot, these trees, this rip
pling water, this place that seemed to
her had known her always, tho tho land
was his before she was born. All night
long she sat until the day broke, then
with palo face and weary eyes, she
crept down the ladder, and motioning to
"Nil," the dog, who lay at the foot of
the bed where hcE parents slept, the two
went softly out in tho early autumn
dawn and down to the old ford.
Her heart ached so she was nearly ill.,
Tho scarcely four o'clock, Becchnut
Lord, her companion Of the night pre-.
vious, was before her and unfastcning
his boat.
"You hcre1' she spoke almost
ficrccly.
eyes" he answered humby, not ex-
pressing the surprise he felt at meetin !,
her there at that carly hour, nor making
any explanation as to his own conduct,
while the dull rcd crcpt up to the roots
OF his black hair.
"What you iollcriu' me fora" she
asked savagcly.
Tten he did look surprised, for to
him it had seemed just the other way,
and when he first caught glimpse of
her dress through the trees, his heat
gave sudden bound, and for an instant
0uly, he battered himself she came be-
cause he was there; but it was only for
an instant. Lilo made no reply rs he
pushed the boat into the wntcr and
threw the chain in, preparing to follow.
"1orc ailus IN my way" she said
roughly.
He looked up quickly.
cam I2' deeply.
"Yas, allus an allus. I wish you'd
so away so fur It I'd never see you
ag'in."
She sat down and buried her face in
her hands.
"Do you really mean that Wylic
Adams2" he asked as he stepped into his
little skilT.
"Yas," she nodded, az do" and
then she heard the soft dip of the oars as
the boat went from shore, and mil"
gave low, piteous whine, then all was
still. Presently tic head that was buried
in the long, brown hands fell over to
one side and rested against the trunk of
n tree, and Wyhc Adams slept while the
dog lay doing ut her side.
Voices awoke her, and scramblinr to
her feet, she saw her father with the
handsome stranger coming towards her.
Again the beautiful blush mounted her
checks, and with one bound she was out
of sight, and flying like frightened
bird through the trees and thick under.
brush. When she reached her humble
home again, she paused at tho watering
trough and bathed her face, hands aud
feet.
"Mother," she said, coming close to
her side where she sat in the open door,
"l'm sick; cau't l put on my shocs2"
Mrs. Adams looked up quickly; she
was rough and uncouth, but the mother
heart was there.
IL d'clar fer't, ye look sick. Whar yc
bin so airly, Wylica"
down youder," the girl answered,
nodding towards the creek; and gaining
her mothers consent to don her foot
wear, she hastencd up to tho loft and
put on her one pair of best stockings,
mixed red ana blue wooden, and her
coarse cowhidc shoes, changed her apron,
smoothed down her hair, and came back
and sat down in chair near the fire.
place. The weather was still warm and
balmy, but she felt chilled through.
None too soon, for her father and Mr..
Howard Arson, the stranger, came in
almost instantly.
"What's up2" her father asked, sec
ing his daughter in holiday attire, while
Mr.. Arson, noticing the change, was too
we'll bred to evince any surprise; but he
thought:
"Why, she is quite pretty" and then
forgot all about her.
"I'm afecrd she's sick" Mrs. Adams
answered, solicitously, and laid her
coarse hand very gently upon the girls
hot forhcad.
ooh, 1 reckin not" said father, and
turned his attention to his guest, vino
began making inquiries about procuring
employees to fell the trees and prepare the
ground for building.
Wylic Adams and Beechnut Lord had
grown up side by side on the little
woodland farms owned by their parents,
and each was an only child.
Wylie's was nature always ut war
with itself, and yet, though she stung
him with taunts and treated him worse
than her dog, Beechnut toiled for her,
waited upon her, and loved her with a
dumb, hopeless sort of devotion worthy
of any woman's love, one might have
said a better cause; but there were deep
wells in Wylie Adams's nature, all un-
fathomed, and her capabilities for good
and usefulness, and kindly turns were
great.
That day Wylie learned tnat Mr.. An.
son was to board with her parents for
aavaral ,yeeka aa Mr. A6ama,s bou,a ,,,oo