Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1894-11-23

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mental and physical suffering.
Like many of tho poor settlers on
the great Western plans she had ex-
perienced the bitter trials and hard
ships of II long and unsuccessful war
fare against poverty. There was a
yearning, soul-hungry expression on
her sad, wan face TINT was touchinply
pathetic.
Up across the prairie from the west
came another woman. She was young
not above twenty Mt the most. She
was tall and slender, almost to frailty,
md her face wore that sad, wan ey-
preston that characterized Mrs. Ash
by, but without the hopeless, despair
ing look.
"Well, Mnry?" Mrs. Ashby said, in
an eager, questioning tone, rs tho
younger woman approached and SINK
to sent by tho cabin door.
'Dick Enness will not buy the
claim. mother" tho other replied,
folding her hands in her lap.
Mrs. Ashby stared ut her daughter
in amazement.
"Why, Maryl' she finally ex-
claimed, chow is that? I thought he
wanted to buy it,"
living, but he has changed his mind
now"
''But why has he changed his mind +?
He surely needs the claim now rs much
us he needed then"
"Yes, he does"
"Then, why doesn't he want it
now?"
''He does want it, mother"
''Then why don't he buy it?"
Mary hesitated moment, then ris-
ing and drawing her form to it's full
height, with angry indignation, re-
piled:
"Mother, Dick Enness is n rascal,
md he won't buy our claim because he
thinks by waiting little while he can
get it for nothing. He was anxious to
buy it while father WIS living because
he knew father could hold it, but he
thinks now we will be compelled to
give it up and move away, and then
he will have nothing to do but enter it
in our stead"
Surely, Mary, Dick Enness did
not tell you thnt?" Mrs. Ashby said,
incredulously.
"No," Mary answered. But he
said enough to make his meaning
clear. He means to get this claim,
and without paying anything for it. -
Mary twirled her bonnet nervously,
and nm expression of set determination
gradually oversprend her features.
With deep sigh Mrs. Ashby at last
broke the silence.
"Well," she snid, eff what you say
is true, Mary, don't see that there is
any hopo for us. 1t is hard to believe
that Enness would take advantage of
our helplessness and deprive us Of our
land when VIC have worked SO hnrd to
improve it. [ would never have
thought ne could be SO heartless.
Neither would l." Mary replied
sit is poor return for the way father
helped Dick Enness when no came
here and tho way he nursed him and
helped him in his crop last year when
he was sick. Flo might, Mt the least.
pay MS for tho work that's been done
on tho claim, rather than to see us
turned out in the world with nothing.
But, mother, he shall not have our
home. 1 thought it all over as came
back across the prairie and made up
my mind that we wouldn't give it
up"
Mrs. Ashby looked at her daughter
in nstonishment.
"Why, Mary" she said, show cen
we help giving it up? We have no
means of living here unless we can
raise crop"
81 know that, but wc'll raise n
CROP Mary replied, with quiet de-
termination.
..But how can we?" Mrs. Ashby
asked: eve haven't dollar to hire
help, and nobody is going to work for
us without the money in hand"
''We won't ask anybody to work for
ue," Mary said. "We'll work for our
selves. We'll SOW the land in wheat,
just as father intended to do, and I'll
break the ground and drill the grain
myself"
"Yon?" the mother exclaimed, in
credulously.
eyes, IT, Mary replied, firmly.
"But, Child" Mrs. Ashby protested,
"think what a task it would be, and
= ~. H. Z,