Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-08-21
LITTLE wICoMICo RIVER.

wonder why tits that correspond
ents of the country newspapers are so
irregular in sending the local news.
By fits and starts they send in regu-
lar weekly letters, aud then again
months may elapse before they are
heard from. Take me for example.
Why, it has been q coon's age since
chronicled the happenings around
this section. And / am not prom
ising to amend my way, either. That
tired feeling is very persuasive when
it whispers softly, ''don't write today;
wait until tomorrow" And it usu-
ally gains its day, and you wait until
tomorrow, which never comes.
Sunday, the 9th, a sailing party
discovered drowned man on the
beach at the mouth of the river, anu
securing help proceeded to make a
box and bury him. Nothing was
found on the body that would help
to identify him. He was apparently
a large man, about six feet tall or
possibly an inch shorter. He was
dressed in grayish trousers with
stripes, black coat and vests, black
stockings and patent leather. shoes.
He had on what seemed to be a per-
Gale shirt with black stripes and
dots, and wore a narrow black tie.
The four-button coat was buttoned
up to the chin and the collar turned
up. The features were destroyed to
such degree that nothing was rec
ognizable. The hair was gone ex-
cept hair here and there which APP
peared to be black.
Last November Capt Roy Gaskins
found man adrift aud carried him
ashore at the same place the one was
found Sunday. The two lie near to-
gether. This man had evidently
been drowned in attempting to swim
ashore from some boat. He had a
derby hat tied on his head, and a
pair of oiled pants on with an oiled
jacket fastened In the waist; not a
rag of other clothing. He was tall
slender man with light hair.
With the passing of the dog days
the political pot begins to bubble and
we may expect to find it boiling over
before long. Now that there are
two avowed candidates for Common.
wealth's Attorney things are getting
quite lively. l.. L. Smith, who is
in Germany, drinking the nasty min
eral water, and perhaps acquiring a
taste for imburger and beer, is not
on the ground, but his fences are be.
ing looked after by his faithful lieu
tenants of Fair6elds.s He is fortu-
nate in being able to run his cam
Ipaign by proxy, like he runs his
office of Attorney for the Com.
monwealth. Some people think
it shame that the poor fellow
hasn't any opposition at all. They
seem to think that as he is not
IN good health the sovereigns ought
TO compel him to take the of
flee, whether he is able to perform
the duties or not. But then, maybe
they are better satisfied to have it
run by proxy than personality. IL
so, they must consider the proxy the
better man. But there are others
unreasonable enough to think that
If Mr.. Smith cannot run the office
himself, he might at least have the
duties performed by resident law
yer, instead of one from another
county. 1t would seem as if the
people of Northumberland ought to
have an attorney of their own, and
not have to depend on another
county. Mr.. Smiths efforts to swal-
low everything in sight reminds me
ola little story. Once upon time
there was sick man who hankered
after apple dumplings. His good
wife made lot-seventeen in all
80 the children could have some too.
The sick man sat down and pulled
the dish of dumplings to him and
began to eat. He ate one and it was
80 good he ate another, and another,
and so on until there was but one left.
AS he took the last one, one of the
children cried ont "Papa, amt we
goin' to get any dumplings?" The
sick man said, "Children, would you
take the last dumping from your
poor, sick father"
GHo. III. SMITH.