Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1911-08-11

valley known as Mud Fork. l neve
| had much respect for Mud Fork
somehow, until this trip. l take bacl
all ever said mean about Mud Fork,
tits rich, pretty valley, about fifteen
miles long, ranging in width from
few hundred yards to about perhap:
half mile wide. At the farther enc
is Iron Lithia Spings, just over the
, Jump from Tip Top. In this little
valley. about ten miles up, is what
is known as Africa, where colony
of some twenty colored families live.
Something like forty years ago Oliver
Harper moved there and bought a
home. Other colored men soon follow
ed. Fro, Heath and others, we'll known
colored men of this county, and 9TH
ers, live there now, and are prosper
Gus. Down this little valley winds the
Mud Fork, and unites it's waters with
the Bluestone at the Falls. Just above
Falls Mills is the splendid, dam
thrown across Mud Fork by the N.
and w. Several years ago the COM
pany bought about 500 acres of land
there. The dam is about 20 feet high
several hundred feet long, stretching
from bank to bank, and forming II
beautiful lake more than a mile long.
The water is clear and cool, and in
the channel proper is nearly twenty
feet deep. The shadow of the green
hills ovorhapnipn ~ ooJ tLo l,I,,. H..
above it, gives it beautiful blue
tinge. Seen on quiet, still evening,
just at sunset, children playing on the
green sward on its banks, big bull
frog croaking his hoarse "jug-
and Ia lonely whippoorwill doing its
best in the nearby bushes--well, this
is scene not to be ignored, or soon
forgotten.
1t was pleasure to meet George
Liddle, great big-bodied, big heart
ed young man, engineer at the powder
plant at Nemours. He is Superinten-
dent of little Sunday School, and n
consecrated fellow who loves his work
and Jewell, the efficient agent of the
N. and W., who has class of fine
boys and girls in the Sunday School
and Alex Tabor, the bachelor post
ma ster, who claims to have the finest
class in the school and declares he can
prove it, and j. G. Fink, the miller,
and Dud Baeker, the saw mill man,
both earnest teachers and always as
solemn looking as judges &other good
men and women, too, whose names are
written, no doubt, in The Book.
had my home with Isaiah Harry,
the merchant and Superintendent of
the Sunday School and greatly enjoy
ed him and his family. He has an in
teresting family of nine children-6
boys and 3 girls. His pretty young
daughter, Miss Bertha, is Sunday
School organist, and doest i. we'll.
Isaiah is an enthusiastic Methodist
and devoted to his work. The school
is an union school, and all goes we'll.
He has the gift of song, and his choir
of fine young girls and boys make in
spring music. 1t does an old FASH
Toned fellow good to hear Harry and
his singers sing "When Can Read
My Title Clear" to the old tune.
The old songs are too often laid aside.
The only cloud on the horizon was
caused by Harry not exactly fulfilling
his contract. He promised me volun-
tarily plenty of corn bread and butter
milk. / didn't get the corn bread.
Isaiah said he told his wife to make
it. She said he didn't, and when it
came to a question of veracity be-
tween Isaiah and his wife it didn't
take me minute to decide who to
believe. However, | forgive him.
got so many other fine things that
can forget slight omission.
At the close of the service on Sun
day night, an unusual thing happen
ed. Jewell arose and said that the
Secretary was travelling all over the
county and paying his own expenses,
and that thiswas hardly fair, and tt at
collection should be taken at once
to pay his railroad fare anyhow.
Harry and othres said yes. / protest.
ed that l wanted nothing, and asked
the boys not to do it, but they
wouldn't listen, and passed the hat,
and got enough money to pay expens.
es or more. l am again thankful.
l cannot go on. Time and space is
out. shall always be glad that
lived ito see this occasion. Certainly
no poorssinner ever had better day,
nor looked upon finer crowd, nor
mingled with better people. If the
Sunday Schools were as we'll equipped
and as much appreciated everywhere
as at Falls Mills and vicinity, the
millennium would be nearer at hand.
j. A. l..