Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1914-01-23
Phone No. 81

the editors are block heads, or
wooden heads. / can pick out a
number of men who never read
their county paper for instance,
except to see if their names are
mentioned. If the editors could
guarantee to mention the names
ofthese smart Alexis every week
or every day, they could be
certain that their papers would
be read. Yes sir, these self con-
ceited, pulled up wind TANNERS
are not readers of the papers,
nine times out of ten for the
reason that, as | have stated,
they think they know a great
more than the man knows who
is running the paper, on all sub
jects.
Let 'em go. They don't amount
to any big things after all. Now,
as to the other fellows who wont
take a paper at all, they make
me madden than the other class
do. Take Bill Sykes, for instance.
He lives just beyond me on the
Goose Greek road, and tries to
make a living farmin', and you
just ought'er see how he does it.
He is the slipshoddest, slack
wristedes farmer you ever saw.
His land is naturally strong, too,
and produces well if halfworked,
but Bill is always in debt, hasn't
a decent horse on the place. |
think he made about Is bushels
corn to the acre last year, and
about 8 bushels of wheat, and all
because he don't know how to
do any better. And what makes
me hot in the collar is, that he
wont try to learn how. | went
to see him the other day, and
told him of your offer of the
Clinch Valley News and Progress
sive Farmer, showed him sample
copies, also of other good and
cheap publications, and done
my best on him, but to no good.
He said he knowed as much and
more about farmin' than any of
them fellers who was runnin' the
paper. His daddy Learned him
how to farm long before these
fellers was born," he said, and
| couldn't do dasted thing with
him. Finally l offered to give
him paper for a year free, but
he said if he wanted papers he
was able to pay for 'em, and
believe got sorter mad, and
rode off and left the sorry cuss,
and | amt goin' to bother
him again. But / do feel SORRY
for his wife and children. They
carry all the water they use
} about quarter of mile, up a
hill. His wife cuts and carries
in most of the wood, and look S
like a skeleton. She was a pretty
girl.
| knowed her when she was q
kid. And when she married Bill
Sykes there wasn't prettier
girl in the county. She was
smart, too. She used to sing in
the choir at old Jerusalem, and
she could sing, too. A young
preacher fell in love with her
once, and wanted to marry her,
but her folks kicked up a racket
because he was a methodist and
she was a Baptist, and so, she
married Bill finally, heather.
She drove her ducks to a bad
market, for Bill has succeeded
at doing nothing except raise
children. They have had nine
already. The three oldest, boys,
left home as soon as they were
old enough to work, and | didn't
blame 'em. Truth is, Bill run'em
away by his sorry one-horse
doins. And Bill amt by himself.
There are other farmers Just
like him, some worse. They know
it all-dont want to know any
more wouldn't know if they
could. The fool killer must be
dead or not on the job now"
Uncle John ratified on, let his
pipe go out several times, and
finally jumped up, picked up
his hat, and left. He said he
needed fresh air, "to cool off. b"
A few minutes later he went
whizzing by in his buggy, drawn
by a splendid bay horse.
The wheels of the buggy
seemed solid planks. and his
long beard, parted in the center
OF his chin was blowing back
over his Shoulders