The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-02-24
my heels and hit green fields again
that Id walk from here to Spring Val
ley IL you say the word.

that Id walk from here to Spring Val
ley If you say the word.
Hopefully yours,
@'s BART WILLIS"
"I think you're taking a fearful risk
on your shoulders, Sue" her mother
said after she had heard the letter
"You could hire the farm work done"
IT won't do that this year, mother
dear Last spring we tried 1t, and II
was a psrGoct frost. Nobody wants TO
work. out here excepting on his own
farm, You have to wait and beg and
beg and wait for them to begin to plow
and harrowtfor you. want to swing
it myself this time, please. Why, we
lost enough hay letting 1t stand last
year to almost pay man for slS
months. only offered fifteen month
and board. That's little enough. sun
except for the hay lands, there isn't SO
much to keep up. I'm going to SEND
for him.
Accordingly, Spring Valley had q
thrill the end of tho week when tall
dstermincdlooking young man swung
off the early boat train with a suit case
and asked the way to the LOOMS farm.
All he had to do was follow the tele'
graph poles; he was told, and when he
came to the white mail box under the
rock ma2la that was the right place.
N Old Mrs LOOMS saw him from the
sitting room window and went and out
to greet him. AS she said later to sue
right away, he had such way WIN
him and seemed such a clean, whole
some sort OF big boy
Before, Sue came in from, cutting out
dead raspberry canes in the garden
he had told her mother all about now
he'd been born on a farm up In ROCK
land county, New York state, and dflf-
ted down to the city to win his fortune.
55l"But l think ifsthe soils inyour sys.
TEN, you can't be contented in city,
ne sand. "Fathe: and mother are
both gone now, and the old place was
sold long ago. Somehow when ] read
the ad. in the Sunday paper ana
caught a Whit of spring in the air
had to take q chance on It nope
I'll suit" ~, :,
me-" answered Mrs. LOOMS, plactdly:
I'm sure like the look OF you real
we'll. Sue runs the place since her
father died, and you'll work Tor her.
Sufting Sue was a curious occupa'
tion. Bart found out. She liked him
at first sight, the same as her mother
had hit she had no intention OF let
ting him know the fact.
The first day of his arrival, she leo
him all over her forty-seVen acres o.
meadow, hay, lands and the garden
with its bit Of orchard, the oarn ana
long lane to the pastures, ana iasL OF
all, the pine woods to the north that
formed a wind break for the garden
He found that day by day she was y PC
side him when he least expected 70
see her, advising, correcting, ana
consulting with him. :
E"You see, love the land ana
want to build it up" she told MN.
aFTather Just took and took from It
wear after year and wondered why "
didn't bear for him, but I'm running
II differently. II never liked the house,
though. ats SO bare and lonesome
looking ,Father'd 4 never put on q
norch for us, or fixed It up. l do wish
it were a different shape"
"perhaps toward fall thereH be
fine to do something with It" Bart
said .ssYou can do wonders with ce-
ment and paint and ideas.
="But-n'i Sue. hesitated. 7 though
Won only said you'd stay until the
summers work was, done"
f"T like II ,here,sa the city boy ans
wered briefly, lifting his head to the
ann and air and beauty OF It all like
the horses, Bess and Ready, out in
the pasture. s.I'll stay as long as
suit you, Miss Loomis. y. !,
a. Under his care, the old farm seemed
"a mt forth Its very best efforts to
make good There had never been
suchS a garden crop, even Mrs. LOOMS
said Ssuch a mess OF snew things too.
"a he grew-fancy tomatoes, and
brussels sprouts and early corn that
beat syeryhody y; around, the mail car