The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1895-09-13

to Myrtilla's limited vision a person of
very wide experience indeed.
She accepted him as. authority IN all
subjects save spiritual ones, but here
her traditions were too strong, aud her
youthful convictions too deeply rooted,
to admit Of change.
One point that had always been en-
larged upon i'll her. lessons was that
anything that seemed particularly pleas
iindalged IN Would 1fead her forcibi, Away
froil the, iidrfoW and ilost Uncomfortable
path, which she, was assiireu was the
oniS, thB9sh still soitiewliat uncertain,
f2titE to rsIilf's of not particularly at
with this latter tbYasht bsff0ofes her
MSrttllla felt serious misgivings as SOON
as she foupd that her ,3!sssociation:, With
ciiei to g ct ; jasabt'ss point !" r'te Of view e o% the
subject. 50 at their next meeting she ill.,.
CURED: Jason, do yer think pleasant
things sis satan's tricks?"
saspn, who was lnpnEing in the grass
whiting Il stick, lUUktn ut her seriously
a moment. then said: Myrtle, who tells
You all the rubbish you talk"
>,.MX Sunday school teacher" answered
ant they make us fergit we're sinful
creatures"
THAT'S not true" stoutly protested Ja-
son. my father is Il good man, and he
says God made all pleasant things and
put us here to enjoy them. and, Myrtle,
YOU Just bet I'm going to have all the fun
l san."
co1iifnrtel Myrtilla for II time, but short
~ atb} s. III mi s4S Es w. !'? sH;a s sHst, W:
Been g;allivantin' again with tibet city
boy. l s'pose. Do yer think God loves
little girls that wastes their time? Go
right out now and pick some blackberries
fur supper
This threw Myrtilla back into her con-
dltlon of doubt as to the safety of en-
Toying Jason's companionship, and she
hnally decided to consult her Sunday
school teacher.
The next day she made an errand into
the village: mud On the way she paid Il
call Upon the severely devuut stit,stet Mt
whose ttdiiella=r1ad feet SHE sat each
Stin!laS to leatii;, This lady heard Myr-
tllla's stoft with atttittiyil; SHE knew
Jason by sight, dis he HAD been induced
, make one appearances at Sunday
atmosphere, and declined to appear
ag'lih;; if ,eoiiSelueltE Of, which lie was
rrgardeq by the good villagers as being
~stif-nttkcd and l}ervetsc. Now, with this
in her yiiiihd, it. occurred to this good if
not very. literal ttiipde4 ltdy that posi-
ply Myrtil!!a itiis1it lie the dgeht OF Provi-
dente III bringing this Young Philistinc
to 4 realizing sense Of his sinfulness.
III e lc GO H;nx 81 this idea to Myr-
mind tie; iiiipftsSioi that il Jason was
by any chance saved from pefdition it
would be through her influence and sup
plications.
After this Myrtilla sought Jason's So
clefy: and lost no opportunity of talking
to him on spiritual topics. Jason occa.
slonally met her remarks with spirited
resistance res or ridicule,, but finding that
she was shocked and hurt by such a
course. he finally listened to anything she
lau to say. and being an easy>guing lad
affected to agtee with her whenever
RESPONSE, was necessary.
Mfftilla felt clleered by this, and feel
ing that she Yas Making, progress i'll the
good cause; SHE, allowed, herself some re
plattiiie snafihg birds; fishing in the
brooks Of going ON eXciifslons. Tito the
woods, where Jason told Myftiiia many
wonderful facts in natural history.
Inc autumn days came OH aDace, and
Jason was recalled to town; Myrtilla
made him promise to read his Bible daily,
Il promise, it is needless to say, he forgot
almost as soon as made.
Myrtilla's home life was IL lonely one:
she and her mother had been alone ever
sine" Myrtilla could remember. They had
nothing but the little farm, with the old
Weathef-bettet1 farmhouse; the land was
faf1ned oil %sf1atts, ind on their half of
the proceeds Myttilla and her widowed
iilgthcf We're obliged to live.
jason had ;sstired ,Myrtil1a that he
should return to the village the next sum-
mer. but summer cln1e with no Jason.
and then Myrtilla heard that he had
gone with his father to Europe for a
year of travel. The year went by and
other years followed and faded into the
infinite past as years lave a way of
doing. even i'll Il New England village, .un-
til four of them had gone.
Myrtil1a meanwhile had thriven mate.
rally on her poor fare, and mentally on
the poorer pabulum doled out to her at
school she was pretty, with q quaint old
fashioned serious prettiness, that had no
value from the village point. of view.
She how taught a class in Sunday school
herself; she was IN indefatigible church
worker, she frequently spoke in meet
ing and was considered to be very much
Il 'child of grace"
1t was about this time that into her
life, as suddenly as the first coming.
came Jason. It was almost at the iden-
Teal spot Of their first meeting four years