The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1895-09-20

father delivered them they sounded like
something that one hnd heard over and
over again. which, Of COURSE, was not the
case, for every wort. Of them was original
and for years niade the iiiost l,;linstakiiig
effort to niastef the art of elolueiiGe; but
ne was never successful, and l always
thought, after he decided it to be in vain,
that he bore the aspect of Il defeated man
The congregation was very poor, and that
being the case it is needless to say that
we were still poorer. There are never
many rich people in Il small seafaring
town. There We're only two rich men
IN our congregation. and us they had
become rich by Il long life Of resolute
refusal to spend any money!. even upon
themselves. they hight as we'll have been
poor, so far as we were concernetl but
they were worthy men. and l may say
here | am we'll aware there was not an
unworthy person in the church.
There We're three of us children. my
sister Phoebe and l and Edmund, our
brother. | was the Oldest, Edmund, or
Ned, as everybody called him, the young
est. he was handsome, gallant boy
We all pinched ourselves dreadfully to
get him through college, but we were all
so proul, of him ahd. so hopeful Of his
future that our little sacrifices never
appeared to us in the light of self-denial.
Once onl v, l felt it, when he complained
OF my dress. one Sunday, as we were
about to start for church. why don't
you look smart, you and Phoebe" he
said. like the rest of the girls?' When
L told him that gowns were very ex-
pensive. he answered. well, even if
they are, there is nothing to prevent yo,,
from having them cut right; they needn't
be as straight in the back. as a deal
board Just as though the material
was everything and the cost of making
nothing. That is all d tt1ati knows abort
it.
This remark, which t coiiid tever for
get, was made in summer. lii winter
we could get along we'll enough. There
were no heart-burnings in winter, but
when the stylish summer visitors an
peared and took possession of the town,
our church included, then we all felt our
trials. Father never worried about his
want OF eloquence in winter, but when
the clersymen from the cities arrived
and took ttirns to prdach in bis pulpit,
the church being crowded almost to suf,
location. [ could see that he weighed
every word and tone they uttered, and
iabored constantly to discover the secret
which enabled them to attract the peo-
pie and render themselves popular and
influential. We also concentrated our
attention upon the same problem, but
there seemed to be no key to it's solution.
Eloquent they. were mort certainly.
many Of them, bit as ttt1like as possible,
and mother declared them to be-neariy
all at least-''horid and superficial" But
TO see the contribution plates after collec-
ton, heaped up with bank notes. They
are most generous people the summer
visitors, l will say that for them. On
one occasion | can positively declare
that l saw $5O-bill in one of the plates!
Just think of it. Why there had been
some seasons when we did not collect $50
during the entire winter! Of course tina
wonderful generosity of the visitors did
not help us, personally, in the least.
nose contributions were made for the
heather, or for the several charities, or
to assist a new church or mission.
Stlil, 1T was trying; to. soit1e of us, at
least, to see this superHuity of wealth,
the more especially beca use the summer
at the same time we received nothing
from its abundance. Our house was
then always full of visitors-one or more
OF the summer clergymen and any Door
members of the church in good standing
who chose to remain with us. Nearly
every summer Phoebe and I roomed to,
gether in order to have one spare room
Ine more 50 tnaI II was really quite q
relief to us when the beautiful sum,
mer days came to an end, and the first
Of the cold rninstorms announced the
approach once more Of the long, dull,
trying winter.
We never could understand why Ed
mund, with all his college education, new,
er could find profitable occupation but it
is certain that he never did. He was a
high-spirited, generous boy, always full
of the fortune he was going to make for
the family, and particularly of the man
ner in which we girls were to be arrayed
when his ship came home; but because
of his inability to find suitable occupation
he drifted into bad company, and one