The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1895-11-29

sturied, dark little house that stood hum
bly, by the roadside under some tail elns.
Small us her house was, old Mrs. Robb
found it too large for herself alone; she
only needed the Kitchen and tiny bed
room that led out of it, and there still
remained the best room and d bedroom,
with the low garnet overhead.
There had been 4 time, after she was
left alone. when Mrs. Robb could help
those who were poorer THAN herself.
She owned q pig, and WIS strong enough
hot only to do II Wohlan's work inside her
house but almost Il mains work out
last sickness and age had come hand
in hand, these two relentless enemies of
the poor, and together they had wasted
her strength and substance. She had
always been looked up to by her neigh
boris as being independent, but now she
was left, lame-footed and lame-handed,
with Il debt to carry and her bare land.
and the house ill-provisloned to stand the
siege of time.
For awhile she managed to get on, but
at last it began to be whispered about
that it was no use for anybody to be
so protd; it was easier, for the whole
town to care. for her than for Il few
poorhousc before winter, and be done
with it. at this terrible suggestion her
brave heart seemed to stand still. The
people whom she cared most for hap
rened to In, poor, and she could no long
er go into their households and make her
self of use. The very elms overhead
seemed to say mo" as they groaned
was something appealing even to, the
strange passerby IN the look, of the little
gray house. with Mrs: Robb's pale, wor-
ried face at the window.
II.
Someone has said that anniversaries
are days to make other people happy III,
but sometimes, when they come they
seem to be full of shadows, and the
power of giving JOY to others. that in
alienable right which ought to tighten
the saddened heart. the most Indifferent
sympathy. sometimes even this seems to
be withdrawn.
SO poor old Mary Ann Rohb sat at her
window on the afternoon before
Thanksgiving and felt herself poor and
sorrowful indeed. Across the frozen
road she looked eastward over a great
stretch of cold meadow land brown and
windswept and crossed by icy bitches.
1t seemed to her as if i'll all the troubles
that she had known and carried before
this. there had always been some hope
to hold. rs if she had never looked pov-
erty full in the face and seen its cold
and pitiless look before. She looked
anxiously down the road. with horri-
bic shrinking and dread at the thought
of being asked. out of pity. to join i'll
some Thanksgiving feast. but there was
nobody coming with gifts in hand.
Once she had been full of love for such
days. whether ut home or abroad. but
something had chilled her very heart
now, poor old woman.
Her nearest neighbor had been fore
most of those who wished her 10 20 to
the town farm, and he had said more
than once that it was the only sensible
thing. But John Mander was waiting
impatiently to get her tiny farm into
his own hands; he had advanced some
pretended that there was still debt.
after he had cleared her wood lot
to pay himself back. He would pillow
over the graves in the field corner and
fell the great elms, and waited for his
poor prey like spider. He had often re-
preached her for being too generous to
worthless people in the past and com
ing to be charge to others now. Oh.
if she could only die in her own house
and not suffer the pain of homelessness
and dependence.
1t was just at sunset, and as she
looked out hopelessly across the gray
fields. there was a sudden CLEAN of light
far away OH the low hills beyond, the
clouds opened in the west and let The
sunshine through. One lovely CLEAN shot
swift as an arrow and frightened far
cold hillside where it fell, and at the
same moment sudden CLEAN of hope
frightened the winter landscape of her
heart.
There was Johnny Harris" said
Mary Ann, softly. He was a soldiers
son, left an orphan and distressed. Old
John Mander scolded, but couldn't see
the poor boy want. kept him that year
after he got hurt. spite O what anybody
said. an he helped me what little he
could. He said l was the only mother
he'd ever had. I'm goin' out west,
Mother Robb.' says he. L shan't come
back till l get rich an then he'd look
at me an laugh, so pleasant and boyish
He wa MT one that liked to write. l.
don't think he was dom very we'll
when I heard-therc. it's years ago now.
always thought if he got sick or any
thing, ! should have good home for
him. There was Ezra Blake, the deaf
one. too-he won't have any place to
come to-
The light faded out of doors. and again
Mrs. Robh's troubles stood before her
Yet it was not SO dark as it had been in
her sad heart. She still sat by the win
dow, hoping now, in spite of herself, iu-