The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1896-03-20

them on he turned back his cuffs and
washed his hands ut the sink. When he
had finished he pointed to the sink.
There you are" he said. "Hou can
repair damages"
| was bleeding from my nose, and
from y cut lip, but the cold water soon
stopped that. When | had finished he
asked me if | was all right.
"Pretty WE'LL" said. sim a bit sllaky
on the legs,,-,that's all. You gave me u
good doing"
"Take a candle, then, and 60 in front
know the way" OF course did. Show
me the outside of a house and the inside
is no puzzle to me.
He picked ,up. my knife, the revolver
and the small Jenny and followed me
into the study. He lit the lamp, gave me
the knife back again and locked the re-
volycr and the Jenny away in Il drawer.
And now he slid, won't you sit
d . :;,td He Spok;f to me as !, YER t ;,
II chair opposite me, began to ill a little
old clay pipe.
Il really can't make this out" he
said; you're so small and clumsy.
You've got u nasty temper, but you're
not very plucky. What on earth made
ycH 1 dnt Of H tryns to s 9i hP,xla 4Irro
one thing I'd like to ask YOU. and no dis
respect. What made you think Of being
4 parson-a man Of your build and
strength, and SO handy with your fists
! ask pardon, but you might have done
better
IIe didn't seem to take that as cheek
| at all. For a moment he didn't answer,
and sat sucking his little clay. Then
he sighed and said: Il have sometimes
| thought so myself. But it is quite Ger
tain that YOU might have done better.
How did you come to this!'
Il had no bringing up, and read
penny trashy novels"
Ile tapped his foot impatiently Oh the
carpet: well, well-go on
nia"l l ii was ,, led Away by bad gom-
and not knowing what it was to have q
mothers tender"
He got up and interrupted me. "Now
drop all that,' he said. II want facts;
tell me the story of your life. How did
YOU come to this?''
PART ii:
Partly from admiring the man, and
partly from whim, l did tell him the
story. and told him the plain truth, too.
1t was pretty strong, but I left nothing
out, and he never stopped me. When l
had finished he THANKED ME:
"Then,' he said, coming Of decent
good chance in life, you nome the less
have been from your earliest bothood
just about as bad lis you ire nUw-bad
all through-always bad"
That is about the mark" answered
Then l thought to- myself that it would
be one of two things-either he would
take me out and hand me over to the
police, or else he would ask me to join
him in prayer. I expected the latter.
He did neither. He walked, up and
down the room. with his hands behind
him, saying to himself: And / preach
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS." Sudden
~ he smiled again in that queer way of
M SYou,ve kept me up very, late"
come uncommonly hungry. What do
you say? Will you come and help me to
get some supper? Very well, then, come
Quietly; l don't want to wake the rest
of the house,
SO went with him into the kitchen
and carried things from there into the
cloth, silver forks. and everything of the
best. There was a cold game pie, IL ripe
stilton and Il bottle of Burgundy. 1 new
er had a better supper in my life He
passed me anything | wanted and filled
my glass. For the life of nc. couldn' t
help grinning.
"Now. then" he said. whats anus
=
II was only thinking, that's ALL It
seems queer way for a parsoh like you
to treat Il chap like me. / come here
to crack this crib, you fairly get me, and
no word about the police-never a word,
First you give me Il thrashing and then
you give me supper
,"Well. you can't deny that you want
ed both of them badly. What else should
a parson have done? What did you OK
Uect-tell me- HONESTLY ,,
'.Speaking honestly, l expected more
talk-nore parson talk, you know"
And what do YOU mean by that?"
why, the sort of thing I was always
hearing when l was boy-about the
sinfnlness Of it, and rcpenting, and hell >
DO YOU think it would do you any
good if l talked like that?'
well, no."
''Nor do l." He changed the subject
then, and told me there was good
chance for work at Enton mills. They
were short-handed there for the mo