The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1897-04-09

Sll0ulu presently have-hiSA deserts, ~.
II 1sere but Q boy again
A RIVALS LOVE.
I People said was the luckiest fellow
living, alil I#Quite indorsed their opinion,
for had NOT only entered into posses,
sion Of 4 decent little legacy left me by
my uncle, hut had also won the hahl
and heart of Ada Miller, the prettiest
and most charming Young lady in the
whole county. (.
7 People said her father was Immensely
rich and that She would come in for /.
handsome fortune ut his death: but what
cared l about that? For had | not sufti.
cient for US both, even if she were PEN
niless: And did not hove her with the
whole strength of pure and uisinter-
estrd love: l cannot begin to describe
her to YOU, for the task is quite beyond
me. Suffice it to say that she was adj
mired by all who knew her, and loved
by not Il few.
The latter circumstances ceased to dis
turb me when once | became her uc-
cepted lover, though before that time it
accustomed me 4 great deal Of anxiety,
and caused me- to spend many Il restless
night.
VI one lover i'll particular had l been
jealous, for III my excited and fcur-la,lcn
imagination he seemed to possess every.
thing that 4 young lady could desire. He
was tall. broa,l-shoultleretl, handsome,
dress. and i'll addition to all this. he was
endowed with more than an average
share of this Wo,lds goods.
lie WAS nadly in love with Ada. but
conducted his Wooing in Il way with which
not event his closest rival could find
fault. Kind. cunsilerate and gentleman
iy. never ohtrudsnS his presence unncccs-
sarily. he yet nlallagru to pay her con.
siderable attention, and many an anxious
time did spend fearing that his SUI
perior attractions would put mo III the
shade
Fate. however. decided otherwise, for
when | summoned up courage to put my
fortunes to the test. Ada shyly accepted
NE, informing me in Il most engaging
manner that she had never loved any one
else. You may be sure that | was i'll
ecstaSics. and scarcely knew for the next
few months whether | walked upon air
or upon solid ground.
Our cHga @eineDt WAS to last /, year. ut
the end of which time orr marriage was
to take place.
The time had almost elapsed, and
nothing had occurred to mar the har-
mony OF the scene, when. quite uneN-
Wttruty. something Ia opened which filled
me- with the deepest horror. and which
causes me- to shudder even now as | re-
call it,
1t has partly to do with my rival.
Horace RiShton. whose existence for the
time | had almost forgotten
E}.. hoo t.I.,.,s ~
ga@cn,ent i'll an apparently calm and
quiet manner. and his subsequent BE-
haElor had not led us to regard him as
beng more than ordinarily affected by it.
hut III the event l am about to describe
Was enabled to soc how deep and tragic
the effect upon him really was.
The revelation came in this " Use:
1t wanted but two days to our we'd
ding. and | had occasion to go on lit
boring town, place some four miles
Instant from my home. Having accom-
pllshcd my erranl, and finding that
mad some considerable time to wait for n
tram, Resolved to walk back, SO strik-
ing out. | soon left the town behind me-.
1T was a fine moonlight night. and as
II promised to continue SO. l determined
20 take Il short cut across the country.
which | rcckuned would save Il quarter
of an hour at the least. The road wouh;
he very lonely. for it was a path that
was seldom used. but that troubled me
httle. for my thoughts were comnany
enough that night.
l had gone somewhere about two miles
when the moon suddenly clo,ulc,1 over.
ana was left i'll comparative darkness.
AS knew the way. however, thought
nothing of it, but trudged cheerfully
along; thinking only of .i,la and our a.
preaching union. Suddenly. and Without
a moments warning. the ground gave
way from under my feet. and l felt my
self falling headIonS down. down into tie
depths of the earth. How, far | fell !
kncW not at the time-I learned after
ward that it was about thirty fect-but I
tfSp9cted instant death when | reached
the bottom. and without doubt that would
have, been my fate had not the hottum of
the hole been filled with water to a con
siderable depth. This broke my fall, and
also by its GOODNESS restored me to my
senses.
struck out on coming to the surface,
and SWAN around to find something to
winch l could hold on. After !; consil-
craDie time spent in searching. during
which the full horror Of the stu ton be-
gan to dawn upon me- at last discovered
a piece of woodwork fixed in the side of
the pit.
This l eagerly grasped, and. resting
partially on it with half my body in the
water, began to consider my position.
! had fallen, and as the knowledge
flashed across my mind l cursed myself
for h;iying been SO careless as to stumble
into IT. 1t was an old. disused shaft
which had been there for generations,
Not many people were aware Of its ex.
istence. for it was in a wild and solitary
spot scracely ever visited by any one.
L, however, had seen it several times, in
my moorland wanderings, and had al.
ways regarded it as a dangerous Mace
1t was partially fenced round, but |
must have wandered in through one of
the gaps. -.
. There was no footpath anywhere near
my way. However. here l was, and the
question confronted me. how was / to
get out?
| tried TO discover if it was possible to
climb out. hut the sides of the pit Of
fercd no hold of any kind. so l had to
abandon that idea.
J next shouted. in thu, hope that some
solitary Wandercr might hear my cries,
but no answering voice was heard, until,
after had shouted myself hoarse I was
obliged to sink back in silence and de-
spair
My heart sickcncd AZ thought of the
loneliness OF the place. and how days.
ard even weeks. might elapsc before any
one passed that way. =
| struck ont fraDtically round the pit
to seek again for some means of escape.
but my search was as fruitlcss as before,
Despair took hold of me- l thought
OF Ada, of our approaching marriage,
Of the preparations which had Eeen
made. and the plans which had been
formed
How bright the world had seemed but
few moments before, and how keen
~ | had anticipated it's pleasures! And
now it was all over. I must think no
mere of entering again the bright region
above and sharing i'll the joys that await
ed me there: / was doomed to die-tt,
die Il lonely, solitary. horrible death ami
to lie in Il watcry grave. AS l held on
to. my feeble support and thought Of all
this. my brain reelcd within me, and l
feared that my reason must give way.
Death instead Of marriage! What :,
contrast! Just when ought to be lead
ing my bride to the altar and stepping
across the portal of married life, to let
go my hold here and fall into the cold.
relentless arms of death! And what of
Ada then? Surely she would sorrow,
and grieye. and be disconsolate.