The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-06-23
THE SURRENDER OF JOSHUA

" hen widow puts Il notice on her
window to the effect that there is accom-
mediation within for Il respectable single
man it usually means mischief. 1t is the
old, old invitation of the spider to the
fly. How on earth could Il mere. or.i-
nary. inexperienced guilrless single man
b. otherwise than clay in the hands of
Mrs. Potter:
Originally Il WhtlkS. she had married
in the first place Il ligSnn, and in the
Potter.
The grass on the grave of the latter
having now begun to grow quite luNuri-
antlS. the rrhct considered that to re-
main Il widow any longer would be sheer
waste Of time and opportunity. Hence
the card--SiN inches by four-with the
announcement referred to.
The rest" said Mrs. Potter. Il leaves
to Providence"
And Providence. thus piouSly invoked
responded with loShau JehbingS.
Mrs. Potter summed him up in one
word. "GinSer.' she commented COM
pacently. land never knnwed Il ginger
man or boy with what You could call II
Sperrit.
Indeed. >n satisfactory was the general
outlook that she began picking the Grape
tuckS off her best mrrino without fur
Their delay.
During the first few weeks Joshua Jeb-
tlngS rubbed his hands and felt he WIS
in clover. His new lanllady did" for
him as he had never been dome" for be-
fore. When he came in from work-hr
Was "wheelwright to his trade''-there
WAS his dinner ready to the minute. AS
soon as he opened the door the savory
smell Of onions, or the cheerful sound of
sauSageS, or SOME other dainty. frizzling
III the frying pan. Saluted him. while
there was nearly always lettuce, fresh
pulled for his tea.
HE WAS an unaSSuming individual, was
Joshua, and so WAS conscious at times
Of vague preStntiment that this was a
condition Of affairs too good to last 1t
was joe Whibble who first opened his
eyes to the snare that was being spread
for him.
Reckon ven he for putting up the
bands fore long" remarked this worthy
with significant wink.
bannS: exclaimed Joshua, Il amt
got nothink to do with hanns, l amt"
naha>hed by the array OF negatives
JOG executed another wink of even dead
her significance. but contented himself
with tn the skeptical monosyllable "G'arn."
his was all that passed at that time
but Joshua went home with the ominous
word bands ranking in his breast.
tie was very silent over his tea eX-
cept When Il bone went the wrong way
His landlady kept an intermittent watch
on him out of the corner of her eye
IT about time | give I'M Il int" she
thought. "Time'S getting on, and Whit
Snnti,le'd do as we'll as not
1t was at this moment that Mr. .Jeb-
hlngs. looking up. caught her eye. But
for the poison inStilled into his mind by
Joe Nhibble. it is probable that he would
nave seen nothing particular in it, AS
1t was. it seemed to look 'bandS" ut him
which WAS worse than laggers Mr..
.IehblnSS choked again. partly from emo
ton and partly owing to another misdi-
retteu fShbOne
Mrs. Potter sighed sigh of fond rem
in>cen,r.
II declare. if you don't remind me for
all the world OF Higson. Wonderful one
ne were t" choke. I've knowe, him to 90
black III the face over Il red herring.
And moren once he's brought nv heart
INTO my mouth with an apple core. But
for all that. he lived to die in his bed
AS soon as supper was over Joshua
slipped out and sought solace and Securi-
ty at the Ham and Chicken. Joe was
there. and to him Mr.. .JebbngS-after
the usual Interchange of opinions on tho
weather. the crops and the price of Digs
put Il poser.
"SpoSin' Il wid-that is Il wom-nast-
ways female makes up her mind to
marry man and he won't have her,
what them"
AS a gin'ral rule" responded the ora
Gle, after seeking inspiration ut the bot
tom of his blue and white earthenware
pint mug. ''aS Il gin raj rule she narries
him all the same
Mr.. JehbnsS raSped his chin despond-
emily with the back of his han,l
"Aint there no way of choking her
off, he asked. desperately.
depends whether she's single or a
wid.ler,' replied Joe with an expression
of deep meaning.
'S'pose we allows just for the sake
. argument. as she is IL witlder''
'',Then,' said Joe, slowly and emphati-
cally. my advice is 'ook it,"
Joshua Jebbngs quilted the Ham and
Chicken strung up to the pitch of giving
his landlady Il weeks notice. BY the
time he reached the corner of his road his
resolution was oozing fast; there vas
hardly a vestige of it left as he raised the
latch.
The first thing that met his too con-
scious gaze was Mrs. Potter.
IF it's all the same to YOU" put in