The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-01-27
IALE on I'ODAI Y.

4 One could not describe the weather.
that day simply as rainy, for the water,
poured down as though some river above.
had burst the dam and, having found I'm.
outlet through the sky, was determined
to make the most Of it. Lemorryn Town
might that day have been q deserted
town, entirely given up to the reception,
OF the doWnpour, for all sign of life there.
was in its streets. True, some smoke
was feebly trying to rise out of some of
the chimneys, and soon after o'clock q:
string Of bedraggled children made their
way home from school soaked and drip
ping, the rain that did not empty itself
on their poor little heads and shoulders.
splashing up again ana soaking their lit
j tie W0rsted covered legs and clumsily-
shod feet. But they quickly vanished
within the various closed doors, and the
rain had the place to itself again, and,
not content with turning the street.-The q
river, trickled in at the ill-ftting doors
and windows and dripped persistently
through the holes in the roofs. Unless
something happened to check the down.
pour soon the tow it BY courtesy
was called bade fair 70 form another:
@arlnsof. the. seq, lFa Yes ripplin2 over.
yvinmin& calmly and out soif the
doors and windows.
.sss D0Wnssm the auay8fa big vessel which
was run so far in that she looked from
the houses high mp on the cliffs which
stretched far out to sea on either side Of
the bay rs though she were crOuching
down in the middle sof the town, was
lying forlorn and deserted. for the men:
who had been loading her with clay had
retired to the shelter OF the shed on the
beach-7--a shelter merely nominal, for the
shed was composed Of but four granite
pillars supp porting an imperfect slate roof,
where they sat wrapped in sacks, and
j i: Win ,lt the big letters on their backs and
CHESTS proving living hOrnbOoks to the
two or three youngsters who, having
escaped from their home after tea, had
come TO share the shelter of the shed.
/: Inc elders sat IN cont ented silence, star
ing absently ont ut the gray, misty sea,
I Illuminating and resting, while the young:
STEERS studied them. They were silent
#pnecause there was nothing to talk about.
y! y osts q the inhabitants Of the place be-.
ing present, conversation was hampered,
ana they We're not in the mood to make
talk or to be cheerful B g
S. !. ~ artn Rowe was the first to break the.
silence, and he spoke with the dir Of an
oracle. H the wind was to get ;up the
rain az d stop bit. = Then he lapsed into
silence ugAil. I
Reuben Hawke granted assent. !, II
out yander tonig Ii t. &
. No one answered. Far out they could
Just see faint trail OF smoke, marking
'Wnere steamer was hurrying along. Il
1cOuidn fancy going along III one of them
there, said an old man in q corner by Il
pillar, nodding slightly toward where the
smoke Of the steamer was melting away
lsa. 50 soon so pom one OF the steam
engines g. and obody can 'cuse me Of that
s. re never even SO much as seed one all
the years they We been tenring about the:
country. 5
H.l reckon u.s. IL have to come to it SOON
5zer g. or later, y responded 10 younger man,,
lazily, but it do seem like tempting,
Providence to do ZEE a harm. re ii was
o. married man, now, shouldn't reckon.
1T right to risk it =
g dunno, Sam; things look different
and could find nothing to say. Marin all
Rowe s. distracted, singsong voice broke
the silence again. eve had i brave
scat Of dryth, q he remarked, evidently.
following out the train Of thought, stl13
rested by Reuben statempIt. 8
change wou1dn' i be out the why nov.
81 For nearly an hour they sat passive,
mating, chewing their guilds OF tobac-s
go, and BY and by the short day closed.
in. and the rain lessened. hen the
light began To fade one Sc the men i . sug-
Sgested that they might as well gu home.
The Others hesitated. They were raid by.
the job, not BY the hour.
bile they were hesitating there was
"a quick step outside and d swish sOf petit
coats, and in another moment.a girl was
IN their mid She was tall graceful
creature with q fine head well set on her.
nj sEvss,KS