The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-07-21
BASE USES.

~ III III II ! UQOu UNuUs
Beyond Dieppe is fair country skirt
ing blue sea, and the poppies grow red
and tall in the rustling wheat. The
hedges are starred with blossoms and
powdered With dust, for the highways
are the roads Of many. :
Halfway down the steep Hill is d little
hostel. Il roadside inn. 1t has face OF
flowers. and is pleasant; it smiles with
the welcome OF a courteous native to the
casual stranger: it invites inspection; it
suggests refreshment; and it DISCUSSES
the materialistic form Of it's refreshment
with the glamour of roses and rustic
porch.
The day was hot, and l hesitated ut
the porch. The room inside looked cool:
it had a stone floor and latticed win
dow, which was thrust open. Then l
saw the tiutter of pink gown, and a
silvery laugh came to ME. l had Il
married sister waiting for me at Pour
vile, and l was already late; but then,
l argued, l always had married sis
ter. and she was generally. waiting, for
me somewhere. for l am invariably late;
and pink gown, in conjunction with so
Silvery laugh, was alluring. l went in.
The sunlight*outside was very bright,
the halt-light in the room was dim. and
| stepped upon a dog,a pug dog, after
familiarity with his teeth. That de-
stroyed the effect of my entrance. 1t
produced a hurried exclamation and
half-laugh, translated into cough. The
exclamation came from HE: l apOlogized
profusely to the lady who had been in
determinate as to laugh or cough. She
was, l saw. divinely small, a cool, sweet,
f-a as
lurking in the eyes; figure slight, will
Lowry; an air of command, and a dress
uncomfortable to an insular understand
ing-a mere dream of light frills, soft
silks and color.
She drew herself up with some hauteur
to the full extent OF her five feet four
inches. from which deducted two inches
In the labor of buttoning Il long glove
she spoke.
Monsieur, l too must apologize 1t
was ill Of Fido: 1t is pardonable that in
the heat of such Il surprise a man should
say-should say what you said"
~ she went on, buttoning her glove,
with her eyes fixed on me under the cur
tain of their long lashes, Il thought you
were someone else
hate to be taken for anybody else but
myself like to keep the Hattering hope
u.
Madame" | answered, Il am sorry
that was not the other person"
She looked at me for quite while,
which made me feel uncomfortable. at
such moments l have always misgiving
that my tie has wriggled. Then she
smiled. The smile began in her eyes,
spread to her lips, and finally took refuge
pathy partly, and partly to show her that
1 bore her no i'll will for her mistake.
Does monsieur generally enter an inn
to tread on little dogs" l became aware
that l had not summoned the landlord
was also aware that did not wish to
summon the landlord.
Il heard you laugh l said. The fact
seemed all eloquent to me, it appeared
so to her.
Il was expecting someone. We had
quarreled," she made reply.
He was to blame"
. Il have not said that it was a man.
1T was unnecessary. You were good
enough not, to think me devoid of com
mon sense
He departed in anger"
"a most i'll tempered man.
''If l were in the wrong
Which is supposition very much
strained
Il should be miserable, but as it is
laugh
And when you laugh the world stops
at your window
Monsieur is pleased to regard himself
in a! very tlattering light"
And |, as the only tangible object Of
the world, entered
She played a short solo upon the stone
floor with the tap of her shoe; it was
crescendo. Her brow-it was as marble
for wilderness and as soft as rose leaves
-wrinkled in thought, her lips-I hardly
knew whether to bless the gods for per-
uniting me a sight or curse them for the
hot mptatiOn-puckered. She was evil
1T is" she said at length, IAN uncere-
mOnious entrance
1T is an unceremonious introduction"
| corrected;;. the entrance was not un-
ccremonious'
"Unless to Fido." She laughed little,
and l began to find her laugh rather irri-
tating-at times. But the worst of it
is there has been no introduction
Does that matter?" l asked. For my
part l was willing to forego such triviali-
ties.
Il do not know your name."
Nor yours, SO that is bond of SYM
pathy. Let u.s. ! went on in a glow of
inspiration, Imagine that we have been
introduced at dance. One never knows
the names in such cases.
He was certainly to blame''
''Certainy. If man willingly walks
out of Paradise he must be either fool
Or
''He will come back"
taking up my hat from the chair.
Really" she answered, "a man who
willingly walks out Off,
But | DON'T objected: Il go with
the greatest reluctance
1T is very hot in the sun, monsieur"
Madame, greatly fear sunstroke. 1t
fatality for my family
replaced my hat upon the chair on
Whlch had previously seated myself,
ana seated myself upon the chair on
", which | had previously placed my hat.
lhat CHAIR was nearer to madame by
over a foot.
"Monsieur is prudent she said, and
smiled. | should have been perfectly
happy if her gaze did not SO often wan
der through the window frame and seek
the sunshine outside.
her ardently, "imprudent.'' 80
THAT is hardly in the nature of a COM
Because went on boldly, Gin the
peru my future peace"
She beat another solo upon the floor
and again looked into the sunshine. NV
eyes followed the direction of hers, and
l thought saw hat. The hat was Sc
we're, nay, rigid; it was a masculine hat.
is the peril so great?" she asked. She
spoke so softly that l pushed nv chair
little nearer to her and leaned forward.
The answer is entirely in your hands.
madame, said.
There may be no peril" she pouted,
for who knows what tree of love NAV
spring from this mere grain of barely ten
minutes?'
She glanced at me sideways.
Have you noticed the roses at the
window?''
NO." l answered. "They are there,
no doubt-roses are often at windows
but | have eyes for you only"