The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-12-08
THEIR TWO HQMEGQM|NG&

ltlLIll IuV llViIlLVUlIIIlluU
l was winding my way up the narrow
stairway to my domain, five-minute
taper in my hand to guide me through
the darkness. stopped suddenly half
way down the corridor. In the dim,
Pickering light of my taper saw fast
ened to the door of my landlady's room
white sheet of paper. 1t was pinned
above the doorknob and contained a
brief message.
Dear children" it read, God bless
your home coming. love YOU both, dear
daughter and beloved SON. couldn't
wait for you, because had to 80 to the
theater. Your mother
All, | said to myself, ''the young
couple are coming home AS the latch
Of my own door clicked | heard two per.
sons come up the stairway.
My mother is not ut home" said q
CHEEKY, manly voice, but here is her
greeting. as kind and loving as ever
don't know what else the man or
the woman said-Sweet love words, no
doubt, such as young husband and
wife are apt to indulge in on their we'd
ding night
Mrs. Alberta Damman had been my
landlady now for two years. She was Il
little. rotund woman. with a vivacious
temperament, which betrayed every min
ute the presence of actor blood in her
veins: For many years, she told me, she
had been wardrobe woman in the only
Stock-company house in the city. She
had saved up little money, which she
loaned at reasonable interest to actors
and actresses in hard luck. and she was
able besides to do Il profitable business in
MN .h,,. off ~,
dresses and stage gowns. The glib
tOngueu wardrobe woman was as pas
sionately fond of the theater as she was
picture>Quely disorderly about the three
rooms which she herself occupied. My own
rooms. in happy contrast, were neatly
and simply furnished and always kept
scrupulouSly clean. The disorder in hers
WAS appalling and sitting to me. Fur
niture from all kinds of periods hob
nobbed with chandeliers and cheval
glasses of long-forgotten. periods.
Mrs. DammanS son was very different
in character and disposition from his
mother. While she WAS shrewd and full
Ct temperament, he was taciturn and
slow of comprehension. Despite his thir-
ty years he was as helpless as a child
almost. In his habits he was absolutely
had given him the position Of head book
keeper at a moderate salary. His
mother and he always ate their meals
together. On Sunday he went to the
theater, and during the week he waited
patiently. for the old lady 10 return from
the playhouse. that he might partake of
supper with her. Then she would tell
happened during the performance, while
he listened musingly and sometimes with
eyes almost closed in Sleep
Now, this idyllic existence was about
to be interrupted or rather extended
Dung Damman grew courageous one
day and confessed to his mother that he
loved girl and had promised to marry
ner. Mrs. Damman's verbosity would
not permit her to conceal this fact from
me. AS she was serving my coffee one
morning she acquainted me with the new
state of affairs.
DO you know your sons fancee"
asked. just a little uneasy as to how she
would take. this sudden SURPRISE
no. she had never seen her, but in
curry among friends elected the informal
ton that she came Of respectable fam
lily and was good-looking young miss.
III receive her as my daughter she
said, and they can both live here NV
sons salary is not large enough to sup
port a separate household, and l cannot
give him anything out Of my own means.
so they will have to make their home
here, and my daughtcr-in-law will have
to learn how to please me-"
Now the wedding had been celebrated
and henceforth the young people would
be my neighborS. for their room was
next to mine. II my misgivings had con-
tinued about the new member of the
household. that friendly welcome, pinned
to the door of my landlady's quarters on
the eve of her arrival, would have dis
PEELED them. In the morning Mrs. Dam
rolls.
''They are here she said, with a
broad, motherly smile. Didn't you hear
the noise we made when | came home
last night? My daughter is Il perfect lit
tie W,,it,c: 81 as peach, too. l know
you'll like her.
An hour later | sauntered down the
sang gay little ditty.
''The BRIDE" l unused, and presently
she hove in sight, welding broom with
a pal" of round dimpled arms barred to
the shoulders. The moment she saw me
she hlushed and disappeared, dropping
the broom On a little heap of duS, she
had swept together. On top of tEe: heap,
staring at me in uncomfortable fashion,
lay scrap Of whire paper.
THE welcome" l murmurcd, and
stopped and lifted the motherly greeting
to save it from destruction with the rest
of the debris.
''She can't be very sentimental,' was
my silent comment, 'or she would have
treasured these penciled lines all her
life" Naturally | soon made the ac-
Guaintance Of the, youthful bride and
law had said of her. She was as handy
and alert about the 1hstlse as she was
fresh and pretty; ~: Damman was re-
leved of a goodsssgsal of work, although
she superintendent the household as of
old. Fred Damman, the young husband,
was head over ears in !crc :;'ith his wife
and she seemed fond of him in her in
gennOns, girlish fashion. There wern
little chickering's between the two women
in an hour and all was as calm and
peaceful as Of old.
An unusual stress Of business kept me
away from the house longer than had
been my custom, and when summer
came l was ready to indulge i'll an ex-
tended journey that was likely to keep
me away from Mrs. Damman's house for
at least three months.
Upon my return the family received
me with open arms. All three had a
friendly word for me and for each other.
and | was more than delighted ut the
continued harmony that pervaded my
1andlady's home. That much of this
harmony was sham | learned before
many days. Mrs. Damman was the first
to pour out her heart to me. She com
planned bitterly of the younger woman's
willfulness, that her daughter-in-law
nsurped rights which did not belong to
her and threatened dissolution of the
household. 1t came sooner than even I
anticipated, but in an entirely unex-
pected manner. After bitterer quarrel
than ever young Mrs. Damman left the
house without telling her mother-in-law
whittier she was going. She failed to re-
turn. and soon everything was as quiet
as the grave once more. Fred, the
young husband. was even more taciturn
whom he seemed TO regard as the natural
enemy of his wife,.
One day | met him in the street.
"Whcre is your wife?' l asked. Don't
yon hear from her at all?"
He laid his finger on his lips, forgetting