The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-07-28

kissed in farewell; and when she had
watched him round the bend of the canal
her eyes would grow dim, and she would
| so back to the Book of Revelation, MUIR
muring to herself, "The Lard gave and
the Lard ave took away. Blessed DO
| the name of the Lard"
Or course, the many charms of the
Elijah, and the residence OF Ethni Har-
man took on a reflected glory from the
fact that it was but stones throw from
| that OF her sultan.
1t was a wet summer, and there came
four wet Sundays, one after the other.
Vainly did Dorcas try to fix her mind
on the streets Of jasper, while all the time
Of the little voice that never chimed into
the Stiffness. She grew to hate the pat
ter Of the rain on the path outside; even
the fact that the canal, for once, was
| full, and three barges passed in one week,
| did not console her. The gingerbread
animals grew stale and efhmbly between
Two Iph ltatRs ,,,a aea inc gorgeous mug, "A
the top shelf of the dresser again.
The wea ther changed, and there came
! a lovely Sunday. Elijah set off to the
Cat and Compasses' as usual; Dorcas
hustled about with pleasant sense of
expectation and went and stood ON the
towing path, her eyes; fixed OH the dis
battle beyond the second bend, with
| laughter and shouting. Then the only
sound was the hum Of bees settled on
| the purple scabious growing atop the
crumbling Cotteswold wall.
On Monday Dorcas could bear it no
longer. II be that tewey and narvous,
l don't know what I be about" she re-
marked. as she locked the door of the
| mat. Should barge come-well, it must
| manage somehow! Barges were never in
hurry. She had come to momentous
decision. She was going to inquire after
her little gentleman" Whether he was
i'll or gone for holiday, or was merely
this dreadful suspense. She was very
simple minded woman, but In her heart
of hearts she felt little sore with the
grand vizier, for she had notion that
| he was by no means ignorant of what
| these Sunday visits meant to her.
II believe ed ave come afore this if
ed "a been let. "A be, that meek 'earted
an she said to herself with d half sob.
She was convinced that her Sultan could
| not forget So utterly the humblest of his
slaves. !, So she put on her best clothes
and tight elastic side boots, with lots OF
| little white buttons adjoining the fronts.
At the Blue house, Dorcas was never
either self conscious or shy; but when
| she reached her Sultan's palace, having
timidly pushed open the drive gate, she
became aware that the new boots creaked
horribly, and that perspiratiOn was drop
ping from her eyebrows into her eyes.
Having mopped her face, and generally
pulled herself together, she managed to
tremblel and her heart huttered like a
Gagged bird.
Never was such d noisy bell! It changed
and echoed IN most alarming fashion; she
| wished that the stone steps would open
| and swallo low her up. What would they
think Of her for daring to make such a
clatter2 Besides-and at the dreadful
thought she nearly cried out-of course
she ought to have gone to the back door.
For full five minutes she stood on the
| steps, listening for any sound inside the
| house, but all was perfectly quiet. She
turned and went into the drive, t1eaiiig
to 60 round to the back door. when it &C.
CURED to her to look back ut the house;
she caine In. The lower windows were
shattered, and all the, blinds We're down.
| They had gone, then! and it was ethpty.
~Ana , thy f. Rey ',eG didn't bring lin fer to
fifs's little tragsaiea generally happen
to the 'loheis, What in full and happy
life rdllks but as an episode becomes an
epoch i'll the sad-colored days of lean
monotony. Dorcas wiped her eyes more
than once on her way home, and wept
heavily primary days. Elijah saw that
| she was fretting, and tried to distract
her by news from town ind occasional
suggestions that she go over ''und see
| sister law" In all adjacent village;
| but beyond her necessary Journeys to
| the town to buy such stores as she could
| HprA 1S,f& ho
scrubbed the Kitchen table ' tin she
grudged to sl1lly it's whitehass by 50 much
| as yellow bnwl, and she made herself
a WARM new winter dress, but, fer all
her industry. the time hung heavy on
her hahds; and she never forgot Her ''lit-
tie gentleman" The wet season was
| followed by an Indian summer of excep-
tional beauty. "The spirit of October,
mild and. BOOM" was in the air; the tot
| hayward length OH the far side of the
footway, was covered by sprays of Grim
son blackberry, mingled with the fluffy
| grayness of. "old mans beard" Durcas
no longer stared hungrily down the tow
! ing path on Sunday morning, but she did
not forget; and, In token Of her reniem-
brance, the twenty-6rst chapter of the
Book Of Revelation was marked in her
Bible by a little. woolen glove with a
dropped it during his last visit.
The birds sahg as though it were
sprihg, and Dorcas began to read aloud
to herself to keep her thoughts from
wandering. "ANd God shall wipe away
all tears from their eyes, WHISPERED the
kind Worcestershire voice. wheh sudden
ly, above the triumphant voices of birds,
above the soft wash of the water aiaeng
the yellowing reeds, rang That clear
hungered 50 crtielS:
Il wonder if the lady at the Blue
house will know me again, Dad!'
1t seemed as though the grand vizier
had not been SO greatly to blame after
all. He Had been suddenly called away
to the north of Scotland; and although
he had left directions that before the
Sultan and the household followed him
that potentate was to be taken to say
goodby ITO the lady of the Blue house"
although the Sultan himself had repeat
eddy suggested the propriety of such a
pilgrimage, his nurse had always consid-
cred the road too muddy.
Il thought. sir, as you had all gone fur
good and ALL said Dorcas, with a catch
i'll her voice, and | were that taken to 7
never Made no Inquiries"
On his way home the grand vizier was
rather silent: Once or twice be made a
queer little face, and seemed to swallow
something in his throat. At last he
quoted, but not to the sultan, by heay-
ems, it is Ditiful, the bootless love Of
women for children In Vanity Fair"
The rosy uccd child, who had been won
dering why the usual sunday service of
gingerbread had been omitted, was
rather surprised, but nevertheless asked
curiousl ". Are you thinking of the Blue
house lady, dadY'
His father stopped down hastily and
kissed him.-Longman's Magazine.
The Feminine Observer.
What women say men do.
Much doing is not so important as we'll