The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1900-03-23
A REPENTANT ROGUE

his founders shares in the Great Poo
bah Gold Mining company, and the re
spectacle sum of f25O,OOO sterling, in
vested entirely in Colonial stocks, to his
''only and beloved child Victoria Marie
Mckoy. Jimmie was child of fortune,
man obviously born lucky, yet his sole
pride was in the fact that he was born
Colonial.
Victoria Marie was a lady. She had
been we'll educated by divers teachers
She could play Home, Sweet Home
with variations, not only absolutely cor
rect, but with a feeling which could dis
turb no conversation. She had read
."Trilby' and 1.-The Woman Who Did"
She rode bicycle, and refused to take
advantage of the voting paper presented
to her by a maternal government. She
was the richest heiress in Australasia.
1t was at Lady Boughtems garden par.
ty that Victoria Marie met Cyril Fitz-
herbert.
His raven black hair-won rather long
his small. but artistically dropping,
mustache, his olive complexion that told
Of the inherited fire and passion of warm
er southern blood than the hypcrborean
fluid Of his fathers and, above all, his
pale-blue eyes, with which he often gazed
lntently at nothing, showed, so the la
dies said, that there was a secret, doubt
| less Il romantic one. in his past life
Il must introduce you to our heiress,
Miss McKoy," said Lady Boughtem.
rs that she?' asked Mr.. Fitzherbert.
fixing his blue eyes on the identical
young lady.
s., "Y ~: T., said her lasdyship wonderinsly;
II do not know" he replied, speaking
| in low, PARKWAY voice. "She is not
| beautiful; not to the mere outward eye
but to those who look beyond the physi-
cal outline there is a depth, a soul a
character-but what am l saying:'
His voice changed as if he had awakc1
| OF a mundane existence, and he continued
| with artless lightness:
Il had no idea she was your hcircSs,
| though l was anxious to be introduced TIC
her. Still. it would be mere esthetic folly
to say that the possession of a certain
spoil my ileal.'
My dear Victoria,' cried her lalyship,
after the ceremony of introduction had
bc"n duly enacted, Il must leave Mr..
fitzherbert with you. l know you will
look after him we'll, you dear girl, and
really must-it is my duty to her majes-
ty-l must attend Oh his excellency. HI
Ii.
Positively he must be thirsty-such hot
afternoon!-and wearing frock coat!''
Strange to say, though he never spoke
of them to Lady Boughtem, Mr.. Fitz-
her6ert,s talk to Victoria was entirely of
boating. tennis and bicycling.
He recounted nothing impossible: no
prodigious record breakings. Eyervthin"
was kept within small and seemly
bounds.
She began to admire him, not so much
ior the thlngs ne had DONE as for the
truth with which he retailed them.
10 her surprise she felt sorry when the
thlnnng crowd on the lawn told her II
was time to depart.
You must call on u.s. she said eager
ly: my aunt will be delighted to SEQ von
and IL should like you to have look at
| my horses 80
The shortest road to friendship runs
| over Il common land
Victoria Marie and Cyril soon discov-
cred this. Both were interestc,l-Cyril.
| IT. appeared, deeply-in all the mysteries
of horsefiesh, and in a mutual exchanges
CT contidences on that prosaic subject
thct sealed an agreement of comradeship.
that word, rather than friendship. defn-
ing the good fellowship which for tho
first few days existed between them.
ot course, the proprieties were main
tanned by the presence at lunch and dinner
OF Nlctoria's aunt. Mrs. Lisle, and as So
Gety' III the person of Lady Boughtem.
had determined on the advisnbility of q
match between the two young people.
they, were allowed. to pursue their dual
loneliness undisturbed
by the fourth day, so strong had their
acquaintance grown, that Cyril, arriving,
as usual. early in the morning, brought
with him birthday book
"A friend of NINE" he explained. neg
| lIgently, has sent me this from home,
anu as L nave no names in it yet, |
thought L should like you to be the first
to write your name in it. If Won viii
be so kind?'
Inc book was really very pretty. It
was almost as large as a photograph al
bum and the cardboard pages were hand
painted with illustrations of the seasons.
the .graces, cupids and many other pretty
devices Under each date a little space
was cut in the cardboard and a piece of
hght-green colored paper inserted for the
name to be written on.
He opened the book and laid it on the
table.
'How funnyw said Victoria, "you
have opened it at my birthday. Is that
tie blushed in most unnecessary way
as he handed her a pen.
II hope So" he murmured
She had taken the pen, and sitting at
the table was preparing to write, while
he stood at her side watching the op-
GRAFTON seriously, when new difficulty
"How. shall l sign?' she asked. look
ing at him with perplexity which, if
she had been a pretty girl, might have
been suspected for coquetry. 'To my
best friends (she accented the Words /
always sign my full name, but to &C.
gmaintances or Oh checks / merely put
VICTORIA NJ. It saves time, you See
70 her surprise he reddened-a suspi-
eiously angry color-and stretching out
his hand took hold Of the book.
DO not, sign at ALL he cried abrupt
ly;,."l would rather you did not
Victoria was hurt. Innocentlv she had
wished to show him her friendship by the
harmless ruse, of her two signatures, but
ously. + 1922"
;, will sign" she said, her face suf-
f fused with a ruddier glow than his own;
won asked tO gu T will -" =