The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1901-06-28

allotted to the agent OF a large estate.
AS he drew rein before the doorway the
man in spectacles suddenly appeared in
the porch and came forward to take the
horse. But the clergyman showed that
he did not intend to alight.
You have been a long time coming"
remarked the man. cycling his visitor with
an unpleasant fixity of gaze or scrutiny.
"Nhat right had you to choose such a
method of communicating with me-"
The other shrugged his shoulders.
"Fanciful," said he, but | thought if
might be more etfectual coming in that
way
Where is the Unhappy woman?' he
calculated impulsively, looking away
from the man before him.
what, here"
The clergyman did dismount, and. hav-
ing led his horse to the yard, followed his
singular companion. Left alone for some
time in a room. Mr.. Liversedge drew to
the window. This he could not have ex-
pected, for it was inconceivable that the
person on whose account alone he was
involving himself in this matter could
have any sort Of personal dependence
upon the individual by whom her plea
had been introduced. His agitation in
creased, despite every pious aid of an
earnest and we'll spent life. The door
moved without any signal of a football.
That rustic vas at hand, and, as Mr..
Liversedge turned from the window, the
a figure inside.
The tall, striking figure of A woman
advanced some little way in life-some
thirty-fve years. perhaps. Her face was
Of singular beauty, but of spectral pale
ness. He could not speak; she could not.
They simply gazed at each other.
don't think l have refused to come
unexpected calmness of voice. "Your
message was not properly delivered to
me: l only saw it today"
Even now it is too On. replied the
specter in a 0 n which thrilled the whole
frame of the listener.
NO, no, Rose, not if I can help you.
l should not have thought that l of all
people could" g
Il cannot ask you to forgive what I
have done to you"
As a twinge of pain flashed over his
features the clergyman by a gesture i'm
posed silence upon her and took some
PAGES across the floor. He extended his
hand, but she srank back.
Then you do not forgive me-" he re-
marked softly.
DO not mock my helpless wretched-
ness" she said. "Oh, do not! Call me
what l ami, Treat me as I deserve. If
l had thought of this kindness l could
HAS your husband left youy'
HE is dead. He died two years ago."
Then your father will not forget the
paste"
He refuses to see me, to communicate
with me or hear a word from me. l.. too,
am dead to him.
70 WI" WI yo did, ICY =. not write to me or some
She looked into his face in wonder.
"Hcw could l? How could I know
that you would allow me TO come near
"Oh, Rose, Rose, you have suffered"
he exclaimed. Would it have been for
me to repulse you? But what can l do?
How can l help you".
~ word when all the world disowns
you?"
why should it-how dare it disown
you?" cried the clergyman, with the
greatest fervor. 'When did you, or how
could you ever possibly do anything TO
merit such treatment? Had you not the
right to marry whomsoever you wished
to marry? Misjudgment is not a crime
"No, Philip, you must not defend me.
I cannon bear that"
Then you are at liberty to come and
see me: WI you come down to the
She paused, withstood the gaze he fixed
on her, and promised. Then hastily he
left the room and the house.
traversed the road homeward. A closed
page of his life was reopened; a page
which for years he had deemed closed ir-
revocably. Roses self-accusation was
not unmerited. Nobody had she wronged
as she had wronged this man whom she
had known and even permitted to adore
her. Far. far greater, as the clergyman
himself you'd have. judged it if he had
ever measured wrongs. lay in her having
deliberately trepanned him into a love-
less marriage. But if his mind had new
er sentenced the. wrongdoer before, it
was not likely to sentence her now. She
had flashed like a world Of beauty be-
fore him. of beauty now infinitely height
ened by pain.
When he was again in his study at
last he could take his sermon seriously in
hand. He seemed to have received a
comment which afforded fresh light to
the text and what had appeared fe-vent
before was now tame aud Intellectual. =.
1t was certainly a sermon to hear, and
there was such a congregation to hear It
as had not been known in 2 Norghl since
the less, nobody was too much preoccu-
pied to pay heed to his neighbor. So
an imposing stranger vas soon found
out, although sheltered by a pillar in the
back part Of the nave
This was a beautiful but very pale
lady whom nobody had seen before. Since
the one topic had lost its novelty and
the. parson had redeemed himself, this
new.one was.taken mp eagerly. All that
had seen her closely averred that tears
had fallen fromysher eyes Everybody
that she still remained in church.
Everybody knew that she and the par