The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1902-06-27
AT THE BRINK.
BY CHAS. r. NETTLETOE.


their reminder of the day, and call to
worship she had lain awake, thinking.
Where should she go and what should
she do: Today she must leave even this
shelter. anu she had not one penny, nor
one friend. The German woman who,
though wretchedly poor herself, had
sheltered her two months for 10 bet: er
pay than the girls better clothes, had
warned her that at the end of the week
she must ''trot'' The end had come,
The girl felt that the end of all things
had come.
Her face was very pale. For many an
hour she had eaten nothing; it is hard to
live on charity, and reluctant charity at
that. But there was other causes for
her paleness. Four weeks previous a
girl baby had been born, only to die when
seven days old. During that time of
mortal existence the babe had not only
moaned and feebly wept when awake,
but when asleep, by day and night, con-
stansly the tiny tears had crept out from
under the tiny eyelids and rolled down
the little pale cheeks. Why? Because
before her birth the mother-to-be wept
much. -
DO you say this is impossible and that
/ u III
ten; say this thing is absolutely true
That babe once lived and wept by day
and night for seven days and seven
nights. -.:"<.'
A year ago this girl had been one Of
eight in a small tailoring establishment
ness, saw her. A note was slipped into
hand, then another. this time with a
present, secret meetings-and that was
all. All for time. When she had to
leave the house she possessed IS which.
with the money obtained by pawning
the little presents he had given her,
lasted while. Some weeks after leav-
ing the tailor's she made an appeal to
the man. She never made two.
Higher and higher rose the sun, shin
ing, UNDECIDED, full on her face. Sudden
~ she became aware that the bells in
several churches were ringing loudly. A
course, that was what she must do first
Of all. How could she have forgotten!
That was what she had been trying to
think Of all the morning. perhaps without
half knowing it, for mad she not bought
it weeks before and put it, already load
eb, in had the S, dry goods box? For herself,
this thing in the box would do for both
And she knew, too, just where to find
him on this day-Sunday; had she once
not seen his name in the paper in the
list Of officers of St: Johns Church, and
would he not be at the church OH this
,Hurriedly she sprang from the bed
glancing as she did so at the line of sun
light on the wall, her only clock. She
put on her shoes and hat-the rest of
her clothes she slept in, for the bed was
emery OF w1od.then staggered and sat
She thought of a girl whom a shop
mate had once pointed out to her, girl
who for two or three years had lived in
luxury, then slowly descended from
health and fine house to the merciless
mercles of the street. Would it not have
similar house? A woman had suggested
IT to her as the only thing to do. But,
TOR her childs sake. she had put the
thousht from her. Now, in a dull way.
she was glad; she. could leave the world
WIN good consclence-after of course,
She was reused by the voice Of her
landiady, who wanted to know if She
should send for the police.
A rev minutes after II o'clock she
reached the church. 1t had been a long
yak 3 She had not thought of food. She
felt very weak.
We Few people people were entering; Those who
gentleman, gray-haired and kind-looking.
asked her to come inside. She shook her
mead. He asked if he could help her in
any way, at the same time putting his
mana IN his pocket. AS she looked at
MN again she retreated in alarm She
was thinking, He, too, is a man.
A woman, richly dressed. came I'M tho
step. She stopped and gazed at her. Then
she came near and sat down close be-
side her, and spoke
you?' ~ may ne'p
The girl looked up angrily; why could
| they not leave her alone?
the DOOM 1ne ea s' Sep su m22s pointing
The woman did not move. Very gently
she replied: 'How can you help your
self, little one?'
Hardly knowing what she did. the girl
TOOK ont t,,l her pistol and patted it and
said: when he comes"
The woman had been raised in luxury,
put was neither coward nor fool.
1.-The church is no place for me-" she
said quietly, If you are in trouble.
will not go in to worship nv God and
your God and leave you alone with your
sorrow. l, too. have seen great trouble.
-Four weeks ago death took both of NV
tell me all, my sister,"
| One word alone the girl seemed ~
grasp.
Il am not your sister, she said, ''be-
| cause L am-am not a woman"
The stranger, comprehending, for one
f1eeting, instant hesitated, then reached
out and took the girls two thin, weak.
soiled hands in her own. The barrier
was broken, and the girl put her face
down in the rich woman's Lap and soh-
bed aloud. In few minutes the woman
said: Come, let us go home and have
| lunch"
After lunch she drew from the girl
the whole story. At the close she asked
the name of the man. Her own broth
ers name was uttered, innocently, by the
| girl.
In the afternoon, after talking with
her husband, she went to the girls bed
room and knelt down by the side of tho
bed and said: my home is your home.
My husband and I live alone. And Won
| shall live with us as long as You will.''
In that same hour the girl began to
believe in the spirit of love and the pos
| sibility Of God.
o, Supreme One. God of man and
woman and time and eternity. Thon
whom we feel and know to be love per
sonifed. but whose mystic ways infin-
itesimal man cannot interpret. we, Thy
weak and wavward children, do ardentiy
beseech Thee to quicken in each one of
us Thine own infinite and perfect spirit
of loye, in the end that all Thy crea-
lures mon this star Of suffering may not