The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1902-10-31

known it was Ann Mi1esssss s sssSs 81
In the coures of the cAals aps "a ]
the kitchenE1oor Ann rDssslild ans ssred
it, hopping: nervously aefoss taso,ls
! She returned to the SIS naBfa1
distress in her face than ever
| "Nothin,, but a little gal with MaNSss
cat" she said. The children hey gott.
wind Of my losin' Willy; and they near
it all right, but it saems as eff 1 should
fly! They keep comm an bringing cats:
They'll find cat that. theys5think nebbe
! is Willy, an 50 they bring him to show
me. They've brought Malty:in white
cats, n cats all Malty;' they've brought
yaller cats an black AN there ya'nt one
of 'em looked any like Will j. Then
they've brought kittens that they knowed
WANT Willy; but Though me like
em instead of him. They meant all
right, I know: they'resfeal tender hearted;
but it mos kills me- Why they Brought
me two little kittens That hadn't got
their eyes open; just before YOU came.
They was striped md white, md they said
| they thought they'd grow, UP to look like
Willy. They were the Hooper children,
md they knowed him. ~
| 1t would have been ludicrous, if the.
poor old woman's distress had not been
| so genuine. However, Mr.. Beal, the min
lister, was not man to see the ridiculous
side; he could simply be puzzled, and
| that he was a.
It was case entirely outside his ex-
perience, and he did not know how to
deal with it. He wondered anxiously
what he had best say to her. Finally he
went away without saying much of any
| thing, he was so afraid that what he said
might be out of proportion to the de-
mands of the case. It seemed to him bor-
dering on sacrilege to treat this trouble
of Ann Millet's like genuine affiiction
though, on the other hand, that treat
| ment was what her state of mind seemed
to require.
| Going to the door. he stopped and
listened minute; he thought he heard a
cat new. Then he concluded he was mis-
\ taken, and went on. He watched eagerly
for Ann, the next meeting night, but she
did not come. It is doubtful whether or
no she ever would have done SO, if she
had not found the cat. She had nature
which could rally an enormous amount of
strength for persistency.
! But the day after the meeting she had
occasion to 60 down cellar for some
thing.
The cellar stairs led up to the front of
the house; indeed, the cellar was under
that part only. Ann went through her
chilly sitting room-she never used it ex.
cept in summer-and opened the cellar
door, which was in the front entry.
There was quick rush from the gloom
below, and Willy flew up the cellar stairs.
"Lor' sakes," exclaimed Ann, with
white, shocked face. "He's ben down
there all the while! Now I remember
that he followed me when I came through
here that meetin' night to git my cloak,
N he wanted to 60 down, an let him.
thought he wanted to hunt. Lor'
| sakes!"
She went back into the kitchen, her
knees trembling. The cat followed,
brushing against her and purring. She
poured out saucer of milk, and watched
) him hungrily tapping it. He did not look
as if he had suffered, though he had been
in the cellar a week. But mice were
plenty in this old house, and he had prob.
ably foraged successfully for himself
Ann watched him, the white, awed looi
still on her face.
II s'pose he mewed md I didn't hear
him. There he was all the time, jest
"IACAC pun dA lc d-D1AAIAA tAS
Lord, an putin it on Him. I've ben an
awful wicked woman. I amt been to
meetin', md I've talked, 'nd-Them
s9uashes threw away! It's be- so warm
| they hain't froze, and I don't deserve it.
hadn't orter ehev one of 'em; I hadn't
orter hev anything! I'd orter offer up
Willy. Lor sakes: think of me a-sayin'
what did, an him down cellar!"
That afternoon Mrs. Stone, looked
across from her sitting room window
where she was sewing, and saw. Anu
slowly and painfully carrying her
squashes to the house, one at a time.
'Lcok here, RUTH she called out to
her daughter, |.just you see; Ann Millet's
bringin' in them squashes she threw
away. I don't believe but what she's
come to her senses!" ...s,
The next meeting night Ann was in her
place. The minister saw her, rejoicing
After meeting he hurried out Of his desk
to speak to her. She did not seem to be
coming to see him as usual.
When she looked up at him there was
an odd expression on her face. Her old
cheeks were flushing.
81 am much rejoiced to see you OUT
Miss Millet," said the minister, shaking
her hand, kindly. ST s.sf1
! Eyes, I thought I'd come out tonight"