The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1903-05-08

i iAesHiss Hdu IcSdiuCu.I ilS s1cI8aS a bene-
faction 70 the neighbOrho III.
! now, with his girl besi:ie him, and
with the unexpected disclosure. 4
! white spot in q character that Wa
suppost. 10 be utterly biack. his
feelings underwent a sudden change.
The pitiful drunkard who had been
too weak to look after himself and
his boys, but whose better nature
had planned and provided so .layishly
for the girl and her future, even
while striving to keep from her the
knowledge of her fathers degrade.
tion, suddenly became more of a man
to him. He could understand the
| sacrifices and hardships that Booty
John must have gone through in or
der to provide for such an education.
Even he, with his orange grove and
| truck farm, had never felt able tn
do half as much for Cindy.
When they reached the CHEEKY cot
| tage in front of his orange grove
| he carried i1~sthe trunk and valise.
| and presently called his wife aside
and made whispered explanation.
Then he went to the barn to unhar-
ness his horse. But he made a much
| longer job of it than was necessary,
| and when it was finished he leaned
upon his fence and gazed with unob-
servant eyes at his fields of sweet
potatoes and pineapples and ba-
nanas. His wife came to him there.
did yoa tell herr" he asked.
"Yes," in a low voice. He noticed
that her lips trembled:
''Take it hard?"
"She's highstrung, Jim, an them
kind don't make no fuss. She
wouldn't believe me at first, an
when she did she jest turned white
an stared at nothin' till II burst
out cryin' myself. Seemed like I
never felt so sorry for anybody in
all my life. She. didn't cry bit, only
jest asked would L please go out a
while and leave her alone.''
The two stood there nearly half
an hour; then the girl left the house
and passed down the road on the op-
| posite side of the fence. Williams
could scarcely recognize the white
faced, shrinking figure as the enthu-
| slastlc girl who had sat beside him
an hour before.
She's goin' over to look at the house
now,'' said Mrs. Williams, in low
| voice. II told her 'twa'n't fit to live
in, but she said they'd lived in it an
she could. An when I told her we
lowed on keepin' her a spell she jest
thanked Inc an shook her head"
When the girl came back they were
on the piazza. She went directly to
Williams.
when does my father come
home?" she asked
Ellis times out-er-that is he'll
come home in bout three months. 7
reckon
"And how much does he owe your
"Oh, nothin'-nothin' at ALL"
hastily.
+ "How much does he owe you?" the
girl repeated, in a tone that he felt
could not be disregarded.
"Wall, $50. But you needn't bother
bout payin' it," u
II cannot just at present; but
everything must be straig htened+ out
before father comes home. There
must not be single thing to worry
him. And now, can I get you to go
! after my brothers? I shall fix up the
house, and we will live there until
father comes"
cts quite long drive" said Will
liams, reaectively. II can go to-
morrow
''That will do" She stood. gazing
out at the vista of pines and pal
mettos afforded by an opening in the
trees, her face white and stricken,
but calm, with strong, determined
purpose.
':What kind of employment is there
for girls?''
Williams looked dubious.
Il don't reckon there's any," he an
swered. "Stores centrally git men
clerks, an there's ten applicants to
one job. Folks round here don't hire
much help
"No," agreed his wife: ''housekeep-
ers mostly do their: own work-cook-
in an servin' an everything. = The
only work that's plenty an hard to
git help for is washin'; but only ne
groes do that. Mebbe you'n sit a
| job a school teachin' this fall"
II must have work now. Father
must not find anything against him
when he comes home. Do you think
I can get washing?" ~ >
Mrs. Williams looked at her blank
~. (,
cts negroes work." she objected.
Its work that will do gladly if
can get it," a sudden passionate sob
bringing the color back to her cheeks.
Il, will scrub floors anything that
will help father a little. He has
been working and making sacrifices
for years that I might remain at
school, and IL never suspected
ought to have been here, watching
him, and caring for him and the
boys" -
It was nearly two months later be-