The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1903-10-30
A MATCHMAKER
'afsfssssssssssssssfsss:ss:ssi:s:::t:
BY W. r. ROSE.
nDEAR Brother Jim: This is a very


1t accordingly. We are about a mile
from the village and the road is good
and Miss Laura and drive over twice
q day. Miss Laura lets me drive sum-
times, but she's afrade lie get the horse
his name is The lookout of the
stile OF driving that women prefur.
And when titen up on the lines and
The Dock strikes lively clipp, she
says 'steddy, Tommy and then l have
to pull him in. But she is a nice girl
notwithstanding She has the prettiest
brown hair, and such Dope darke eyes,
and such sweet way of speekin'.
And they have butiful home. It's on
hill and you can see miles around it.
From my window I can catch site of
the lake thru gap in the hills. It's.
very nice lake tho not Dope enuff to
drown me-and Laura's father owns it.
They say he is pritty rich. Mr.. Rum
midge-he sells books in the village
and lets you borrow them for too sents
a day-says Laura's father is a viii
age Creeses. It tells about Creeses
somewhere in book and he was the
richest man in the state, but I think
he is dead now. CESS you must have
heard about him. He was a HISTORY
kal carackter. I wish you was here
Brother Jim. We'd have crate times.
Laura's most as good as boy for hav-
In fun. Thare heer her calm. The
Dock is a-champin on his bit and
Waitin' impashent at the cassel gait.
That's the way Laura talks. She's
most as good as play actor. Aunt
Emmyline says Laura's romantick.
So l must close. Write just as soon
as you hear from papa and mamma.
From your loving brother. 'Tom."
James Thornton, rising young at
torney. smiled over this epistle and
laid 1t away carefully in pigeonhole
of his desk, whence it would be taken
and inclosed with his next letter to the
absent parents across the sea. .
There was long gap between
brother Jim, aged ~, and brother
Tom, aged IL, and this gap had SEEM
ingly drawn them closer together. To
brother Jim, brother Tom had never
seemed the aggravated nuisance that
little brothers usually appear in the
eyes. of older brothers. Jim had
looked with amused tolerance on Toms
widest pranks, and as for Tom-well,
there were few heroes of childish ro-
nance that did not suggest his clever
big brother. And Tom had been left
in Jim's care while the father and not
overstrong mother went abroad for
the latter's health. It was hot sum-
mer, and Tom was convalescing from
a severe case Of measles, and so Jim
thought 1t wise to pack him of to q
little village that nestled in the woods
of the upper Hudson, where he was
sure to receive the best of care at the
home of a superannuated bookkeeper of
the Arm Of which James Thornton was
the newly admitted junior member.
And it was from Bookkeeper Barclays
home that Miss Laura Garman had
fairly kidnapped him. True, she
wrote model letter to Jim, in which
she requested the loan of his young
kinsman, but before his answer could
be received she had him installed at
Greycrag, and in position to add his
petition to hers. ~~
He was such a delightful boy, she
wrote, and he would make the hours
at Greycrag seem SO much less lone
some. Saving for the presence of q
maiden aunt she was quite alone
there, her father and mother having
gone to California to take an invalid
sister of the latter. Besides she was
sure the altitude: of Greycrag was
quite certain to hasten the return Of
Z Tommy's strength. She hoped this
was not taking q liberty, but she had
never seen boy who charmed her
quite. as much-perhapsb because he re-
a minded her Of little brother who had
! passed away in his seventh year.
What could Brother Jim do? He
wrote q qualified acceptance Of this
letter Of invitation. She must prompt
II return Tom when she tired Of him.
she mustn't tolerate him If he proved
4 to- be rude Of. unmanageable. And he
7 would ask 1t as . particular favor II
& she would at once communicate to him
ans tnfracti0n 6 conduct of which