The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1903-04-24

Concerning Cranberry Cove

BY Mary Chopin Smith.


- 1v1 NcliS Will Il very WOIf1eu eN-
preston. All Cranberry Cove con-
suited Helen HoliweH when in diff
Guilty. .,%
She found Helen and her, father on
: the piazza, Mr.. .Holiwell watching
through a telescope the drawing of
the seine in the channel by Seal is
= land. He was very glad to see Mrs.
Dean and at once, entered for her
benefit, into an elaborate explanation
of SEEMING in general and this SEM
ing in particular, while Mrs. Dean
fdgeted politely, until. Helen could
break, through the peacefully over
whelming torrent of her fathers con-
versation and carry her off to her
w room.
what do you think Mr.. Dean has
done now?" exclaimed Mrs. Dean as
soon as they were alone. HE writes
that he has invited Mademoiselle Co.
lette Platon, a professional pianist,
to spend q month here!"
"What!!" cried Helen.
"She has been i'll and is very poor
oh, my dear! this is what comes
of a. father-in-law given to having
proteges-the last one was an Italian
peanut vender, and he stole the
spoons! Of our l. know it is his
house, and he has a right to ask
whom he chooses, and if he were on
ly to be here by himself-but he and
Charles don't come for two weeks or
more. and this creature arrives on
the noon boat tomorrow. What
shall I do with her? She is sure to
be impossible. Of Polish extraction,
her mother was French"
"Perhaps it won't be so bad, Eu-
nice. DEAR" said Helen sympathet-
icai|y; you will enjoy her playing."
IL don't believe she can really play"
said Mrs. Dean viciously, and then
laughed at herself. eff only Harry
doesn't fall in love with her!" she
sighed.
Helen thought to herself that it
was highly probable Harry would, he
being a susceptible sophomore, and
quite within possibilities that Ma
de1noiselle Colette might fall in love
with him, as he was very good-looking
and an extremely nice boy.
The next afternoon brought Eu-
nice again, this time almost in tears.
"Oh, Helen, it is worse even than I
expected! 1 ~prepared-for-a good
deal. but such clothes and such hair!
She kissed me, when she first saw me,
right on the dock, and Rugged the
children. And she hadn't been in the
house two minutes before she made
a. dead set at Harry; they're off ca
noeing now up the river; she
wouldn't even rest after the jour-
ney," and Eunice looked as if her
guests failure in this last particular
was her gravest delinquency.
Helen could not help laughing.
"Mademoiselle Colette certainly
does not mean to lose any of the
good time" she said. "But if she
feels SO well, at least you won't have
to worry over her ill health"
II don't see a sign of it, returned
Eunice, except that she fourishes an
enormous bottle of sour black tonic.
~" - NoAAS OSCl Ill WI u
you? l must have you see her."
That evening, as Helen and her
father crossed what was by courtesy
called the lawn, a field of rough grass,
with sweet-fern and golden-rod and
the low cranberry bushes growing in
discriminatory among rocks and
stunted frs, they heard the "Moon-
light Sonata" played with so brilliant,
although somewhat metallic, a touch,
as to leave no doubt of Mademoiselle
Colette's talent.
She rose at the end of her playing,
as they went in to be introduced.
Having talked to them for a moment,
singing out Mr.. Holiwell, with her
graceful, little foreign gestures, in a
way that made him open his mild old
eyes, she took a decided step to one
side, which brought her next to Har-
ry Dean, with the tall lamp between
them and the. others. 1t was neces-
sary that she put some sweet peas
in her hair, and it was done with
much soft laughter and Struggling her
shoulders out of her low dress, all
directed at Harry, and the boy was
young enough to grow red with pleas
ure.
1t was so apparent that Helen sud
denly caught herself feeling in that
way, and then laughed privately at
seeing the same sensation plainly
written in the aw~kwardness of the
rest. 1t was a relief when Eunice ner-
vously suggested that they should
SO out onto the piazza again, while
eMademoiselle Colette played. But
this did not better things, for Harry
was now left alone with Mademoi-
selle Colette, a devoted slave. turning
her leaves, while his sister-in-law
fused back and forth helplessly.
That was the beginning. Mademoi-
selle' Colette caused Cranberry Cove
to look or in stupor.
Her inyalidism vanished, or at
least conveniently adjusted itself so
that she was able to do everything
that she. liked and nothing that she
didn't. At first she used to practice