The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1904-10-28
The Knitted
Counterpart
BY SUSAN HUBBARD MARTIN. ;
Observation-Disclosures
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

Woodworking, humble church member
ship stood ready to receive her with
open arms, but at the first steady,
self-contained greeting of that young
lady, they felt on the whole that it
was not necessary.
They loved the minister and they
wanted to love ]1er too, but noting
the cold glance Of the keen eyes that
seemed to take stock of their every
back abashed.
She had come from a moneyed fam
lily, and her acquaintance with peo-
pie who actually toiled had been slight,
but she had not hesitated when the
minister put to her the momentous
question. The matter of life with
Bertram, or life without him, did not
take her long to settle, for under
meath the crust of her worldliness
there beat truly gentle, generous
heart, only from her manner one would
never have guessed it.
She quite filled the parsonage with
beautiful things; pictures, statuary,
and soft carpets. Filmy lace curtains
draped the old-fashioned windows and
the table glittered with cut glass and
silver. She had always been accus-
toned to these things ard she really
gave them little thought, but to her
husbands flock these pOss essions were
both a revelation and joy. 1t would
have been rare treat indeed for most
of them 70 have viewed these lovely
treasures with merry feeling of COM
radeship with the mistress of it all, but
she invited no confidence, she encour-
aged no familiarity. They were bound
down by such hard, narrow lives, that
to them she seemed bright, beautiful
being of a world not their own.
Then too, she seemed to resent their
well-meaning efforts and calls. Not
that she said anything, but she al
ways wore her coolest air and her
grandest manner every time they met,
so they invariably left her presence
feeling greater strangers than ever
with the tall, stately girl (for she was
but a sirl), who was their minister's
wife.
"They only come out of curiosity,
Bertram," she would tell the minister
when she spoke of their visits. '"They
come, not to see me but my house.
declare l never saw anyone stare at
things as does Mrs. Wilkins. Why
does she do it? And what do you think
Mrs: Atwood asked me yesterday? If
knew how to play "The Maiden's
Prayer The idea! | should think she
would know better. 1t does seem to
me that the people here are 40 years
at least behind the times. I wonder
what they'd think if I'd play for them
that fantasy from List No doubt
they'd much prefer MY Old Kentucky
Home.'"
mo doubt they would" repeated the
minister gently; 'but you must not
Judge them too harshly, dearest. Poor
old Mrs. Atwood! And so she wanted
to know if you knew The Maiden's
Prayer Perhaps it was the only Sc
lection she remembered from q youth
that was never an easy one.
JULIA" he added after a moments
silence, 'it's hard, dear, for you to
understand, but these are my people.
My life is linked with theirs, ordinary
and illiterate as some of them may be.
am their shepherd. Don't you re-
member what was said of Jesus in the
ministry? This-'The common people
+ heard him gladly All, my dear, the
+ common people, after all, are great
! and telling force for good or evil, and
I I'm working with them and for them,
and if-(his voice trelnbled)-if ny
any act of mine can enrich an I
widen these narrow and confined
lives, shall feel that l have not la
bored in vain"
His gra3e face lighted little.
They're good, faithful friends, little
wife," he added, IF they car not UNI
derstand classical music, and I don't
believe. In the last day. tnat this charge
will be laid to them. They understand
I the law of brotherly love and kind
{ ness a. .east. When I had that at
tack of~-pleurisy before yen. came, i
believe / certainly would have died