The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1904-04-01

Co. uOoA. W. pAAJ ~ SAAOu6A OAS0
before begin to sing:
"You must stop me if go wrong. 1t
makes me SO happy to think that can
play for you to sing, you, my precious
Miss Mildred, who have taught me every
thing" ~
There was the sound Of glad tears in
the fresh young voice. For moment
the two chung together. Then the girl sat
down at the organ, while hef>companion
took up position between the lilies.
Francis Jerome drew long breath.
1t was true, this woman, whose GRIM
son-tinted, olive face showed but dim
ly against the background of pine and
cedar boughs, was Mildred Blake, once
his promised wife.
He sat still, his breath coming in short
gasps. The girl played on. Mildred
threw back her head, and the voice that
had so often filled his heart with rap
ture rang out in
Christ is risen, risen to-day"
The unseen listener did not stir until
the song was ended. Then he rose,
opened the door softly, and stepped out
into the night.
For an hour he strobe along, going
over the past. It had been so happy, SO
hopeful, yet his own hand had closed
the door upon it.
Mildred Blake had been his fellow stu
dent at Cornell. She it was who had
melted him to dream of glorious and a
useful future. When he graduated and
went west to seek his fortune Mildred
was his promised wife.
The estrangement had come slowly.
At first he had struggled bravely
clinging to his lofty ideals through dis
appointments and rebuffs. When he be-
gan to turn from those ideals, to seek
material success at any price, then his
letters to Mildred were further apart and
colder.
She was very patient, but there were
lengths which even her gentleness could
not go. There came day when Francis
! Jerome received letter giving him his
freedom.
He accepted it gladly. Life was too
busy for him to think of marriage. The
years had gone on, and now
"She must be the minister's wife," he
concluded, as at last he turned his steps
in the direction of the hotel. "She to be
living here! Both voice and touch prove
that her musical talent has fulfilled the
| promise of her youth. But married to 8
man who would be content to preach
here! Bah! Her life is failure"
The next morning Mr.. Jerome went tc
| church. He must know something more
| of Mildred end he could not bring him
| self to question stranger about her.
The little edifice was crowded will
bronze-faced lumbermen and their pre-
maturely aged wives. The stranger hat
no eyes for them. He even forgot to lool
for Mildred in his eagerness to see tn,
man whom she had married.
The minister was small, slight
thoughtful-faced man. 1t was apparen
that he was educated and cultured. H,
threw himself heartily into the service
doing all in his power to bring home t,
his listeners realization of the riser
| Christ.
| And Mildred? Again standing be
tween the snowy Easter lilies, dressed
simply in black, she sang of tn,
wondrous love that had broken asunde
the bonds of death.
! Francis Jerome listened with bate,
breath. Whatever of success or failur
the years had brought Mildred, they ha,
brought her serene Joy in life, to which
he was stranger. He saw this in he
face and heard it in her voice.
The service over, he was hurryin,
from the church when Mildred met him
She gasped. For a moment her colo
fed. Then she greeted him with sim
pie grace.
''Such surprise! All! you must fin,
the waiting tiresome," as he explaine,
his presence in the town. Then she lai,
her hand upon the minister's arm.