The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1904-01-22


"Well, I'll have to think about it.
amt one of the kind to make up my
mind in hurry. You'd be willing to
do that, would you, Luke?" ~
'Why, it's more than l ought to do;
but if you'll say right now that that'll
be satisfactory, think we can close
the bargain. Tomorrow I might not
want to do it. It's making great
concession on my part, great conces-
SION"
But Farmer Stone knew his advan-
tage and pressed it. ,
"Ali right. So far as I'm concerned
it don't make no difference" There was
a tone of independence in the voice
which at once brought the commits
sioner to terms.
Il didn't propose it, but l always
stand by what Mettie says must, and
l will now"
Joshua felt his heart leap within
him when Mettie gave him one of her
most approving glances as the carriage
drove away. All the evening, while
the two were doing the chores, Joshua
labored with his father in behalf of
the water trough. 1t was Joy to both
of the young people when, the next
day, Farmer Stone allowed that he
guessed they might go ahead with their
line. The water trough was duly in
stalled in the barnyard. The faucet
was, attached. Then, when all was
ready on certain day the. water was
let into the main. 1t leaped into the
pipe and went sweeping down to give
JOY to the townspeople; but not drop
came through the half-inch pipe which
rose up from the main five feet be-
low to the trough in the barnyard.
Farmer Stone knew it was a con-
spiracy against him. They never
meant to do as they agreed. Luke
Mathers always was a rascal. He
might have known better than to trust
him. But it was just as much of a
puzzle to the water commissioner as
to Farmer Stone himself why the water
went so scornfully past the water
trough. He went all over the line
peering into the faucet and listening
with his ear close to it's mouth in the
vain endeavor to solve the problem
To satisfy himself that the work OF
laying the pipe and making the con-
nections had been properly done, he
directed the earth all be dug away and
the pipe examined. Everything was
found to be all right; no defect any,
where.
n OF f1~ ir1,
boring city was engaged. After care
fully examining the line he decided
that the spring being SO much higher
than the trough, the water came with
such force that it had no time to stop
at Farmer Stones place. Some were
so skeptical as to this mans judy
ment, however, that another engineer
OF still higher repute was summoned.
His verdict was that the spring, in
stead of being higher than the trough,
was, in fact, lower, therefore there
was no force to push the water up to
the faucet.
Nov it's my turn to see what the
law'll do" the farmer said. 'They
promised me water; they've got to
furnish it."
Some one reminded the old man that
the commissioner had only agreed to
furnish the trough and the faucet: the
water was not in the contract. Il was
a novel situation. The town must
either be deprived of water or the
trough must be supplied with it, and
Farmer Stone brought suit against the
town officials. And now Joshua and
Mettie were in trouble again. What
would become of their hopes and pros
poets if things went on like this:
II know there must be some way to
get water into that trough" she de-
clared. IF had half the knowledge
some folks think they have it seems to
me I could fix it,
Mettie suddenly developed decided
taste for studying water in its relation
to supplying cities and towns through
the medium Of the gravity system.
When all others were sound asleep
she would be porting over books bear
ing on this subject, borrowed from the
city library. Then she made numerous
visits to the spring. She measured
the distance between the spring and
another larger spring, several rods
higher up the hillside, as accurately
as she could with her eye.
Still further to complicate' matters,
Farmer Stone forbade Joshua ever to
visit Mettie again.
1--WE will have nothing to do with
them," he said. They're bad lot
l don't know as I really ever heard
of anything Luke done before this, and
I used to think I'd like we'll enough
to have Mettie for daughter, but this
things enough to convince me that
you never would have minutes peace
II you married her. Chip of the old
block"
Luke in the meantime declared that
Joshua never must darken his doors
again.
Good enough fellow, but what's
bred in the bone will tell"
So matters stood for several weeks,