The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1904-04-08

him say, almost roughly: Come now.
old girl. This Is foolishness. You've
got to come out Of it Try, won't
you? Try!" .. 81,
After that, the Doctor said to old man
sacrison: "This has gone about far
enough" - q q
The fourth day Jim made no sound
that anyone heard. and at length the
doctor drew back the hide door, and en-
tered the tent. Jim was sitting quiet
but tense, looking, looking into the
eyes of his dead. 'She amt dead ?" said
Jim. No longer the quiet tone of pos.
tive negation, but searching, quiv-
ering question.
I'm afraid so, Jjm.'
The other man threw himself on the
body, and the tears came. DR.. Nc
Grath stood back and said nothing.
He knew this for the crisis. The sound
Of weeping stopped and then there
came long, quivering cry: "Mollie-
Mollie-it's SO dark-so dark-don't
leave me, sweetheart, DON'T"
The doctor braced himself to inter-
fere. This had gone far enough.
Gently he lifted that troubler of tho
dead; he took up the candle and be-
gan to cover the dead face. And then
every nerve in his body exploded into
"a thousand jets of flame.
The lashes over Mollie's staring eyes
were moving, and. as he looked, the
lips parted in a long, quivering breath.
Never mind. grille" said the man
at the foot Of the bed: yes, know
all about it." His was the tone who
humors the brain-sick.
But l want to tell you Jim. Let mo.
please" She took his hand, clasping
it with weak, sick pressure
There's nothing to dying, Jim. It's
the easiest thing! Half the dead peo-
pie could come back If they wanted.
You just go where you please and az
quick as you please.
ITS just like passing out of the
door. You're here now, listening to
what they say, and next second you're
outside-watching. You know what's
going on, but you're outside.
First. saw you and the doctor
you wouldn't believe was dead. would
you? And l couldn't seem to care,
Jimmy boy, you don't mind If I say
that? Twas just a big rest. I'd been
SO sick, and it had been so hard to
get away, and guess l kind of for
got for awhile. And next l was going
any where l pleased. Just like getting
home it was-getting home where I
belonged. You won't understand until
you die, Jim.
Il don't know all the places l went.
That amt all clear now l suppose
wasn't what you could call awake.
But the first thing I remember I was
back at home--back In Oakdale.
Seemed like things, were all stirred up;
and then I saw people running back
and forth, and the h ose-team out, and
I knew there was a fire. There was,
too-the opera house was burning. :
felt real sorry for Mr.. Richards-you
know how he skimped to build it, Jim
and thinking about him made me
think of the folks-and the next thing
was there, the way things happen
when you are dead"
There, there, Mollie. Tell me the
rest some other time. Rest little
WHILE"
mo. Jim. l want to tell it all now.
Then won't talk any more. 1 promise
"Bccause-Im coming to something.
| Mothers dead.
II saw her, and didn't mind You
| mustn't either. She's just gone-in
the front room-and Jack and Anne
and all the folks were there. I didn't
feel bad for MOTHER couldn't-but
| did for poor old Jack. How could he
understand? tried to get to him, tried
to touch him, and I couldn't. But il
was the first time I'd felt sorry since
since I'd left you. wanted to tell him
that it didn't matter. I wanted to find
mother, and have her try to tell him.
"That was the funny thing about it
all. Jim. You're all alone. You'd
think that all the other dead people
would be there to meet you. but they
aren't. Maybe-after awhile, when
you're clear away from people on this
side-you find them. suppose you
| must.
But there was, beside Jack. l re-,
membered how much you thought OF
him. and how much you'd mean ia
each other just then.
"You won't like this, maybe, because
you don't understand either-but that
was the first I'd thought OF how you'd
feel. 1t wasn't so much my being gone
as you being up here alone in the
dark. II you could only die, too! But
l knew you wouldn't. and knew how
awful it would be for you-waiting.
"The next I knew was here.
don't know how I came. wanted tn
come, and I was here, just like the
fairy-stories.
There you were. and there was the
rest of me. l knew you'd waited q
long time. could see in your face
how you'd changed. and-oh, Jim, dy-
ing's nothing, nothing, but il you only