The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1905-02-10
/ Returning the Presents.
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By ARNOLD GOI.DSWORTHY.

COPHIE MEADOWS sat in the little
y parlor at the back of her mothers
shop and gazed dismally out into the
garden where the last brown leaves
were falling from the limbs to the
soggy footpath below.
The scene was not altogether an un-
sympathetic one for Sophie, since she
was sad at heart that dull, misty after
noon. Indeed there were signs that
she had been crying; and when Sophie
cried, her nose grew very red indeed,
and woman will not incur risk Of
that sort without the most acute
provocation.
In the spring 1t had all been SO diff
ferent. David Trotter, who managed
the village -four mill for his father,
and who was beside a most eligible
young man in every way, had asked
Sophie to be his wife. and the earth
had seemed so fair to her then.
Summer had been spring intensified;
and the brightness of her life had
seemed quite dazzling. And now
everything was cherries and damp,
the sun was cold and the: fire of true
and only love had spluttered out and
left Sophie with bruised heart and a
red nose.
Everybody knew it was David's-
that is, Mr.. Trotter's-fault; or, at
least. everybody to whom Sophie had
mentioned the matter
Sophte's mother had perhaps not
qlite grasped the full meaning of the
awful crisis in her daughters bright
young life. The good soul had even
spoken lightly of it, affecting to treat
it as mere lovers quarrel, and that
at time when Sophie had been seri-
cusly considering whether she ought
to 60 into nunnery or just pine away
and die in the back parlor Of home
Sophie knew for fact that David
or, rather, Mr.. Trotter-had been seen
flirting with Faith Duker, the creature
who set her cap at everybody. The
thing had been seen in the village;
and after a likely bit of scandal had
gone the round Of a village like Dun
stead its own mother would not have
recognized it at the finish
David had gone so far as to meet the
creature a second time by appoint
ment, and that, of course, capped his
iniqulty. Everybody knows that no
Celf-respecting girl can put up with
Coings-on like that
It would not have mattered so much
II he had admitted his error, and had
endeavored to earn forgiveness by a
fitting display Of contrition. But David
had had the effrontery to deny the
charge, and had actually punched
young Harper about dreadfully for Sust
casually mentioning the matter to a
circle Of friends at the Blue Anchor
Which just shows you the true char
;acter of people like David-I should
say. Mr.. Trotter
And yesterday Sophie had taken her
pen in hand, and after laboriou sly
studying the dictionary so as to be
sure that she had got the long words
cold and dignitied terms that all was
now over between them, and he would
receive per bearer the presents he had
made her. and henceforth they were
strangers forevermore. Amen
On other days Sophie would have
been helping her mother in the shop;
but to-day she could do nothing but
sit and watch The leaves fall. AS it
grew dusk she got up and lit the lamp
There was her knitting on the table.
The woolly squares hanging from the
needles were the foundations of pair
OF socks that had been intended for
him. Now, of course, they would &C
to the heather via the parish chur<t
and the missionary society. No dout
the heather would be more apprecia.
tive, though perhaps woollen socks
in the tropics might be little trying
to the untutorad savage mind Anc
then
"Sophie!"
It was the voice of Mrs. Meadows
calling from the shop. And a momen
later the good soul put her head into
the parlor and added:
"Sophie! It's David. He's come t
see you
"Tell him I don't want to see him
mother" she SAID. after what's 'ap
pened l don't Want to speak to hin
again.
Mrs Meadows turned back to ne.
shop. bat before she could repeat thu
portentous message, David was alread,
at the parlor door. Mrs. Meadows wa!