The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1905-05-12

| ii
WE'LL but you're so ignorant, SIM"
Pm not too ignorant to know
you're the prettiest girl in the Ottawa
valley"
You mustn't. I'm not Il girl, SIM
I'm a widow"
IF wishin' could have made you a
widow, you wouldn't have waited all
this time. He was a bad lot
He was" calmly acquiesced &C.
linda. ''Most men are. That is why
I want the money to be independent
Of them. I wonder who bought my
house. Sim?"
| Il WONDER"
IF you're very good. when | come
back Ill get you to manage things
for me-"
''I'd rather manage you,' said the
fervent Sim.
| "Don't be so familiar. Remember
I'm a great lady,
Sim shrugged his shoulders. NO
use sayin' nothin'?
| "NO use"
| Sims lips worked little. "Celnda,
you're layin' up heap of trouble for
YOURSELF"
when I want you to get me out
of it, I'll tell you," she said,
haughtily; and went into the house.
There was big but unsympathetic
procession to see Celinda start from
the wharf next day. Four Cornerites
vaguely resented Celindas airs and
graces, and did not believe that she
would get the money. But she looked
so radiant and confident that even
the case-hardened editor of The Four
Corners Gazette offered to adopt
Club until she came back. Celinda,
haughtily conscious of the hostility
of her former friends, was coldly
distant, and rather resented Sims
accompanying her 20 Montreal
But when the boat was slowly
''tugged' out from the wharf, and she
saw Sims handsome face receding in
the distance, Celinda, conscious of
certain misgivings, took the radiant
Club down to her cabin and cried
over him a little. The story Of her
being the heiress to the Fraser mill
|
ship. For the last two years Celinda
had industriously studied up the
family pedigree, and there was not
Il flaw in the evidence. AS far back
as 1850 Fraser Of Ochiltree's eldest
son had emigrated to Canada. When
Fraser of Ochiltree died his son had
never claimed his money, which pre-
| f~ TO,
One Of the Montreal papers said it
amounted to four millions. All &C.
linda had to do was to prove her
identity, and bring back the money.
She wanted to settle down in the
Judges house, and show people what
she thought of them. But when the
vessel got outside Quebec Celind;l
would have given all the Fraser mil
lions to be back at -Four Corners.
But in time she recovered. Club
Che declined to be seasick) made vo-
lent love to the captain, whom he per
sisted III looking upon as a parent
greatly to that worthy's embarrass-
ment. lie was a married man, and
told Club so; but Club only laughed
and gurglcd, and wanted him to ''tiss
mlmmy'-a proposal which sent a
blush to the young widows pretty
cheeks.
When Celinda reached Liverpool the
captain obtained permission from the
owners to take her up to town, and
leave his first officer in charge. &c.
linda had refused to marry the first
officer four times, the second officer
twice, the third officer thrice, but they
none of them bore malice, except to
pity the captain for being Il mar
ried man. "IOu See,' said the first
officer to his companion in misfor.
tune, 1--WE can afford to look down on
him, because he's out of Unmarried
Now. if the widow comes back with
proposing until she gets tired out and
takes one of us. 1t looked at first as
if the old man had the bulge on us
but you just wait until he goes home
and tells his wife all about it,"
Sim Parker went into what haC
once been Celnda's pretty house. anc
gazed at it with an air of satisfaction
Everything was just at it had beer
before Ceiinda went away to fetch
the hypot hetical four millions. Chub's
cradle, already aired, stood in one
corner. Sim gave it thoughtful
push with his foot. and set it rocking
Some interesting works of art OF
the wall Shonc in fresh frames. The
rooms had been repapered. and the
kitchen ceiling whitewashed. At the
sale Sim had been the only bidde,
for five photographs of the late I'm
lamented Dick Marston. With a Ger
tain delicacy he took them into the
kitchen and put them in the stove
as if he thought they would thus
r'join the person whom they por
trayed. The hired girl wore a new
frnck. presented to her by Sim. &c
linda's little pig, no longer an out
cast, in spite of his piteous entreaties
had been scrubbed by Sim into state
of pnky perfection. in case Chul
wanted to ''lOve him." The black ant