The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1905-09-08

OF N-auQ i've! S6e II &c DeCCet SaLlb
fed, though, to try" with a backward
glance as he drove away. = "
Twas hard, but Melissa persevered
She had done the greater part Of thu
spring work without help and has
planted more than had before been at
tempted since her fathers death. Had
it been a dry season, it would have
been much easier; as it was, it seemed
she must watch her chance to get in
q stroke of work between the rainy
weather.
Il think, grandmother" and Melissa
stopped to unlace her muddy shoes
"wer're to have another rain. The all
is dense anu damp, and l dom
know"
perhaps not, DEAR"
IF we have another storm as long r
or half as long as the last one, thu
crops are ruined. Almost every othel
hill is either already damaged or de
stroyed entirely"
Things are never quite so bad a:
they seem, dear. Perhaps it will no.
Come, supper's ready"
Il hope So" and Melissa and grand
mother sat down to the slender meal
We'll not starve; there'll be some
kina of crop" But, for all her faith
Grandmother Noble little dreamed O.
was to raise for them!
The next morning it rained with &
steady persistency that betokened {
long, wet spell.
Il feared it," and Melissa smiled
grimly, as she came in from the barn
Ito a regular downpour and the winds
directly east
All that night it rained without any
let-up, and the ne.t day, and thu
next.
"Everything's ruinJ now-there's nc
need to hope any lontsr," exclaimed
Melissa, dismally, during the afternoon
of tlo second day. Its Just as
fearetl'
Toward night, Phil PotcIr, going by
on his way home, stopped rs he saw
MCAAood OIL u66A1A6 III AOAAs LAG SAVN
with heavy armful OF Wood.
beats all how's it's raintng; the
rivers risen over a foot since yester
day morning, and it's steadily rising
BY tomorrow eyarythiug'll be covered
long the low land-pretty tough fol
the crops; but there's 20 help for it..
"'Tisn't as bad, Melissa, as though
we lived on the meadow patch-we'l
still have roof. deay."
Il know, grandmother; but
Its the Lords doings, child; I'll:
needed Cor some purpose, we may bt
sure!"
For five days it rained constantly
and when finally it cleared awe. ths
meadow patch was an inland sea.
Melissa abandoned herself to utte'
Encouragement. Her labor was vast
ed, her young plants ruined; it was
too late to plant again, had she thu
strength to attempt it.
We'll have to sell now" and Grand
mother Noble silently accepted the in
evitable.
Melissa was getting ready to &c
over to Thomas Peacos; neither She
nor her grandmother made mentio;
of her errand-it was too painful TO:
the older woman. When Melissa re
turned, her grandmother's home woult
have been bargained for by another
Suddenly there was q knock at tn
kitchen door; Melissa laid down hel
wraps.
mo, can't come in-1'm on a mat
ter of business. How'll You sell your
crop down on the edge Of the mea
DOVE 1t was Nicholas Holman, tn,
owner of the big clapboard and shin
gle mill at Welchville.
"Our crop! We have none; I dom
understand you," and Melissa LOOKED
vaguely into the face of the man be
fore her.
Pardon me. should have ex
planned. Perhaps you haven't beef
out since the rain," and his genia
smile melted into a more serious ex
preston.
mo, l."
Then you haven't seen what tn
overflow of the river almost laid a
your very door. High AMI dry upol
the land along the meadow edge i
piled some of the handsomest ceda
timber it's been my good fortune t.
see, and I've had considerable expert
ence from first to last in that sort O
thing!"
But tit isn't ours" exclaimed Me
lissa; 'grandmother's and mine!"
more yours than anybody 'else's.
replied Mr.. Holman, convincingly. Il
must have come for miles down tn
! river; no lumber of that kind in thi
section anywhere! judged the log
must have been rolled on the ice O
some of the up-country lakes durin;
the winter. and later broke awa5 from
the boom that held them"
"But can't the owner be notifee-
where his property isl" pressed Me
lissa, her strict sense of honesty man
ifesting itself
1T is doubtful: yet possibly it Nigh
be done, could the owner be found. II