The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1906-04-27

and criminals-the real-life ones-are
recruited. Poor little thing! what has
life in store for it? Life! that strange
serial story which grows more and
more incomprehensible with each in
stallment and Of which the monoto-
nous denouement explains nothing. j.,
Jean Vignol has fallen into a dolo-
rous reverie. The poet he once dreamed
of becoming is not dead in him yet.
AS he looks upon the cradle before
him and remembers that tomorrow
is Christmas. he thinks of the Babe
that lay upon the straw in the man.
ger at Bethlehem.
The child materially and morally
abandoned-the child dedicated, as it
were, by a sort of social fatality to
vice and crime-there is the theme Of
a great book to be written, with tho
outpouring of all the tenderness, all
the indignation, all the sincerity of
ones heart. All, there is the novel that
Jean Vignol might write, if But,
why think of it? Jean Vignol has no
talent-he never did, and never will
have. He knows it too well. And if
tears spring up and surprise him at
this moment, it is because while pity
ing the child's helplessness he is also
in despair at his own.
Meanwhile the door opens. Mere
Matthew has returned. She is all out
of breath, and, oh! how tired and worn
she looks; how pale and wrinkled her
face is, in her old black bonnet.
But, now or never. Jean Vignol has
something on his mind, and is deter
mined to speak out. +.
Listen, Mere Matthew. l have been
thinking about you during your alb
sence. When my mother was alive my
earnings suficed for two. Why
shouldn't they now-if you will take
her place? Will you? Then we shall
both have a home, which neither Of US
has at present. Besides, l can help you
to bring up the little fellow"
The poor woman gave startled cry.
then sank into chair and buried her
face in her hands; and, as the baby
opened it's eyes and began to murmur,
Jean took it up from the cradle, re-
garded it at arms length for moment
and planted upon it's chubby little
cheek a kiss already quite paternal.
Nor is this the end of the story.
AS it turned cut, Jean Vignol's gener-
Gus conduct brought him luck. True,
he continues to reel out much the same
kind of stuff for his special public.
Yet there is something about his last
story, THE Orphan of Belleville," that
lifts it out of the class of the others,
and has made all the shopgirls cry.
It's success has increased the circula-
ton of the paper, and at last the author
gets his four cents line. It has even
been syndicated in some Of the provin.
cial sheets. =
The other day, as Jean Vignol stop.
ped at his publishers to collect his roy
alties, he experienced the proudest mo.
lments Of his literary life. An illus.
trious writer, one Of the very creates,
novelists Of the age, patted him on tho
back and salu: Hull TER 49, ..5ss Il;
by the way M. Vignol,t I5haye beer
reading one or two Of your things late.
Nv, and find some bits very we'll done
indeed-Very sincere, very touching
about children. .... .,4,-,5
The poor author blushed to the tol
Of his head. !
! Thank you 90. much, cher matre,'
he stammered. With happy Il emotion
You see, the fact Is. when writ,
about Children now, I work dirsctl,
i from lifs." s..s. S.