The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1906-08-17
FROM THE COUNTRY.
But Anna Brought with Her Some
thing Greater Than City Ad-
Vantages.

AS the street car rolled along, Anna
Wood Studied Marie Burdick's pretty
gown with growing realization that
her own dress and manner were plain.
" marked, From the country." The
difference between Marie and herself,
she reflected, enviously, could all be
summed up in the one word-advan-
tages.
For her part, she saw no reason
why, just because her mother and
Marie's had been school chums, they
should insist on a friendship between
their daughters. She wished she had
not come to pay this visit, and was
heartily glad that the last hour of it
would soon be over.
When they left the car Marie said:
"There's a lot of time before: your
train goes, Anna, and I want to stop
at the Thurlow house a inmate"
Leading the way into a large hotel,
she stepped to the desk and spoke
to the clerk. He nodded, and handed
her a letter. Marie, her puzzled
friend from the country still follow.
ing, took the elevator to the parlor,
and asked to be excused while she
read her letter.
AS she turned it's pages her face
flushed and grew pale. She put it
| back in the envelope and tried to chat
with Anna, but there was an under
current of suppressed excitement, and
at last it broke barriers.
HAnna - che coid IN Inv +o-o
can't do any harm to tell you-I'm not
going back home. I'm going to be
married tonight. Hush! He thinks
the world of me, Anna. My brother
Frank made all the trouble. He told
father and mother that Gus Morton
drank, and wasn't good, but I never
believed one word of it, and Gus said
twas all jealousy on Franks part that
made him do it. have promised him
that as soon as he was ready l would
| marry him, no matter what any one
said. ought to have had this letter
two days ago, but I couldn't get a
chance to call for it. He's coming
to-day, Anna. I'm to meet him in this
room in just two hours" 49, =.
| Marie paused. She expected awed
sympathy, but the girl from the coun.
try was not even looking at her. In.
stead, she was seeing a mother wait.
ing with desperate anxiety that night
for the daughter who had not come
home. She was feeling the sorrow
the danger-that lay ahead. Her i'm
pulse was to speak out harshly
against Marie's deception of. her best
friend; to denounce man who would
ask girl to begin her married life
with a deception; but something
closed her lips, and up from her heart
went prayer for help:
Then she said, quietly: Marie, ]
heard your mother telling your fathe,
yesterday that the reason she got on
with you better than he could was
| because she trusted you. She said
you knew it would break her heart il
you betrayed that trust, and she was
sure you would never do it." T.. T.,
Marie looked up, startled. Anna
had risen-not deprecating now, nor
i'll at ease. :. .~-... =
A struggle followed, but Anna Wood
never faltered. She realized now,
with a sudden thankfulness, that she
had brought from her country home
something greater, than city .advan-
tages.' ,s>s5s$ = .%$a|:-s@ s: NJ
J., Come" she said, at last. ..I'm not
going home on this train. I'm not go
ing at all until see you safe in your
mothers arms" And II Marie went
with her.-Youth's COMPANION