The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-02-21

I Copyright. 1910, by Associated Lit
erary Press.
Virginia came In, all grubhy from
digging in her vegetable garden.
~ don't see" her aunt said. why
I Yea like to dig in the dirt"
NJ Virginia flushed. III sou would let
: ans have a-4~eFs--' she Began ---------'
7 never could fuss with flowers"
Miss Cornelta Erumbled. They amt
useful. and / believe In people being
Il useful and things being useful"
virginia dfd not argue the question,
In fact, Virginia did not argue any
Thing. She was still fair, shrinking
vbild. in spite OF her twenty-one
years. She had eerue To live with
her aunt when she was little girl.
and 1t had not taken her, long to
find out that argument with that
strong. stern personality WAS Ike
htating her head against a stone wall
The one compensation for the lack
of sympathy which she found In her
home was the beauty of the country
surrounding it, Virginia's childhood
had BEEN spent In the city. and her
aHHt's rambling white house, with the
orchard To the right Of II, and with
Z the garden to the left of il. and the
stretch Of wooded land behind it, fill-
4 cd her soul with delight, II was In
the spring that she liked IL best
Miss corneiia's ideas as to the du-
: tSrs EJr Young women were old -fasfi--"
fr-.f-rf; -.f Sire fssrtf 70 SEC virginia per-
forming domestic tasks In the kiteh-
en or in the living room, where they
sewed together
But Virginia loved the out of
doors. She had begged the privilege
" taking care OF the vegetable gar
den when she found that she could
not have flowers of late. too. there
had been a deeper reason for Vir-
ginia's JOY in her out Of door work
Across the fence was another garden,
and In this garden some one worked
whose whistle was as clear as the call
Of the black bird on the fence. Now
and then the whistle would stop and
q voice would give CHEEKY greeting
TO Virginia.
Virginia always sent back timid
answers. Miss Cornelia had 40 use
fer the neighhors on the other side of
the fence. She called them shiftless
md refused To recognize that the son
Of the family was DIFFERENT from the
stherss Stlc would not admit that his
Industry was redeeming the scrubhy
farm that his father had let run to
waste Indeed, Mark Graham's gar
den promised to he superior to Viz
Einia's. Virginia had spoken of 1t
that morning in II shy conversation
over the fence
Il don't see hoMXnn make xaar
lettuce and rAdfshes grow so fast"
she had murTnured. Mine are just
beginning To show above the ground,
and yours viii he ready to eat before
many days"
Well. a-Hfafi knows more about
such things" Mark had said. with
glance at the slender hands on the
fence rail. 1T doesn't seem as ii IA
woman ought 10 dig
't0h, I'd die If / didn't Aunt Cor
nei,a would keep me sewing in the
house. and love to be out of doors. -
tits "a shame" Mark muttered.
Z '.that you cannot do as you please.
IL T. He stopped suddenly
Virginia knew what he wanted to
say 10 her, She knew that he loved
her, and she knew, too. that he would
never tell her as long az he was a
poor aud struggling farmer She
knew that even II he did ask her Miss
Cornelia would never consent to their
marriage.
She sighed. and ne saw her shad-
owed eyes,
Il wish could tell you all that is
4 In my heart, Virginia" Mark said.
Virginia smiled hraNely and said
"But yon mustn't. Mark and then
she had run away from him into the
house.
Miss Corneiia had seen the two h,
the fence and had resolved 10 keeT
Virginia. If possible, ont of the gar
den. Miss Cornelia had her Qwn ideas
about fnatriu1eny fer her niece. The
young doctor in town who called nov
and then, and whose admiration OF
Virginia was obvious, had money. pc.
sitten and good practice There.
fore, Miss Corneiia argued II Nir
ginia married, why not marry tbs
Doctor
Virginia liked the doctor, but wher
she rode with him, or walked with
him. or talked with him onNthe wide
front porch there came to her no such
moments t4f estaey Ms she felt In these
brief meetings with Mark at the di-
vision tine of the two gardens, Some
how i'm her mind Mark seemed asso,
tiated with the woods. the blue SIX,
and the snnshine, She knew IL she
married the doctor she weule have Il
4. live in town shut alu In the big house