The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1910-03-25

TT Stories Co.. Ltd)
| left it, refusing all orders for other
work-sawing, planning, fitting and pol
ishing, from dawn until late at night.
The strange wooing was the talk of
the whole neighborhood, admitted to
the secret by MARITIME herself.
When the task was finished the join
er sought MARITIME and invited her to
| inspect his work. Moved by curios-
| ity, she went with him to the shop,
examined everything infinitely, and
| discovered, not without satisfaction,
that there was something lacking-a
wardrobe. The omission gave her
the pretext she wanted. She pointed
it out, and added, contemptuously:
| do you call that set of furniture?
Then she turned on her heel and
left the poor joiner to his own refec-
! tons.
In week or two Malveuil came
again and said: "Everything is CON-
plete this time. Come and see."
And, indeed, not only was the miss
ing wardrobe there, but the other
pieces were so much embellished and
shone so brightly that MARITIME could
find no valid reason for objection.
But she would not confess herself con-
quered.
There is still something wanting"
she said. II don't know what, but you
ought to know since you love me so
dearly. Something that will make
me cry out in surprise and delight at
| sight of it. Add this something and
l will be your wife,"
you promise?"
II swear it,
! Malveuil left town, and, after an alb.
sence of two days, reappeared with
several large boxes which he bl ought
from the railway station on cart.
The fair MARITIME lost herself il con-
F! lectures, and interested curiosity in
duced her to beg all her gossips to
keep close watch on the impassioned
joiner and report to her. After llany
days Malveuil appeared and, without
preamble or even greeting, said:
! Come; but remember your promise -
When they had reached his shop he
conducted her through an alley to a
rear door. Entering, she found her.
self in almost total darkness NAL
veuil led her to the middle of the
room, and then suddenly flung open
the shutters and let in a flood of sun
shine.
| oh, how beautiful! Oh, how beau
tiful!" cried MARITIME, and she contin-
ued to repeat the exclamation without
giving thought to the penalty attached
to it.
A large mirror entirely covered the
front OF the wardrobe; two others
were attached to the head and foot
or the bedstead. Every piece of fur
nlture bore mirrros, large or small,
wherever human ingenuity could fas-
ten them. Thus had Malveuil baited
the trap for the vain coquette.
So they married, but it would have
! been better for both If they had not
or MARITIME married the mirrors rath-
er than Malveuil, and for them she re-
served all her smiles. She spent the
entire day with them, adjoining and
admiring herself. giving little thought
to her household duties and none al
all to her husband. Malveuil felt AZ
this keenlv. and he became more silent
than eve One morning as MARITIME,
| surrounded by her mirrors, was com.
pletlng her elaborate toilet, he said:
we must have dinner early to-day. |
| have to 20 ut of town.
AS MARITIME apparently did not hear
his words, he repeated them, with no
better result. He repeated them
again, and this Zine his voice trem.
bled a little. MARITIME shrugged her
shoulders disdainfully and continued
to busy herself with her ribbons and
laces, neither opening her lips nor
turning her head.
Stung by her obstinate and con.
temptuous silence, and evident desire
to annoy him, and irritated by the
memories OF many similar scenes,
Maiveull was seized by one of those
terrible fits of anger which sometimes
attack quiet and peaceful men and
make them more formidable than the
| Adultudlly uOI-tempereQ.
With white face and clenched teeth
he strobe to his wife's side, raised his
hammer and brought it down heavily
upon the beautiful face that was look.
ing up to him in terror-from the mir
ror. Then he attacked the other mir.
rors, and did not stop until every one
was shattered. When all were broken
he threw down his hammer. seized
MARITIME by the shoulders and com.
PEELED her to lift her head and con.
front him.
When you wish to see yourself !"
he said, look in my eyes. They are
the only mirror that you shall have
from this day forth. Use it or not.
as you choose"
Then he strobe out of the room and
locked the door.
And were they unhappy seven
years?'' Marie asked.
| mo. All their lives"