The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-06-28


happy group Of friends from the city,
| They had been asked as guests over
Decoration day and had planned the
time-honored picnic Of that day. J q
| 1T seems too good to be true"
cried one Of the girls. ito think va
are going on real picnic on Memo
rial day."
"Just as all the country lads and
lassies do back In good old Iowa
where I was a child" added young
man with more than half seriousness
in his expression.
"All we can do to make it pre-.
sactly real," laughed another pretty
girl, lis to 60 to some graveyard and
sit on the freshly decorated mounds
| and eat our lunches!"
Caroline's eyes suddenly flashed
and she jumped to her feet.
Girls and boys!" she cried, ex-
citedly, I'VE can do that very same
thing! And let's do it,"
"What?" chorused the others.
!! Eat our lunch In the dearest little
cemetery you ever saw" Caroline ex:
planned more seriously. TN this
very farm there lies a small aban-
doned graveyard and you can't imag-
inc how picturesque it is. I'll take a
bunch of lilacs to put on each of the
old graves that has been forgotten
since-oh, since before any of us was
bOrn," she said.
Memorial day dawned as a perfect
May day should dawn, and Caroline
was down on the broad old colonial
porch in her fresh white frock long
before the others were out of their
beds. She sat beside her father, rock
ing back and forth in the balmy
morning air and looking out across
the velvet of the lawns. The fra
GRANGE of apple blossoms was all
about them, for the breezes came to
them across the orchard.
Presently around the turn of the
winding gravel path that led to the
main entrance of the farm there
came young man. He walked brisk
ly, and yet there was an expression
of uncertainty in his carriage.
AS he approached the two he took
off his straw hat and addressed Col.
Darling.
rs this the old Craft farm-the
dorado Craft FARM" he asked
1T Isl the colonel answered. Il
have recently bought it. What can
l do for you, sir?"
Tho
looking for the grave of my great
grandfather, and I was told that it
was in small cemetery that was
believed to be in the Craft property"
"Oh, father" began Caroline.
1T u.s." interrupted the colonel.
AT least there is such a place some
here hereabout."
Il know exactly where it is, father"
suggested Caroline.
Then you might try to tell u.s."
the father replied. Better than that.
daughter, you might come with this
young man and me and we will see
If We can aid him in his search"
AS the three sought tho hemlock
grove the young man told them of his
reason for seeking so remote grave.
His grandmother. recently deceased,
had begged 1t of him as a final re-
quest that he find the burying place
of her father and care for It, She
herself had been unable to do so, and
after much effort the young man had
traced 1t to the Craft estate.
They found the old fiat stone with
the carved letters telling of how one
George Alexander John Carstone had
lived and died. etc.
And do you bear one of the
names?" asked the colonel.
Il am John Carter-I beg your par.
don for not having introduced myself
at once" the young man hastily re-
piled. extending a card to Col. Oar.
ling.
mot so lengthy a name as your
great-granddaddy's, eh?"
Caroline laughed at her fathers
facetiousness with a stranger, and yet
in her 1nnermost self-she was sure
the man would not always be
stranger. Already her father was
saying:
If you will. our house Is yours and
you can remain through the day with
US and return to this spot and care
properly for the resting place of your
ancestor, Eth, Gardiner"
Eyes, indeed, father"
The three returned to breakfast
and Caroline had misgivings as ia
the picnic, now that the young man
had come on a serious Grand
He put her at ease in a moment
What better care than the vista
ton of merry party OF young folk,
could my good grandmother have
asked? I'll join you. II may"
And that Memorial day picnic be
meath the hemlocks was a day to b
remembered by Caroline Darling, fol-
it was in the cool. quiet shadows
there that she first saw into the
depth Of the eyes of the man who
was to become her husband