The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-05-17

!
"Only playing on the fiddle! Only!
Only! And must be wrenched again
wrench upon wrench! :, Mother,
waken up Polly!"
Polly was given q poke and she
opened her eyes and ears and scream
ed out. She had rival at last The
idea that something had come into the
neighborhood to compete with her
voice maddened her. and she set out
to do justice to the occasion.
Great snakes, mother, but what is
that" gasped young Islington as he
ceased to draw the bow to turn pale.
Its nothing, dear-nothing tall"
soothed the mother. Il think the
folks next door have a parrot-just a
parrot"
Think! Think! Why, Of course
they have, and l am housed up hero
with this twist and may be for 9
month to come! BY the high jumpers
of Jericho, but won't stand it,"
"But. Hugh dear"
And he f1ddled and f1ddled and fid,
died. and the parrot yelled and yelled
and yelled, and the minister writing
his next Sundays sermon in the house
across the street mopped his brow
and walked the floor and didn't say
anything-not aloud.
From the first wall of the violin and
the first yell of the parrot it was
rivalry. 1t was violin VS.. parrot-par-
rot VS.. violin. Oh, the sadness Of it
for the neighbors!
From morning till night, day after
day! If the best Polly could do was
| to yell out that she wanted a cracker.
the best the fiddler could do was to
play "Old Black Joe" over and over
! again. The advantage rather rested
with the violin. 1t didn't have to
sleep O. nights, while Polly did. She
did her very best to realize that honor
was at stake, and that she must til,
umph or perish, but two hours after
lamplight would find her nodding and
played out, while the violin was still
wide awake at IL p. m.
Mother, that wretch shall never
conquer me-never!" Miss May would
exclaim half a dozen times a day:
and like an echo young Mr.. 1slington
{ would call out:
It'll bring her to her knees, moth
er-to her knees!"
For long month the battle ragged.
When a doctor who knows his busi-
ness catches a patient with a wrench
or twist he is not going to surren-
der his inestimable privilege day
short of four weeks. Even at the
, end of that time he is going to pay an
extra visit-fee $2-to warn him not
| to try to climb a thorn tree without
pulling on stove-pipe trousers.
But the day came when Miss May
was permitted to walk out. Also Mr..
Islington! There was a grove quar-
ter Of a mile away. Miss May natu-
rally headed for the grove Mr.. 1sling-
ton naturally headed for the same
place.
Miss May naturally carried Polly
along to reward her for her heroic ef-
forts to preserve the family honor,
and Mr.. 1slington carried his violin
along that he might once more hear
the sweet strains of "Old Black Joe"
in the sunshine. The girl reached the
grove first and was softly meditating
when step aroused her. That young
man! That violin! They stood be-
fore her, and as she shuddered the
parrot screamed.
"You-you-you!" gasped the
"wrenchess"
1.-THE girl with the parrot" exclaim-
! ed the "twister"
Could aught save, the day? Could
anything avert the impending trag-
edy? Had it been two old men or
two old women-good-bye! But 1t
was good-looking girl and a not at
all bad-looking young fellow, and they
had had a square fight and were a bit
ashamed of their petulance, and after
a gasp or two bit of a smile came
to their faces. Then the smiles broad
ened Then grins succeeded. Then
Polly stood on her head and there
were two hearty laughs and Mr..
Islington said:
"You are Miss Forbes, believe,
and congratulate you on getting out
again"
and you are Mr.. 1slington, I be-
lieve, and I also congratulate you"
II hope my violin was not disagree
able to you"
And trust that Polly's chatter
did not make you nervous"
He sat down beside her and he told
her about that high jump, and she
told him about the barrel, and it's on
record at the county clerks office that
she oven said that of all musical in.
struments she preferred the fiddle
and that he replied that no nightin.
gale was in it compared with a par.
rot And they went home to tell
their mothers a lot Of good things
J about each other.
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