The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-03-08

had spent half an hour investigating
the interior
Fate sometimes gets a lazy streak
on, and then things move as slow as
Inolasses creeping across the kitchen
floor. Young man and maiden had
somehow lodged each other for for,
whole weeks when Fate woke up
Then came a morning when the chick
ems and ducks said it was going tc
rain. They beat the weather bureau
at that sort of business. Mr.. Sinclai,
decided not to go cunning and fish
ing but to try his hand at toy wheel
barrow for his little niece. and Miss
Vernon decided to sit on the porch
with rain-coat on and watch for the
automobilist
Noon and no rain yet! The wheel
barrow wouldn't wheel. The autoist
the only one that came along-was
an old curmudgeon who was in a
hurry to get somewhere, and be never
looked at the girl on the porch and
there was no explosion.
| Two o'clock and no rain! Mr.. Jack
| ) "ASO anu S"OISS NAAoo AAAI~S
yaWned and didn't swear.
Three o'clock-four o'clock! Same
overcast sky-same clucking hens and
quacking ducks. but the first drop Of
rain had yet to fall
Hang it. but this Is the very best
sort of snipe weather." exclaimed
Mr.. Jack as he shouldered his gun
and set out.
i've got letter to mail. and III
canter to the village and BACK. said
Miss Kitty as she ordered tne mau
to saddle the pony.
Fate was planning A sn!pe OF
some other bird-one is not o. er-par
ticular about the species-lel Mr.
Jack a two-mile chase 1t did so by
offering him about fifty fair shots, and
Of course every one of them was a
miss. He had just aimed for his
fifty-first miss when a drop of rain
hit him on the nose and the long-de
ferred downfall began to get busy
The old Parsons house was the near
est shelter. and he made for it.
The pony was galloped into the vii
lage and the letter mailed. and she
headed for home. Half a mile from
the Parsons house. and just as it be
gan to rain, the pony caught sight OF
a log beside the road he had passed
hundred times and SHE'D at it. Out
of the saddle went Miss Kitty. and
away for home galloped the pony. M
bones broken and no skulls fractured
but no one can take flop of the sort
without few bumps and being muss
ed up more or less.
The rain was making porridge OF
the dust when the unseated and very
angry maid started for the old
house.
Mr.. Sinclair had reached the house
fifteen minutes ahead of the girl, and
had taken a seat on the rotting floor
OF what had been the parlor. Five
minutes before her arrival he had
, heard queer sound upstairs, but sew
eral of the stair steps were gone and
he could not have investigated If he
had wished. He heard rather than
saw Miss Kitty timorously enter the
/ hall. and he could not make out what
was going on.
A growing from upstairs-a patter-
ing across the floor-a bumpety-
bump! Ghosts for two! The real
thing and no discount!
Miss Kitty screamed out and fell
down the front steps. Mr.. Sinclair
exclaimed. 1.-The devil!" and Aso
made for out of doors! He saw socae-
thing flying towards the highway end
he up With his gun and fired. He
missed, Of course. but there war a
scream and the something fell do%n.
and the huddle was under his feet
before be made out that it was a girl
in raAn-wet and clinging garmenta.
"Oh, Mr.. Ghost!" from the bun1le
| WHO is it! What Is it,"
"sir, how dare you!"
"You hid there on purpose!"
And you came on purpose!"
There was moments silence, and
thsu both laughed heartily and even
in tbs pouring rain explanations were
entered into.
"Bat there was surely a ghoet up
sts;rn," protested the s'rl.
aud l will come here tor orrow
and ,out it OUT
f'~nd in hand. through RAJ and
mud and darkness, Mr.. Sinclair final
~ delivered his charge into 1er sis
ter'B care and then went his further
vat.
Now. then, Miss Kitty, sou have
had an adventures" accused her sis-
to-.
Il have"
And I demand to-"
"Oh. you needn't. l aave been
bucked off by the pony. rolled in the
mud. rained on, visited & haunted
! house. heard a ghost and net the man
am to marry. That's all
And next day. when Mr.. Sinclair
| visited the Parsons houss he found
| upstairs an old cat with her tail
caught In a crack In the fl9cr. and he
blessed her and set her at liberty,
NJ