The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1913-12-26

people have but very little Of it left,
and what little you have is dying
out" 49,. ! {. i. ! !. .*>f III: :.
Of course he was offended, and Of
course l and all the rest Of the Uni
tarians were consigned to the hot
place, but I remembered my own ex-
perience on the ice in the fatherland,
and l was not prepared to say that
the good old fellow was manufacture
ing story, and I have not yet taken
the other mans advice to go to the
hot place.
But coming back to my story. II
don't remember how many hours we
watched and waited on the ice for our
Christmas gift from God. I know
we were awfully cold and frightfully
hungry; I remember also the debates
between us touching the matter if
God had heard us, and if he had,
would he help us?
I can't help but laugh when I think
back and the incident comes wildly
to my mind, but at the time it was no
laughing matter with US. 1t was get
the fish or go hungry. We never
could get accustomed to the empty
feeling.
After we had been importuning the
Almighty until we couldn't possibly
think Of anything else to tell Him,
we commenced to sing the Christmas
psalms which we knew by heart, and
that rather cheered US and also pass
ed the time.
Us kids had our own system of
doing things in the old country as
we'll as they do here. When we were
lonesome or waiting for someone, we
used to sing, and when we were
frightened out of our boots by some
ghost story in which the country
abounded, we would whistle to keep
our courage up.
That part of the line which was not
lowered into the water was wound
over crotch similar to what the
boys here use for their sling shots,
then it was fastened lightly in the
split of the wood in such manner that
if fish was caught the line would be
released and unwind as fast as the
fish travelled. Our eyes were on the
crotch all the time, praying or sing
ing, and at last, o joy. it left the
split with snap, and we knew that
God had heard US and had taken pity
pn US.
We had shivered with the cold be-
fore, but now we shivered with the
mingled joy and apprehension. The
ish was caught, but fishes were
Known to have the disagreeable habit
Of getting off the hook at the last
minute, and the thought of such pos
sibility was overwhelming.
Our fright and apprehension work
ed in our favor; it gave the fish time
to unwind the entire length of the
line, and if he knew he was caught, !
he was seemingly in no hurry to get |
loose.
Between muttered prayers and hys-
terical laughter we hauled gently on
the line, and finally landed our
Christmas feast on the ice. He was
big fat fellow similar to the specie |
called Lawyer" here; he was black |
and Shiny, but in our eyes he was the
finest specimen of the fnny tribe
that ever was caught.
l must say this to our credit, that |
we were not like the drowning man,
of whom the story is told that while
he was in the water and in danger of !
sinking he prayed to God with all his
might to save him. At last the rush
of the water in the river in which he
was taking his involuntary bath
swung him against some willow
bushes growing on the river bank,
and as he grasped one he repented
of his weakness in praying
to God for help, and he flippantly
called out: "Never mind, God, l can
help myself, as I always do" Just
rs he had uttered the words the will !
'ow in his hands parted at the roots
and he again was at the mercy Of the |
current. "Help me, God," he cried !
again. II was only joking, and II
thought you would understand a
joke" No, we fully believed that |
the Lord had heard US, and it was
with joy and praise in our hearts that |
we wended our way home to tell the
tale and proudly exhibit our catch.
l mind, that at the midnight mass
in the church we were so much i'm
pressed with our experience and with |
the church ceremonies that we even
forgot to have our fun with poor old !
Sarah.
Sarah was an old lady, who while
able to earn her own living, was fool
ish. She had never been able to mas
ter the mysteries of A. B. and c., and
therefore, all print was alike to her. |
But she was very regular in her at
tendance at church services, and she
persisted in joining in the singing. |
Nature plays many a trick, and ma
ture in her case had endowed her