Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-07-15
and was hoping to get better wages up

LudW. WILL oil OdUus ~ ID SoOo
to be deaf sometimes. Such an odd
if any taller than Peggy Herrick. She
had short bristling hair, very much
| oiled, but still it would not stay parted
in the middle; a rough blotched skin,
laughing brown eyes, that made me
less afraid of her than / would have
| been-eyes you can trust, some
how. Her chin was square and heavy
well enough for man-and when
she walked her skirts seemed to trouble
her good deal
She told me just what I knew she
would. Her grandmother was very
sick, nigh unto death. She must have
somebody to help her-somebody who
could be useful in every way. She would
rather have man servant, for she some
times had to send by skiff across the
river or over to Buffalo. Could l row?
Then / was just the help she wanted,
and she offered me good wages and
pay in advance.
I'm do my best to please you, ma am,
and in little while you won't mind my
being SO deaf"
followed her back to the shanty, my
heart beating fast enough. She made
me understand that the old lady would
be distressed to see the face of stran-
ger. must keep in the little kitchen.
I began work at once by taking the two
buckets and going down to the lake for
water. There was strange silence in
the cabin, and somebody was smoking
cigars.
Miss Nancy was the name of my
mistress, and she called me Trumps.
1 got wonderfully big supper that
night considering nobody was supposed
to want any but Miss Nancy and me.
There was bean soup, broiled steak,
black coffee, the leavings of game pie
and bananas. The old lady had her
"death hunger" Miss Nancy said, but
I was so deaf she gave up trying to make
me understand all about it. When she
slipped the bolt 1 heard her say:
"That's the biggest piece of luck we
poor devils ever had. POUNDS! if we
don't save ourselves tonight we may as
well give up
II must die tonight, surer'-the
same wheeling voice l heard on Navy
Island.
"Say, Hank, why not send this dolt
over with my coffin?''
That's just what we will do boys.
What lucky dogs we are, after all.
Catching him will be another thing from
catching one of u.s.
''It's running a great risk said
cold, disagreeable voice. If this thing
goes up we are ruined. Captain Bedell
is on our track. Jerry heard some of
his passengers talking about it to-day.
They think we make the run from Grand
Island to Tonawanda-that we have
canal boat or a lumber sloop in the
business. The Captain doesn't suspect
Jerry. Asked him about his grand
mother the other day. 1t seems there
is good deal of interest in the old
lady"
was called shortly after to bring hot
water and had stumbled through the
door quite into the grandmother pres
ence before Miss Nancy could check me.
only saw coffin standing upon table
near an untidy bed not large coffin,
but it was empty and open, and the
sight shocked me so l gave a little
scream and so lost seeing anything
more. Miss Nancy laughed when she
had followed me out into the kitchen
and said the old lady was very queer;
she had had that coffin by her bed for
more than a fortnight. Then she went
on to say that a message had come from
Jerry. He was sick at Black Rock. If
his grandmother should die that night |
they were to send her remains directly |
to him. Somebody would be waiting |
for them not far from the house where |
he was. She was glad was boatman. |
would have to take the body over be- |
fore morning, no doubt She would |
follow in another boat with Father |
O'Leary, if he could be made to 60 at |
all.
why not wait for the daylight?'' 1
asked.
"Then we might miss Jerry. He
gives the orders. We must do as he
says"
I went to my loft where my bed was,
but with no idea of going to sleep. 1
did not undress. threw myself down
on the bed and that was all knew I'M
til was awakened by Miss Nancy about
midnight. The grandmother was dead,
she said, and in her coffin. She would
have to stay at home and l must make
the trip alone.
moved about as in horrible dream,
talking to myself in my thoughts and
then only saying something like: ''Stlck
to it, Peggy. Don't give up. You are
almost through. Nothing will hurt you:
and by to. morrow-only Tomorrow
you will be a very rich girl, Peggy; well
paid for this nights work. Keep up,
Peggy, keep up
That was a very heavy coffin Miss
Nancy and carried down the bank in
the black night, considering the size
Of it and the weight of most old women.
But said nothing only to Peggy Her.
rick. The boat sank almost to the
waters level when 1 got in. My orders
we're to steer for Buffalo light until l
was half mile or more from port.
Then was to put in to light that I
would see in high building to the north
about half mile-between a poplar
tree and a church steeple. The light
would be in the third story and Jerry
Or somebody else at the dock. My oars
we're muff1ed-I knew that at the first
strickland silent as death my boat