Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-03-04
FOR THE YOUNG FOLKS.
THE STORY OF oBED, oRAH, AND THE
$500 SMOKTNG-CAP.

Family Story Teller promised the chill
dren he would come, and the whole
circle - young, older, Oldest are
expecting good time; for the Family
Story-Teller can tell stories by the
hour on any subject that may be given
him, from a fat-iron to a whale ship.
He once told about a fat-iron-and
nothing can be fiatter than fat-iron--
story half an hour long. 1t began,
"Once there was f1at-iron."
But where is he? Has he forgotten?
Did the snow-storm hinder? Has he
missed his horse-carp Hark! stamp
ing in the entry. Dick runs to open
the door, and shows Family Story
Teller upon the mat, tall and erect,
brushing the snow from his cloak, his
whiskers, and his laughing eyes.
Miss Flossie declared that he must be
"judged y for coming so late.
Said Dick, 81 Judge him to tell as
many stories as we WANT
This judgment being thought too
easy for person like him, to make it
harder he was sjudged - to tell the
stories all about the same thing. 1t
was left to grandpa to say what this
thing should be, and grandpa said, with
a laugh, "going to MILL
every well,'' said Family Story
Teller, 81 will begin at once, and tell
you the entertaining story of 'Obed,
Orah, and the Smoking-Cap.'" He
then began as follows: -
Once upon time, in the pleasant vii
lage of Gilead, dwelt Mr.. and Mrs.
Stimpcett, with their four children
Moses, Obediah (called Obed), Debo-
rah Called Orah), and little Cordelia.
Mrs. Stimpcett, for moneys sake, took
summer boarder, Mr.. st. Clair, a city
young man, who wished to behold the
flowery fields, repose upon the dewy
grass, and who had also another reason
for coming, which will be told presently.
On the morning after Mr.. St. Clair's
arrival, Mrs. Stimpcett said to grandma
that, as the noise of four young chill
dren at once would be too much for a
summer boarder until he should become
used to it, Obed and Orah would 60 and
spend the day with their grandfather's
cousin, Mrs. Polly Slater. Mrs. Polly
lived all alone by herself in a cottage at
another part of the village of Gilead.
Obed was six and a half years old, and
Orah nearly five.
The two children set forth early in the
morning. Orah wore her pink apron
and starched sun-bonnet, and Obed wore
his clean brown linen frock and trousers,
the frock skirt standing out stiff like a
paper fan. AS his second best hat could
not be found, and his first best was not
to be thought of, he was obliged to wear
his third best, which had a torn brim,
and which he put on with tears and
sniffles and loud complaints.
1t happened very curiously that as
Obed and Orah were walking through
the orchard, Obed still shifting, they
saw under a bush beautiful smoking
cap. Obed quickly threw down his old
hat, and put on the smoking-cap in a
way that the loose part hung off behind.
This beautiful smoking cap belonged
to the summer boarder, and was pre-
sented to him by young lady who
liked him very much. 1t was wrought
in Persian pattern slightly mingled
with the Greek, and was embroidered
with purple, yellow, crimson, Magenta,
sage green, invisible blue, ecru, old
gold, drab, and other shaded worsteds,
dotted with stitches of shining silk and
beads of silver, the tassel alone contain
ing skeins of ecru sewing silk. The
young lady lived not very far from Mr..
Stimpcett's, and she was that other
reason why Mr.. st. Clair became sum-
mer boarder in the pleasant village of
Gilead.
Spry, the puppy dog, probably carried
the smokingcap to the orchard; but all
that is known with certainty is, that Mr..
St. Clair, the evening before, then
wearing the cap, reclined upon several
chairs with his head out of the window,
gazing at the moon, and there fell
asleep, and that, as on account of the
abundance of his hair it was little too
small, the cap fell off his head, and that
when he awoke the pain in the back of
his neck and the lateness of the hour
caused him to forget all about it. q
Nowswhen Obed and Orah arrived at
Mrs. Polly Slater's they found her doors
shut and locked Mr.. Furlong, the man
who lived in the next house, called out
to them, I" Mrs. Polly Slater has bor-
rowed horse and cart, and gone to
mill; she will stay and.eat dinner with
your Aunt Debby." Then, he. added,
sI am Harvesting my horse to 60 to
mill; how would you like to 60 with me,
and ride back with Mrs. Polly Slater in
the afternoonp''- -<ft /os.I
Obed and .Orah liked this SO much
thatthey ran and clambered into the
cart as fast as they could, Orah climbs
;r,. =, ~rx,or fhe srSoJ<ns Of a wheel So Mr.