Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-05-20

less amusement.
A few weeks passed and we had Just
become used to our new situation, when
thunderbolt fell in the shape of letter
from connection of Jerome's family,
threatening us with q visit of weeks.
This person was none other than Miss
Irene Grimes.
'.Just think of itr' I groaned to Jerry,
eve shall be ruined! 1 shall have to
give up my school. You will have to
spend your time carrying her about to
see the country; there must be another
chamber fitted up at once, and we will
have to invite company, l suppose and
everything. l don't see what it means"
That night dreamed of Irene Grimes.
l thought she arrived one day in my
husbands absence, and l stood still as
she entered our door, perfectly bewildered
by her almost divine loveliness. She was
small, in my dream, with clustering
blonde hair and complexion whose
delicate tinting varied continually, as
did the light in her splendid eyes. In a
voice exquisitely musical she asked for
" Cousin Jerome" smilingly told her
he would be home soon, and would, l
knew, be enraptured to see her; while l
secretly wondered whether the sight of
her fresh beauty, compared with my in
significant figure and pale cheeks, would
not fill him with regret and wretohedness
whether his intensely appreciative
heart might not be led captive against
his will by this charmer. The thought
seemed to smother me and ! awoke in
a nervous SILVER.
Miss Grimes did arrive in Jerome's
Oh hut hat ,cf tn ha
angelic Irene of my dream! Not that
she was positively homely; on the con-
trary, l have always considered her a
fine-looking woman. She had a smooth,
sallow complexion, beautiful abundant
black hair and very white teeth, just
uneven enough to prove that they were
natural. But she was above medium
height, square-shouldered and angular,
and her motions were SO abrupt! knew
myself to be petite and graceful beside
her. Within the first hour or two she
informed me that she was almost four
years older than Jerome, and laughed
in the jolliest manner imaginable over
the "droll project" as she called it,
which his family and hers had once
entertained, of making a match between
them. She had long wanted to come
West, she said, and had no other rela-
tives or friends to quarter upon except
ourselves. She was not going to put us
out any, and if we would only be docile
to her at first awhile, she was sure we
would not find her particle IN the way.
/ assured her-and with candor, for 1
foresaw should like her-that her visit
would give us great pleasure.
My husband came home and greeted
her in his own frank, winning way,
making inquiries about people whom
they both knew and launching at once
into stream of easy, engaging converse
ton.
After she descended from unpacking,
she went to a leathern reticule which she
had left on the table, and took from it a
small gold-mounted revolver.
go, Miss Grimesr' I cried shrinking
away little-for l don't like firearms
go is it loaded?''
Certainly" she rephed, shortly; Il
always carry it loaded when 1 travel
alone. l would like to discharge the
loads from your wood-shed door, if you
will give me leave"
Leave was given, and in spite of my
fears followed her at respectful dis
lance. just as she was about to shoot
she spied Mr.. Robertson sitting on a
block in the back yard, cleaning the for
est loan from his. thick-soled boots.
Dropping her arm, she said: 81 shall
brighten that man.
He heard her, and turned about, evil
IDENTIFY comprehending the situation at
once. "Never mind me, madam; fire
away, only high enough
And she did fire, emptying the six
chambers of the revolver in quick sue
cession. Then the Professor got up
and came in. lido not remember wheth-
er l introduced them formally or not,
suppose 1 did, for 1 distinctly remember
his taking the smoking weapon from her
hand and uttering CALCULATIONS Of de-
light over its exquisite finish. After she
had carefully wiped the dangerous toy
and started up stairs to put it away, he
remarked, admiringly, more to himself
than to me: "a lady of remarkable
spirit, l should say"
The next morning we induced Miss
Grimes-who declared herself perfectly
rested from her iourney-tO accompany
Jerome on five-mile drive over a pleas
ant piece of road, whence could be seen
some fine farms and several pretty river
views. When my school assembled at
nine O clock, Uniformed the little people
that l had company from distance to
4htertain, and that I should be obliged to
give them vacation of few weeks, but
that in a couple of months l would open
my room to them again and hoped to
see them all together once more.
AS the days passed on, 1 found Irene
very little in the way indeed. She
seemed to be very deeply interested in
the country and its resources, in the peo-
pie and their methods of living. Then,
too, she was a reader, and the g Profess
sor's'' ibrary-we had no books but med
ical ones-was pressed upon her use.e l
found Mr.. Robertson himself a most VAL
liable aid in the hospitable duty of enter
tanning our guest. He had manifested
from the first marked admiration for
her, and before long began to suspect
that it was returned in kind, if not in de-
gree.
An amusing incident occurred one day,
when Miss Grimes had been with us about
a month. We were alone in the house,
she engaged in letter-wrfting in her bed
room up stairs, occupied with some