Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-05-13

heroine. am aware many people win disap-
prove Of her. There are persons who think the
relation between parents and children involves
implicit obedience on the child's part to the
parental dictum, however unreasonable; there
are others who think 1t unwise, and even wrong,
that child should sacrifice lifetime's happi-
ness to the tyrannic demands of an inconsider-
ate parent. Between these two poles Edna
must take her chance. / am merely her histo-
nan, and must say that, dauntless as her cour-
or opposition, there were many sad hours when
her heart, loving, tender, and DESTROYS of right,
was torn by inward conflicts. ~ 80
In the mean time John Hackett, aware for
the nrst time IN Ills life that he had enemies,
and was injured by their tongues, was vet ut
terly ignorant of any special charges against
him. Had he once known of Mrs. Green's
story, and Alonzo Filleys confirmation Of it,
he could and would have set things straight at
once; or had Mrs. Parke heard the SANDER she
too was in a position to explain and Justify
but she had left Hyssop to i've with her daugh-
ter at the West, and, as We have said, Mrs.
Green unluckily broke off her story on Mrs.
Parke's arrival at Lucelia Pratt's room. Had
not this mischance have stopped Mrs. Green's
tongue my pen would have been idle, and va
rious other things besides-at least in this con-
nection.
Edna, however, was spared her voyage. The
first icy day in November, Just as they were
ready to go to Europe, even their passage paid
and state-rooms secured, Mr.. Deane slipped on
the pavement, as he was on his way to the
bank to procure money for the journey, and
broke his leg and arm. 1t is bad enough for a
young and nmiable person to contemplate six
weeks In the house as inevitable; but when
one is old, cross, obstinate, and Just ready for
voyage to Europe, such an accident is not
calculated to produce peace or pleasantness.
Mr.. Deane, laid up for the winter in a board
ing-house, fretted himself into nervous fever;
his age, and the feverish action of his system,
prevented the bones from knitting, and ex-
hausted his strength; his vitality was used up
too rapidly, and by spring he sank into his
grave
Deeply as Edna regretted her father, she
could not blame herself for his death He was
just as liable to slip on ice at one time as an
other, and that he never carried a cane was the
result OF his own obstinate vanity. There
were people, to be sure, who said that If her
father had not been obliged to take her abroad
in consequence Of her undutiful conduct, he
never would have gone to the bank that day,
and would have lived Indefinitely; but Edna's
mind was too healthy for such moral wire
drawing. She did not feel, either, that her
fathers death changed her affection for John
Hackett, or her opinion of him; nor yet that
the must defer to his wishes when he was dead
any more than when he was living, but rather
less, for she was not sentimental or morbid,
like the young ladies in books. =
In six months she married Mr.. Hackett and
went to live in Hyssop being as happy in that
relation as fallible mortals can be, and deyel-
oping into wonderful housekeeper. But the
Hyssop centipede did not die yet, and often
after Edna had told John what her father had
said about him did they both wonder what he
could have meant; and though like good wife
she kept from her husband the various insinu-
atoms and hints that Hyssop danes could not
refrain from dropping in her ears, she could
not but mediate with curiosity on the cause of
all the talk, for she had too youthful an opin-
ion OF human nature to credit it with the en-
tire creation of a scandal.
But it was not till some three four years after
their marriage that they found out all that Law
at the bottom of their troubles. They were at
o picnic one day, held on the shores of the lake,
and John had just introduced. his wife to Mrs.
Parke, who was visiting in Hyssop.
:" By the way" said that lady, in the course
Of conversation, " heard Of you out at Mcdi-
ma last winter, John"
!" How did come to be known in Medina2"
asked Mr.. Hackett.
"Our old friend Mrs. Green came there with
the doctor; he seems to have worn out New
England, and has taken to the West lately.
She met Lucy at sewing circle, and asked all
about Hyssop people. Lucy mentioned Your
and Mrs. Green tossed her head with
that indescribable sniff she always gave, if you
and said she pitied your wife. Lucy
was indignant-you know she always liked you
and inquired why Mrs. Hackett needed pity;
and then the whole story came out. / hap
pened to come into the room behind her and
heard Il all. Do you remember that afternoon
send me word about it?''
eyes, do" said John. ~ never quite for
gave myself for making you SO anxious. You
see, Edna" he went on, turning to his wife,
IS Will Parke was in the bank with me, to do
errands and such things on his promotion;
and one afternoon I had to send him twenty
miles on a moments notice. i promised to
send his mother word, and wrote on the edge
Of her daily paper, which Wills old dog used
to take home every night, where Will had
nat he w0ul6 m no
day; but the dog followed Will instead of going
home, SO she never got word, and about two
D clock in the morning down came Mrs. Parke
and her sister to the bank, knocked me up, and
demanded VIII. I don't wonder they were
frightened. / ought to have gone up myself
instead of relying on Bose" f-.-
..'That was not ALL added Mrs. Parke. at
was a moonlight night in June, and very hot
)ne, which made Mrs. Green restless, so she
eft her bed and sat at her window i'm the Hys-
sop House, and saw two women whom she did
not know go to the bank, knock at the win
low, talk to you, and then you came out and
vent away with them, and she did not wait to
zee YOU come back. This was enough for her
lctive mind to interpret into scandal: and if
she had not left Hyssop that night for Chicago,
don't know what would not have been said
about you" ...-l.,,-r
Here John and Edna exchanged looks.
"You should have seen her face when, rs
The concluded her story with, Il never knew
who those women were, but of course ]
suddenly stepped in front of her and said, /
was one of them, and my sister Adeline the
)ther,' proceeding then to tell the truth Of the
story"
"Do you think she ever mentioned it to any
,ne here?" asked Edna.
81 put that question to her, for / knew her
20 be a busybody, but she declared she never
rad. She began to tell it to Lucelia Pratt that
morning, but / came in and interrupted her
She said she knew was 'dreadfully down on
Olks that said word about anybody, if it was
ever so true so she stopped when / came in" 1
at was too late,' said John: the story
must have been overheard, retold and
And then he gave Mrs. Parke a brief sketch
If the trouble he and Edna had been through |
WITH undoubtedly from this report gathering
ength and strength, and legs to run with, as
t went about, till it became yeritable cent?
Dede.
"You might ask Miss Pratt If she ever re-
peated it, suggested Edna to John.
''Don't!n said Mrs. Parke, energetically. |
6 There is no time worse wasted than in hunt |
ng lie. You have outlived its stings, and 1t |
would be more than useless to hunt tt up again |
INTO fresh action; besides, perhaps it has done |
'ou good service. Who knows that you would |
rave been SO constant and persistent under |
,ther circumstances! Nothing grows faster or |