The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-08-27
The Iron Virgin.

'Tron Virgin" of the Middle Ages which
crushed man in it's iron embrace as
easily as you would crack nut. No
my heroine belonged to what at the
time my story opens was the small town
of Springfield, i'll Massachusetts.
When it was, comparatively speaking,
i'll it's infancy, there stood Oh S-strect,
little away from M-strcet, q stove
store, and visited it's door by way
of sign, stood the figure of q
girl, made of iron. do not know what
the connection was between tho stoves
within and the interesting female, ex-
cepting the material of which they were
both composed; but there she stood.
eight feet in her shoes and weighing
perhaps 600 pounds.
She stood there year in and year out,
one of the notable signposts of the place.
Tho suns Of summer heat down upon
her until heat visibly irradiatcd in every
direction from her. Many winters
cold had sent freezing chill through her
and had given her nightcap and epau-
lettes Of snow, and formed icicles on her
nose; and yet she had borne all with the
most supreme indifference, kept her
place and remained faithfully on her
post. If you put yourself in her line
Of vision she would stare at you in the
most impertinent manner, though to tell
the truth, she had not u particle of brass
in her composition.
She was in a country town and in
truth she was rustic object generally
Every summer, however, her owner,
"Old Steele" as he was called, had her
scrubbed and polished with stove polish
and she would come forth respondent.
She was all old friend of the small boys.
Not even heirannoying tricks had power
to move her-not even tho indignity of
aputty-ball Oh her nose. In summer
when the sun had made her burning hot,
they would entice some green hand to
touch her and would shrek with delight
to sec him jump. In winter when Old
Steele was not by, they would peg snow
balls Mt her until she broke out into
rash of big, white spots all over her
body. But she was cast in nh iron mould
She bore all with the most ronical in
difference.
One exciting incident, little while
before my story opens, had varied the
monotony of her existence. One night
some "larkey spirits" Called 50, sup
pose, because they rise so early-about
10 o'clock P. NJ. some larkey spirits, L
say, removed her from her position, and
set her Mt the door of the Union Bindery
where q sign gave notice ''Girls Want
ed" That same night. the "jovial band
of ardent spirits" removed two large
collins that acted as signs in front of an
undertaker's shop, and placed them by
the door of "Dye-housc" much to the
amusement Of passers-by in the morn
ing.
"Mr. Steele, the owner of the stove
store, was n queer, old fellow, and we
boys delighted in playing jokes on him.
I am going to tell you of one that we
played on him, which was connected
with the ''iron virgin" Mr.. Steele 3
and we boys boarded at a small hotel, n
few blocks off from Mr.. Stcelc's
store. One evening, few days after
the "virgin" had been placed in front
Of the Bindery, We boys felt like some
mischief. So we concerted the plan,
which I shall unfold to youth my story.
We first sought out the hotel keeper, n
man named Sharpe, full Of fun, and
prime. favoritc with us boys. We I'M
folded our plan to him and he promised
to help lis rs much rs he could. Mr..
Stelle was i'll the parlor warming him
self before the fire. We went in and
joined i'll conversation with him; one by
one, however, we boys fcigncd slccpi-
ness and started off apparently for bed.
But before go on, [ must explain q
peculiarly of Stcelc's.
You have seen n piece of scawccd
hanging by the side of wharf at low
tidc-how dirty it looks and how list
lcssly it hangs there? And you have
noticed, too, what change comes over
it when the tide comes in-how it's color
becomes bright md how it is tossed
about by the waves? Well, so it was
with Mr.. Steele. Ordinary subjects
stirred him but little, but when politics
were touched upon-O, he was all ex-
element! His face shone and his arms
gesticulatcd wildly, as the discussion
stirred him up. After we boys had
gone out, Sharpe turned tho. convcrsa-
ton to politics, and Immediately Steele
became very excited, 50 excited that
when I slipped into the room in my
stocking-fact and took the key out Of
his outside pocket, he did not notice it.
This was the easier able to do since he
wore style Of coat very common at
that time, with very large pockets styled
a ta proprietaire. He.invariably kept
his key in tho right poclsctc--at least
mean two of his kcys--his storc-kcy and
the key of his room in the hotel. Chuck
lipr with 1n1iubt ~ o,,r ,,,,no., ,,,n