Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-10-13

j
other people and awful hard upon your
| self. l think Marion Laurie has some
slight claims upon Marion Laurie's at
tention.''
81 dinna think you owe the lassie
anything. She's weel enough looked
| after''
"Well, at present. owe her half a
dozen new dresses; but I shall get
papa to give her a check tonight that
will clear off all demands. Heigh-ho,
Janet! I believe 1 must make myself
look pretty for dinner; for, first, there
is that check to smile for; and, second,
there is stranger coming-is there
not?" q
"Nobody but my ain nephew, Miss
Marion. He is just frae the hills O. Scot
land, a plain, sensible body, that kens
mair about weaving than women. It's
no worth your while bewildering the
puir fellow"
{" am not so sure of that, Janet. You
have a depressed view of the value of
all men. shall just run my own eyes
over him, so get out my navy blue silk
dress, 'an' pearlins an brooches an az"
said, or rather sang, Marion, for the Or
der ran easily enough into the merry Tilt
of s'Woo'd an married an a."
| Perhaps Janet had really not so very
many objections to the bewildering of
her nephew; certainly she went very
lovingly to work to assist in the bewi1-
dering process, and there was small
wonder that.the two gentlemen, in the
midst of discussion about wheels and
bands, catching the first sight of this
radiant girl in shimmering silk and
cleaning gold, should get bewildered,
and lose their argument inextricably for
that night. Mr.. Laurie, being partly
| accustomed to such revelations, simply
wondered and admired, and gave her a
check for double the amount she asked.
| What man could have helped it, with
such lovely face whispering close to
his own?
Mr.. Monteith looked, and the bewil-
dering was fully accomplished. Her face
smote him at once into tender alteration !;
her glancing dress, with all its amazing
loops and ruffles and folds, was won
derful to him. "She came, she saw, she
conquered" The man, whether lord
or vassal of creation, was her slave for
| evermore, bought with q glance and
fettered by the touch of a little hand that
| fell like white rose petal into his own
great, brown palm.
What an amazing evening it was to
John Monteith! The dinner table was
spread in fairy-land; the meat and wine
had the flavor of paradise. And Mari
on's singing of the little plaintive Scotch
| airs her father loved! There are no
| words to describe its influence over him.
Does any one wonder that three-fourths
of the human race have always wor-
shipped some woman? It is the in
stinct of men to defy the soul that
awakens their own.
And truly John Monteith entered into
a new and larger life at Marion's first
word. Hitherto, to weave the finest
goods at the least possible cost, to econ
omize labor and material, and to amass
money had seemed to him ends sufficient
to justify life. But now, even in the
first tumult of his awakening, there
arose before him the question, What
shall a man do to be worthy of such a
pearl of womanhood?
1t was later than usual when Marion
went to her room that night. She had
her check in her hand, but her face
wore an unusual shadow of perplexity
and doubt. Janet, sitting by the fire
side, slipping her glass of mulled claret,
noticed at once the new expression.
" You are late, child" she said, looking
admiringly at the lovely figure, with its
| daintily gathered foot upon the fender.
cam l? Papa kept me singing
"What do you think of John Mon
teith?"
"Oh, he is nice.''
"'Nice,' Marion! The adjective is a
very improper one applied to men,
els it, Janet? l did not know.
Choose one YOURSELF
EntertainingP
"No, he is not entertaining He list
ems, and lets you talk. After all, don't
know but what that is entertaining.
Handsomely
"It would be sin to say tno.' Yes,
Janet, your nephew is handsome.
don't mind admitting the truth, even on
a point of beauty. Is he going to stop
here?"
"He is going into the mills with your
father
"Where is he going to live?"
"He will board at Mr.. Bogart's, I
hear.''
"What fight Minnie and her cousin
can have over him! 1 should think he
would be man girls would quarrel
about. I have half mind to stay in
Jersey and act as umpire. While we
are away, Janet, why can't he live with
papa? L should think they would be
good company for each other.''
Suppose you suggest it?"
"Iwill. don't like our folks board
ing round. Besides, 1 have no doubt
| that he will be all the better of your
keeping him in sight. Men are lost
quantities unless they are tied to some
woman's apron strings"
"You are quite certain about going to
New York;"
"Oh yes, but we need not hurry for a
few days. I shall let Julia get the fur
naces into working order and the chill;
dren's winter clothes made. She is
always fussy at the beginning of the
season, and very few nice people are at
home yet"
But Marion's few days heightened out
into a few weeks. Mr.. Laurie was be-
ginning to talk of his own holiday trip
to Julia'S before she again seriously