Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-10-06

to the house-run as fast as you cant"
And, pausing only to see them flying,
like swift little antelopes, up the ter
raced slopes of the lawn, 1 fastened,
with blanched cheeks and wildly
heart, to the barn, and was fortunate
enough to secure both doors by wooden
bars and outside buttons, only before
the attention of a broad-faced, bristly-
haired ruffian was sufficiently attracted
to induce him to present his .moon-like
countenance at one of the stable win
dows. >e-eaf. - ~--s-
Without heed to his frantic gestures
and loudly-shouted words, fled back to
the house and sank, nearly fainting, on
the chintz sofa, with both hands clasped
over my eyes.
81 declare for It, though, that was
real gritty!" was Betsey's admiring
| comment, as she hurried to bring the
camphor and red lavender to my res
cue.
"Mamma, will he kill ?" whispered
Donald, who was timid child and
chung close to me.
"Shall l cut off his head with my tin
sword, mammal" bawled Tommy, the
| irrepressible. -r~-
"Betsey,'' cried, rousing myself to
the paramount necessity of not fainting,
"place yourself at the window. Watch
for passers-by-''
eyes, 'um.''
Explain to them our dreadful pre-
dicament,'' went on. Z" Summon help
I the instant it appears; and, above all,
keep every door and easement locked
and bolted, lest that fend in human
shape should break loose and attack us.
| &c, old ,if}o cfaiY hn Cror
ret, isn't there, Betsey?" l added, with
a sudden inspiration.
&c Yes, 'um,'' said Betsey; "but it
amt Just in first-rate workin' order,
1 calculate''
s'There isn't either stock nor lock to
it, mamma" chimed in Tommy. 81
loaded it with ashes, last week, and put
in pebbles for bullets, and it wouldn't
| fire off worth a cent?
| '' But there's the carving-knife and the
potato-pounder, Mamma suggested
Donald.
looked at the clock. Only eleven!
| It would be six hours, at the very near
est, before my husband would return
from the city. Suppose-this was
lonely and seldOm-traveled neighbOr-
| hood, mere branch from the main thor
oughfare which traversed the valley like
gigantic artery, and the hypothesis
was by no means so very unlikely as it
might seemAthat there should be abso-
lutely no passers-by between that time
| and this! T.. -s e. ..
& Betsey,'' said I, ''this won't do. I
believe my hair will turn white with this
terrible agony of suspense!''
"Ma'am?" said Betsey, who had the
Shakesperian faculty of ''not marking
withal."
Either you or 1 must 60 for help,"I
uttered, very distinctly.
elf it wasn't for goin' right past the
barn-door, wouldn't mind,'' said Bet
sey.
ats fastened, Betsey,'' pleaded.
"But them there wooden buttons
doesn't amount to nothing" said Bet
sey. "And only s'pose he jumps out at
me?' &ta 4
| | was just about to reproach Betsey
with having none of the elements Of the
heroine in her composition, when little
Donald, who had posted himself in the
garret-window to watch, came tumbling
head over heels into the room, with
Tommy close behind.
Mamma! mammal" they shouted,
in chorus; there's somebody COM
ing, and we guess it's Deacon Gadsley,
on horseback, riding back from the
train" ~"
"stop him!" J gasped-''for mercy's
sake, stop him!''
'He's a-makin' straight for the barn,
ma am" said Betsey, who had stretched
the skinny length of her neck further
out of the window than dared to do.
s'He's heard that feller's hollerin'. He's
unbarring the big doors! Land o. lib
erty!"-with a long breath" there
comes the poor, crazy creetur out, with
a hop, skip and jump! Wal, if Deacon
Gadsley likes to risk it, wouldn't
81 have heard of instances" 1 said,
family, ''where some one particular
individual exercises unbounded inhu-
ence over the mind of the insane, and"
At this moment, however, Deacon
Gadsley himself knocked briskly at the
door. 1 made haste to open it.
ssBe We all crazy here!" said the dea-
con, with broad smile upon his SUM-
burned countenance. elf We amt, what
in the name of all creation possessed We
to shut up my son Hiram in the barn?"
ssYour son Hiram" 1 gasped, feebly.
ssWas that your son Hiram? IL
thought it was-an insane man.
"IThat?" roared Deacon Gadsley.
"Betsey said that you shouted out, as
you rode by, Tell your mistress to call
the children in-there's an insane man
in the barn!'''
"Good Jc-rusa1em!" cried the deacon,
slapping his knee, show folks will get
things twisted around! l never said no
such thing. What did say was, There's
a tame lamb in the barn. I've prom
ised one to them boys of yours, ever
since they came up here, and this morn
in our Hiram fetched 'em regular lit
tie cosset And there he is, munchin'
clover, down there, with Hiram holdin'
on to his rope. And you s'posed it was
a crazy man! Ha, ha, ha! Well, that
does beat all! Ho, no, ho!''
The deacon's ordinations echoed
through my little parlor like the rever-
berations of a thunderstorm. looked
reproachfully at Betsey, as the primal
| cauce of all the manic That damSel