Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-09-22

"No, Annie, not another dog shall
come into this house, the Colonel en-
swered, in an aggravated tone. One
can't move at present without tumbling
over one or two. That great brute of a
st. Bernard takes pleasure in making
he knows l am near-sighted."
esting puppy" urged Anne, giving an
ecstatic spring upon her chair.
My dear Anne,' said Mrs. Page,
indulgently, "What will Mr.. Campion
think of you?'' - - -- --
81 can't help it, gran'ma," replied
Miss Anne, blushing up to the curls on
her forehead, but laughing at the same
time. "Even if should be prim now,
Mr.. Campion would find me out sooner
or later. 1 shock every one; but it is
my nature, just as dogs delight to bark
and bite. Even Abram-why, Mr.. Cam
pion, can read disapproval in his very
back at times
"He must be hard to please" said 1,
trying not to look guilty.
"The truth is" replied Mrs. Page,
s. he is an old family servant, and we
endure a good deal on that account
to me totally unnecessary explanation.
My acquaintance with '.Sweet Anne"
prospered finely. She had a whole reg
iment of first, second, and fiftieth mas
culine cousins, who visited her i'll pla-
toons, presented her with the latest sem
timental ballads, and were never weary
of chronicling the smallness of her glove
and slipper. There were moments when
L hated Them For a time came, and
quickly, too, when the cutoff seemed
the length of an eternity, and Max's
feetest pace could not keep step with
my desire.
As for Lagniappe, he became her alb
ject slave, testifying his alteration by
rolling his eyes and lolling out an inor-
dinately long red tongue when she held
him in her arms, and addressed him as
Gan old precious,'' and ''too cute to
live.'' His greatest breach of decorum
was to bite the ends of her long braid as
it tossed over her shoulders, and to take
rides on the train of her gown. Lagni-
appe's heart was in the right place, that
was clear. But all the world was not of
our mind.
On one occasion found Abram leis-
urely setting a ''fgger-fo' trap among
the cotton as / crossed the field, and
while he worked he sang the following
plaintive air:
" Oh, de roof is Gavin in, an dc chimly's tum-
An amt got long bout hyeh to remain;
While de angels watches DER me, an dis good
ole dawg o. mine,
In de little ole lawg cabin in dc lane"
The idea of Abram watched over by
angels was too much for me, and burst
into derisive laughter.
He looked up, and remarked, as he
pulled his grizzled forelock, ''Howdy,
Mas Campion? | hope | see y well. Is
jes lookin' everywhere fer you
He was obtuse.
fac. Missy Anne she sent me ober in
big hurry wild sumpin-now what acas
it she gimmep A book-or-or-no,
twas letter; n where'd / put dat ERE?
Glare to mussy! hope | amt loss it.
Won't she skin me alive!'
This was soothing to lovers ear.
"You had better try to find it," I
advised him.
"Well, amt a-tryin'e Law shucks!
won't missy be rampa@in'? She writ
an tore up. an writ an tore up, forty
'leven times, reckon.
As he said this he fumbled wildly in
numerous pockets too ragged to hold
up his sleeves, and in his hat,
and at last produced it from one of the
gigantic brogans that adorned his enor-
nous feet.
l improved the occasion by a few
words of advice; but he replied, calmly
his forehead with a dingy
bandana: 81 knowed I'd put it some
'ers, only I aforementioned prezackly
whar. Mighty lucky foun' dat 'ere,"
he added. "Tell you what, / dom like
to git little Missy in my wool. Ole
mistis she'll do pooty good, ety. let her
be; but Missy Anne she's mighty per-
An headstrong. Dom i pity
de gentleman what marries her! She's
little, but, oh, lawdy!"
"Abram,'' said l, with all the dignity
I could summon, q" be kind enough to
keep your opinion to yourself"
eyes, sah-yes, sah-yes, sah-sar
tainly, sah," responded Abram, oblig-
ingly; but he did not seem to be crushed
to earth.
The note was merely an ivitation to
" little dance" at The Oaks; but to
me it proved momentous occasion,
for before I left the house, sweet Anne
Page was my promised wife.
From that time 1 worked with
greater will than ever, inspired by hap
piness.
Meanwhile Lagniappe grew apace,
not losing a jot of his impudence and
thickness with his increased growth.
Spring was drawing near. and as it
had been hard winter, trouble was ex-
pected from the breaking-up above.
Colonel Pages house was situated on a
slope, so l felt tolerably sure of Anne's
safety; but she, ON the contrary, was
certain that she should awake some day
to find me swept away by flood. Al
though / laughed a: her fears, 1 kept
sharp eye on the levee.
One afternoon I was making tour of
and 1 felt generally out of
sorts. In the first place, l had not been
able to find my mud boots, and natural
ly their disappearance was laid at Lagni-
apes door, although his innocent and
cheerful countenance as he frisked about