Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-08-18

tux her young uns en- kited. En- when ia
yer M the cousin come back, It was tew en-
s'pose, NV course, that Jsyer was ur'bly
TUX down; en- NV course, too, he went ter
huntin', all over the city, en- The docks, EN-
the hospitals, en- everywheres, likely en- I'M
likely, but without findin' envy ciew tew
what had become Nv 'em. -
Here the landlord broke in with . derisivc
laugh. "Your story is too weak In the thu
bers, Capt. said he. ''It won't hold to.
gether well. How long would it take your
M. Java to find his runaways, do you
children! No trouble at all to find them;
could track them from the START
There, there !" eagerly calculated Cap
tain Put, quickly bringing both feet As well
as his chair square down upon the floor, aud
holding up restraining hand: 'Now, what
I say ter begin with that truth was stranger
than fiction? Wv course, eff regular writer
was a-nakin' up this story he'd have ter
make it all smooth, en- plausible. en- jest es
'twould materially happen; but Pm s'posin'
that, ye know. 'cordin' tew the text Is
stranger than felton,"
"Oh, well. 90 on, them" laughed the
landlord, seating himself and fitting his
chair back against the wall with his ,h hands in
your own way, and I'll bear the text in
mind.O
ssWell, them" resumed Captain Put, tax
ing his knife from his pocket, and, after
carefully strapping it upon his boot, pro-
not easy, let's s'pose that Javer did dew
everythin' It anybody could dew ter find
'em-went hither en- yon hisself, had the
perlice workin', en- advertised in the papers,
en- all, en- couldn't git the least holt NV any
thin It 'ud throw any light on the matter.
Eff I's writin' the story, wouldn't tell 1t
here, but keep it till purity near the last, en-
then have gin'ral explanation; but Wen
s'pose the truth was tibet there want moth
in' in the world tibet was wrong tween Javer
en- the cousin, en- neither on 'em had the
least s'picion NV how Tassy felt about 'em;
en- what they was consultin' privit about
was some kind Nv treat they was plannin'
ter surprise her. So, " course, Wen have
ter s'pose that Javer hadn't the least idee
what could possess her tew 60 away Of her
own free will, en- he made up his mind
tibet they'd all ben kidnapped er murdered.
He didn't know whether she had much
money with her er not-he allus gin her all
she wantid, en- never asst her what she done
with it.; but Wen s'pose she he'd forty er
fifty dollars by her, en- she TUX tibet, sides
a change NV close all round; but nobody
couldn't know that, en- SO they was all at sea
'everyway. Well, s'pose this TUX place in the
spring.. en- arter ransankin' city en- country
everywhere he EN- his friends could think on,
en- gittin' so discourij'd en- heart sick tibet
he didn't care what become on I'm, s'pose
that one day-'long in the fall-Javer was
walking bout in the city, skursely KNOWN
road-station jest es the train was bout ter
start, en- suthin' possessed him ter git
aboard.
"'Tain't no matter how fur he went,
whether twas one er tew hundred miles,
er less'n either, but s'pose he stopped
some'rs jest afore night ct little no-account
place that was sitewated side NV river.
S'pose that arter little, jest to kill time,
he walked down 'lOngside the water-well,
quarter of a mile er so below the landin';
ter the landin', en- see little bit NV wom-
an Jest pulin' out inter the river, en- the
wind a-blowin' gale, en- the waves pitchin'
en- tossin' like mad; en- then s'pose suthin'
riz right up inside Nv him that made him
Jest wild ter git that woman-ter git her en-
bring her back. He hadn't seen her so g ter
see how she looked, NV course, bein' SO fur
off, but suthin' jest s,oorc ter him that that
woman was Tassy-was his wife,.
''S'pose, then, that he hustled round en-
him ter overhaul her. S'pose"-here Cap
tain Put paused, suspended the occupation
of pairing his nails, turned his head upon
one side, and, shutting one eye, fixed the
other scrutiniZingly upon picture upon the
opposite wall-"s pose the man he TUX was
an or'n'ry old dog-one Il everybody's down
on, es ignerent's block bout things in
gin'ral, but when ye come ter mannin' the
surf-bOat ter go out ter take OH the crew
from a wrack, er any sech little delikit
amusement bout the water, why he's found
ekil ter the next man-s'pose he tux this fell
Ter here the Captain withdrew his eye
from the picture and began carefully and
slowly strapping his knife again-''en they
startid. Nv course we can see 'thOut any
s'posin' that it wouldn't be any great trick
this that they'd startid out fer, ony We'll
s'pose twas gittin' dark already, en- sides
there's thick mist settin' in, SO It 'twan't
many minutes arter they startfd afore they
couldn't see more'n tew er three boats
guide 'em was the wind en- the waves. A
body ken keep their course purity well by
them, but then, we see, they knowed that
the woman was fallin' away all the time
fore the wind en- the force Of the current,
en- so they he'd ter make 'lowance fer that"
Captain Put was evidently getting good
deal interested in his own story. Again his
chair as well as his feet came squarely down
upon the floor, and he put his knife in his
pocket, leaving his hands free for gesticula-
tory action, Of which he was ordinarily very
fond. Very soon becoming absorbed in his
subject, he unwittingly dropped the sup
positionary style altogether, and, quite un-
mindful of the eager faces of his listeners,
who, forgetting in like manner their eau
ton, had gathered about him, the bright,
shrewd features of The Rat peering from
beneath the arm Of one of them, went on to
its conclusion exactly as though he had been
an actor therein. "The gentleman was tur'-
bly, anxious en- 'cited from the fust, en- grew
more so es he see how fast twas gittin'
dark, en- l begun ter think it was bout an
even chance whether we'd miss the woman
err not, when all ter wunst we heerd Il
scream, like, ruther ter leward en- further
down. 'Hullov says /, what's the matter!'
ooh, save mev she says; . my boats fillin'r
She won't sink says L. set right still,
er else git over her side en- cling ter her.
She won't sink. Well save yep The gen.
tleman said somethin', tew. encouragin'-
like, but didn't mind what. Ye see, we'd
got ter the pint now It 1 knew I'd have ter
look about purity sharp. l turned bout on
the thwart, so It could see where l was
goin' en- could steer my own boat. 1 knew,
tew, that I'd hev ter keep my eye skinned
ter keep the tew on 'em, when we did come
up with her, from upsettin' our boat, fer
that wouldn't ben avery hard job tew dew in
sech a sea. Well, arter pulled half dozen
strokes mebbv, the gentleman hailed:
Where be ye? speak ag'in' en- she an
swered, Here! Come quick!' but ruther
faint-like, en- then in half minute arter
seen her through the mister the boat; 1
didn't see the woman at fust.
I" Now, see here" says /, half restin' on
my oars, Pee got ter manij this 'ere bust
r. H. L. g. -. W-A