Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-05-18

JecttnS rom heHmAin building and
bracketed by stout posts which, at one
time, had helped to form the walls of
the story below. A horse and buggy
were now drawn up under this proiec-
ton, and through the Jagged and bro
ken timbers of the floor Miles could dis
tinctly hear the voices of two young
men, who, like himself, were probably
awaiting the abatement of the storm.
They were fast young fellows, and their
talk was of the most trivial nature.
Miles was glad that the darkness made
1t unnecessary to open a conversation
with them. He took no heed of them
whatever until the venemencv of one OF
the speakers made it Impossible not to
overhear him.
81 SAY, Joe," he cried, petulantly,
'Iet us be moving"
What's your hurry, Fred?" re-
turned his friend, with a lazy yawn.
''Why not enjoy your week here as else
WhereP have it. By Jove! if you
AREN'T hankering to get round to the
little school ma ami''
fhe little school ma'am be
hanged!" returned his companion, evil
IDENTITY driven to the verge of profanity
6y the distastefulness of the suggestion.
Inc hearty laugh was here mingled
with the sound of dripping rain.
That's not exactly the speech one
would expect from an engaged man,
Fred, - was the jocular remark that fol-
lowed.
"I'm not engaged. I'll be blessed if
Am! Why, fellow can't look at q
girl In these days but the whole neigh
borhood settle it at once for him.
:" should say there had been some
thing more than looking in this in
stance" was the quick reply. ''When
fellow is constantly with one girl for
years, the neighborhood may naturally
suppose there will be wedding some
time. Whew! [ say nothing; only
mark my word for it, young man, if
you don't intend to marry the girl,
you'd better break with her before your
liberty is compromised altogether
Perhaps you are personally inter-
ested in the matter?"
Again the hearty laugh, which had
| once before broken upon the storm,
now filled the pause.
Never spoke to the girl but once in
all my life. Prettytlittl thing, though
-one of the clinging, twining sort. but
l don't care about being the oak to that
ivy. No, my young beggar; you'll
have to get out of it some other way.n
swell, Joe, I'll be blessed if 1 know
how" returned the detected man.
''The truth is, the young girl is-well-
uncommonly fond of me, don't you
knowp and haven't the heart to throw
the poor little thing over. I've tried to
break with her no end of times; but we
are sort of cousins, you see, and, being
quite alone, she clings to me very te-
naciously. A fellow isn't to blame if
girl will make a fool of herself over
him; though, of course I shall put a
stop to it some time; I'll be hanged if
1 don't! but 1 can't hit girl when
she's down already, and, they do say,
since the smart French madame opened
an opposition establishment in town, it
goes uncommonly hard with the poor
girl to keep alive the little school upon
which her living depends
"Why, they're talking of my neigh
Dor, the little school-ma 'am,' thought
Miles, waking suddenly, as from an as
tonishing dream, to the consciousness
that he was performing the ignoble
darkness to q more distant part of the
voices was lost in the wild utterances of
the storm.
So this was the way in which young
man in this civilized community pro-
tected the dignity of young girl who
honored him with her preference.
Miles was singularly chivalrous and no.
BILE himself, and perhaps had too little
patience with vanity that could thus
sacrifice another to itself. His impulse
was to confront and upbraid the young
k~v~ Nr,sff. hr,f hnr
membered that it was not for him to
moreover, that a rebuke would lose its
force from one who, it might be sup
posed, was guilty of an act of espial.
While he was arguing the question
with himself, the matter was decided
for him by the object of his wrath sud
denly shooting out from under the pro-
lection into the road beyond.
The storm was indeed spent, only the
drops from the naples rained down up
on the homeward path. They fell CRATE
fully on his hot, upturned face as, he
walked leisurely toward the house. A
candle, burning in the school-room win
dow, sent ruddy ray of light down the
village street. Was it placed there to
guide the hayward steps of her delin-
quent loverp
It was the question with which Miles
dismissed the subject from his mind,
for, after all, what to him were the love
grievances of the mild-faced young
woman with whom he had never ex-
changed greeting in his life?
1t was brought to mind, however, the
following day on receiving a small,
sweet-scented note written in a large
schoolgirl hand, requesting his presence
that afternoon in the school-room. Poor
Miles was taken aback; and, if the truth
must be told, gave voice to his annoy
ance in phrase not strictly clerical. 1t
seemed rather to alarm the small youth
who stood fdgeting in the doorway
awaiting an answer.
"Tell her will come directly" re-
turned Miles, with a good-natured pat
ON the boys plump shoulder.
But he was not as good as his word.
It was certainly an hour before he could
L. f, ho inf of To-