Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-11-09
THORd.


the big sou'wester's brim.
For who thinks that a sou'wester, cen if e'er
From the boys admirins chances could pref
ty maiden hide,
And tits known how such attention every
pretty maid annoys;
And-it was a thousand pities!-Thora did
not like the boys;
They were either rude and noisy, or too
bashful and confused:
AS Tor loving them! No, thank you; she
would rather be excused,
AND. beside. there were so many-stout and
slender. short and tall
HOW should she her choice determine, since
she could not love them all?
Thus she spoke unto her mother, sitting in
the evenings glow,
In the shadow of the fish nets, which were
dropping. row on row,
From their stakes; while to the westward
49, hung the sun so huge and red;
hinged with flame the white winged sea-
birds, drifting idly DER her head.
"Sooth to say, thy words are canny," said the
- good wife. with a sigh,
1iane1ng seaward to conceal the merry twin
kle in her eve:
Yet tits right young maids should marry; ;
childless age brings no maid boon;
Beauty lost, i'll vain they banker, frettinS idly
for the moon.
Therefore, will tell thee. daughter, what
tits wise for thee to do;
One man. cen if e'er so canny, never knows
as much as two.
We will call the girls together from the val
ley's every part
They shall choose among thy wooers him who
Is to own thy heart"
"Oh, what sportp' cried pretty Thora;
thanks to thee. my mother dear,
On, how Sayly weshall chatter when no prying
men are nearI
Loved and cherished shall nv name he bv the
maldens round about;
shall cause no cheek TO wither and no pretty
lips to pout."
While the mountain tops were rosy and with
dew the grass was wet.
Thora FASTENED to the Doat-house to repair
the fishing net;
Skipping, jumping, wild and wanton, danced
she DER the fields away,
Tossing to the sportive echoes many bright
and careless lay.
When the lads who boats were bailing heard
the pretty Thora sing,
Joining hands they ran to meet her, throwing
ronnd the maid a ring.
Now" they cried with boist' rous laughter;
now We've surely caught thee Miss;
Thou canst only buy thy freedom if thou give
us each a kiss
"Come and take it, lads" cried Thora;
here's my mouth and here my hand.
KISS so 1adefd Why don't you take it: Modest
And when one stepped briskly forward, halt
emboldened by her speech,
With slap She sent him spinning, like top.
upon the beach.
With peal of hooking laughter off she
bounded like a hind,
And her loosened yellow tresses fluttered gay
ly in the wind,
While the lad, abashed, bewildered, strolled
away with burning ears
To compose his wounded feelings and escape
his comrades jeers.
Now q gallant lad was Halvor, who in storm
and pillows roar
Oft had steered his skif securely close be-
meath the rocky shore,
And the thought within him ranked with a
dull and gnawing pain,
That little maid had Smote him whom he
could not Smite again.
And the dimpled face of Thora haunted him
by night and day:
He was sure that he must love her, for his
wrath hal flown away:
Yet he could have sworn a little had not
swearing been sin
Why should he thus love a maiden who was
neither kith nor kin?
Strange to say, the little Thora, when her an
ger was at rest,
Found some queer, soft thought awaking dim
ly in her troubled breast:
Had she not too harshly punished an offense
not gravely meant?
Could she hope for Gods forgiveness, who
could rudely thus reSent2
Gas for kissing, that was foolish-that's to
say, before a throng;
Yet in Scripture people did it, so it scarcely
could be wrong
Had he only been discreeter-met her meath
Well in sooth, there is no knowing what she
might not then have DONE"
Thus with doubt and passion wrestling, and
by vague regrets distraught,
Shyly nursing tender yearnings which she
dared not frame in thought,
On the strand alone she wandered, where in
whispered pulses beat,
Drunk with sleep, the mighty ocean, darby
8 heaving at her feet.
There it seemed-what odd illusion that her
footsteps on the sand
Broke into q double rhythm, sharply echoing |
DER the strand,
And she felt shadowy presence in the moon
light, gaunt and dread,
Moving stealthily behind her, and she dared |
not turn her head.
Swiftly. wildly on she hurried by, and cloud |
With a dumb phantasmal ardor sped along |
tn horizons bar;
Till exhausted, painting, sobbing and Devil |
dered with alarm,
Scarce she fell ere she was lifted lightly on |
her lovers arm. !
As Thora" said he, STOPPING DER her, pardon |
if caused thee fright;
But my heart fun to bursting. Speak |
must. and speak to night.
Silence. Thora, is so heavy, like load upon |
. the breast;
sooth. / think thou hast bewitched me; can
find nor peace nor rest"
Thora halfway stayed her weeping, and the |
moon which peeped askance
From behind her cloud revealed the fearful |
brightness of her glance.
a Oh, thou wouldSt not love me-" sobbed she,
eff thou knew'st how bad am
Once-I hung-a great live 1obster-on the tail |
of-Hans-our ram!'
Scarce know how he consoled her; but ere
long her tears were dried,
And twas rumored in the parish-thOugh
again II was denied
That while all tine moon was hidden-an ex-
cept the golden tins
There was heard sound mysterious, as of
softly meeting lips.
For the good wife, mildly grumbling at the
idle spinningwheel.
Rose at length and trudged sedately, anxious
for the daughters veal,
Over sand and stone and tangie, where the
frightened pioverS flew
Screaming seaw ard, and majestic skyward
scared the silent NEW.
And twas she who with amazemeDt heardt the
soft, mysterious sound;