Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-05-18
row of giggling, uptarned faces of the

row Of giggling, upturned faces of the
scholars.
Miss Alden looked anything but graf
flied by the announcement: but, as it
could not be gainsaid, she offered him q
seat, and, proceeding to gather the pa
ness he had sent flying from the desk to
the floor, she turned inquiringly to-
ward him.
But the poor fellow could not think of
a word to say. He would have given
recklessly of his worldly goods if the
young woman would but leave him to
himself. Perhaps the pretty school
mas OWNED his thoughts; or, it may
be, she was at her wits end to know
what to say to so shy \ visitor; for, af-
ter providing him with a book with
| which to follow the recitation, she went
on with the one which his entrance had
interrupted, as if he had been miles
away. Standing with her back to him,
Miles could yet see the proud poise of
the little head, and the warm, soft hue
of her golden hair. Sometimes, too,
the clear, firm sweep of the chin was
plainly discernible from where she sat,
while there was ever before his eyes the
graceful movement of the body as it
swayed back and forth with the interest
of her work.
Miles suffered; but he was not so
abashed but that there broke ON his
troubled spirit an appreciation of the
charms of the beautiful woman. Though
modest and quiet, she seemed so self
contained, so clear-headed, so capable
of managing her affairs in simple,
straightforward way. She was too di-
rect and honest to send for him without
an object. What did she want? Miles
was one who liked to get at the bottom
of everything at once. and he deter
mined that as soon as she was at liberty
he would inquire what he could do to
serve her, and go about it with will;
for he liked the little woman, and would
have thought it no hardship to serve
her; but when she turned to him again
all his courage faded away, and he could
only wish himself upstairs again. 1t
seemed to him actually fiendish of her
to stand there toying with the small
bell, one single stroke of which would
send those giggling scholars out into the
village to proclaim that they had left
him alone with the school-mistress.
Miles rose, stammered something Che
never could tell what), and the next
moment the school-room door closed
upon his troubles. He was only sure of
two things-that a roar of. childish
laughter followed his exit, and that he
had left his hat behind him.
To 90 back for it was not to be
thought of. He would sooner 90 bare
headed to the end of the world than run
the risk of again making a fool of him.
self before SO many spectators. What a
hateful visit it was, to be sure! leaving
a sting behind it which poor Miles could
neither forget nor understand. Forty
times a day he told himself that the
poor child was in trouble, and needed a
helping hand. Had she been old and
ugly, none would have been extended
more readily than his; but, somehow,
Miles felt himself too awkward and I'M
to the ways of the world to
grapple with so delicate trouble as
that which he suspected was hanging
over the pretty head of his young neigh
Dor, SO he shrank away from her more
than ever, though the posi-
ton of his room offered a post of OBJ
servation which kept the little woman
well under his surveillance. There were
few, indeed, that trespasssed upon her
solitude without his knowledge. Her
most frequent visitor was the young man,
her cousin, whose intentions toward her
Miles so well understood. He saw them
often enough together, as parting
chat was held in the hall or in the door
way The look of the young girl on
these occasions was different from that
she wore at any other time; the weary,
faded air was gone, and there was a
glow in the quiet face and ring in her
voice which Jared harshly upon Miles |
Once they came and stood for a long
time under the full glare of the hall |
lamp. The young man had a letter in |
his hand, which he was playfully with:
holding from her grasp, while she hut-
tered coaxingly about him, lifting up
her small white hands with such pref |
ty air of persistency that it was at |
length yielded to her grasp. He noted |
how the light streamed off her golden |
hair, and as she read it, her arm COM |
locked in her cousins the |
while.
Miles viewed the tableau without any
particular complacency. Indeed, it ir-
ritated him more than he cared to own.
He wondered if the girl ever suspected
the young mans disloyalty. The in
quiry presented itself to him with such |
frequency that it was a
positive relief when an event occurred
which seemed to promise some definite
A note written in the same school
girl hand as the first one was thrust in
to his hand one day by Miss Alden's
former messenger. 1t limited in almost
language of trouble, and re-
guested him to call upon her in the eve-
ming, when the absence of the school |
children would make confidence posi-
BILE. To Miles strained mood, there
seemed nothing unnatural or unusual in