Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-02-16

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| who was laden with envelopes, and GRIMM!
with delight. Toms wife always thought
/ her duty to go to the door when the post
man came, so as to be sure hat no 6htet
d0uc found their way into Zay's hands un
known to her. ''Of course Captain For
ester is too stylish gentleman to send {
good old-fashioned valentine" pursued
Toms wife. ''But didn't know you hat
any other admirers who were 50 fastldl
ous''
set must have been Dick who sent that, .
thought Zay, taking one of the bouquets
made OF violetS and pink heath. "NIoiet;
are his faVorite flowers. But he might have
known better than to send them, when he
knows L can't wear them. with my gIp>y
complexion. and that | would be sure tt
want some flowers to wear tonight"
Ana Then she espied a note twisted arounC
their stems. She unfoded it, and read:
"'S She who knows the heart requires
Som thing more than lips of dew,
That, when loves brief rose expires,
Love Itself dies with it, too:
Whatsoe'er her fortune be,
Shes the valentine for me-"
Gay tossed the paper into the CRATE with s
pout.
That, when loves brief rose expires,
Love itself dies with it, too,'"
she murmured. "He means to tell me that
his love is dead, I sllppose-that | WASH
good enough to keep it. Well, he shall see
L don't care.'
And she tossed the violets carelesSly down,
and took up the other-such bouquet rs
was se!d ON seen in Marshtield; great scarlet
lilies and tuberosa S and cam aias-all gorge
Gus, dollhouse blossoms, Overpowerin@ the
little nosegay of violets as much in fragrance
as in color She went to the mirror, and
held the scarlet lilies up against her black
braid>, with delight in her ewes.
"Zaidee. your vanity will certainly be
your ruin.' "roaned Toms wife, putting
the neglected violets into water.
Ziy had very little interest in the rest of
her Valentines; she bestowed them, half
unopened, upon little Tom, who ornamented
his new kite with the fat little cupidS and
CAV wreathS.
Captain Forester came and invited her to a
sl-ighride in the afternoon. and LAY accept
ed ut once, and did not hesitate to go down
by the mills, when Dick from the counting
room window, would be sure to see her.
She was so sweet and gracious that the
Captain entirely fOrsave her for the i'll
humor Of the night before; he decided that
she was bewitching enough to atone for \
little fretfulneSS now and then, and was
only restrained by the Inconvenience of the
situation from going down on his knees to
her at once. As he left her at her own door
he did venture 4 whisper that brought the
blood to lays fOrehead:
'If you wear my flowers tonight, shall
know that | may hope!''
Gay WIS Il lOliS t1ltlt lllthlnH HeE Toilet IHdJ
night. She sat down, with folded hands, TO
think, two or three times in the midst of it.
She was not ready to decide her fate. Those
scarlet lilies were just suited to her, and
was not the life that choosing them would
give her Just suited to her, tOO?- wealth
and ease and luxury? Still she sat with her
hair and dress unadOrned, aud only looked
at the gorgeous blossoms. 1t wa: such
little thing to do. and yet, after she had
done it, there was no turning back. Dick
no myth t. hor in o,.
lifo.
But her decision was made at last. She
twined the lilies in the bratis of her hair.
and on the corSage and skirt Of her dress;
and the glow on her cheeks rivaled them.
Then she went down stair to show her dress
to Toms wife, who was an tait in matters
Of the toilet as well rs in those of the heart.
Aunt Lois kiider was in the sitting room.
talking with her. Aunt Lois was a poor old
who earned her living knitting
socks and mittens and comforters i'll winter,
and gathering berries and herbs for every
body in the village in summer. Everybody
called her " aunt though she had not a
relative in the world, far as anybody
knew. Toms wife always gave her en-
ployment, Gay was llncharitable enough to
hink, because she enjoyed her visits on ac-
count of the hoard OF gossip she was sure
to have.
1t had been goin' on, yer see, ever
since they WIZ little mites of chidren,'
said Aunt Lois's voice, as LAY paused just
outside the door. 50 He drawed her on his
sled, and saved up all his pennies to buv
andy for her, and thrashed the boys that
plagued her; and sometimes them things
mount to something, and sometimes thew
ion'U. But Luke / allus knew was one o.
he kind that sticks to anything. whether it
; love or hate, long as life sticks
o them. They seemed to think just as
much OF each other after they
rev up, and there wa MT nobody sur |
,rised when the wedding day was sot.
And Luke was just as happy as king, and !
here wn'n't no stability to Lucy, I allus |
new. She's jest as pretty as new paint, |
tut she want never one o. the kind that |
,nOws their own minds. Bimeby, Squire !
;arl, he begun to be dreadful attentive to |
lucy. lie wuz old enough to be her father, |
nd sour, crabbid kind of man: nobody /
liked him. But then he WIZ the squire, !
Ou see, and as rich as Crpsus, and Lucy !
vas allus vain and fond of show. Well, I |
ee how it would end from the very fust.
lucy didn't give up so easy as expected, |
hough, for, you see, she did really set a |
God deal by Luke; but she gave him the |
nitten at last. And Luke went right off and |
hipped aboard whaler-him that had |
Illus been farmer. and knew no more
bout IA seafarng life than babe! They do
ay that Lucy got down on her knees to him
nd begged of him not ter go. But he told
Ter he didn't care what became of him, and
lie was sure ter go to the bad if he stayed.
Twasn't more'n six months ago that he
vent, and Lucy AMT been the squire's lady
ut u month. and yesterday they got the
Jews. Mis- Zebediah SINNERS been visit
n over in Fentonvile, and she told me.
lie fell off the very tiptop of a mast-beat
he breath clean out of mis- buddy in an in
tant. They do say he had Lucy's picture
ext to his heart. The captain sent it home
long with his clothes. And Lucy, she took
n dreadful. mad fits, and lay like corpse
or hours, Mis- Skinner said. But you see
er cryin' came too late. Pm thnkin'
here'l allus be n specter at her banquet;'
5 the sam is. Riches amt much good
top of a broken heart"
And Zay listened to every word, outside
ne door, her face growing white. just
that Lucy had done, she was doing
upon her hearts love for the
AXE Of wealth and station. And what
ere they, in Aunt Lois's forcible, if ridicu-
JUS, phraseology, ''atop of broken
eart?' Had Providence sent Aunt Lois
here on purpose to warn her?
She ran up stairs, just as Captain Fores-
.r's ring sounded at the door. She tore the
lies off her hair and dress, and fastened in
heir stead a cluster of violets, mingled