The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-01-20

phiny WIN hev, she's got pooty big slice. !
'.Dolly, would any Teller dast to AJAX her %
inquired seth, aghast At the very idea Of such
Q trial.
'Lor', Eunus,' said Aunt Polly, whose
round, rosy face, drawn down that It might
bet er accord with trouble, looked Ike that Of
homesck kitten, 'nothin' dret ul ha MT hap
Pened to Delphiny. he's only jest run away,
that's all, she takes after her ma in being pref
ty masterful, m when she said she wouldn't
never merry the Elder. she meant it, m
Rft eout of it.
Fright, Aunt Polly" Delphine came near
saying aloud. But the sight of her mothers
| tears moved the girl. Tears were so out Of
character with the hard, worldly woman. she
had never seen he- weep before. ''POor mOta-
err" she said to herself, ''she must suffer to
allow herself to exhibit what she would con-
denim as SO much weakness in another. Per-
haps ! ought to marry the Elder, after all,
| since she has set her heart upon 1t to such an
extent"
But, no, on 0 second thought, It was not her
duty, it could not be her duty, to sacrifice both
herself and Tom because her mothers will or
| dained that it should be SO. There was neither
justice nor reason in ii. Her mother would,
| herself, see the right some day. The Elder
was not only personally repulsive; but he was
| OF q cold, hard, grasping nature, ignorant,
bigoted, domiueering. 10 live with him would
| be worse than death.
81 can't nelp being afeared that she's gone
m drowned herself in the river" replied this
| afflicted mother in subdued tones, 'she's ez
like her poor dead father ez tew peas in some
| ways, m he was alwers kinder reckless m
desperate eff things did't 60 to suit him."
''heckless and desperate, 1 should think, {"
exclaimed Aunt Loisy, the indignant sister Of
| the deceased. ''Some folks wouldn't wonder
| at some folks bein' kinder desperate. A hus-
BAN g a dreadful reality, anyhow, m hus-
| ban you don't keer fur ez wuss. Pore girl!
| if she'd had q father she wouldn't ha' come to
| this"
The three other aunts were so startled by
| this Outburst, that each dropped stitch in her
knitting work and drew a long breath and
glared at the bold speaker in utter silence.
whats the Elder go1n' t dew!" ques-
toned Aunt Jane after this very emphatic
pause.
Delphine strained her ears to hear the reply
to this direct question. 1t was Just what she
| wished to inquire herself.
"He says it's his dooty to find her in spite Of
everything, for fear, If she ha'n't a'reddy, she
| should fall under the infourince of some un-
| converted n ungodly person, m stray eout
ov the fold ov the gospil m the paths OF peace
Here Barbary's sniff echoed loud and dis
tinct from some unseen corner. Mrs. Long
started. The four aunts turned and fixed their
eyes upon the ''help'' with severity.
"What If he can't find her!' queried Aunt
Loisy, swapping her needles.
1.-The Elders terrible understanding man,
ez wells good man, remarked Aunt Jane as
If she had been cOntradicted, and with her
stern gaze still fixed in the direction of Bar
barry, quite ignoring Aunt LOisy.
''Hev you looked everywhere raound here?"
came from Aunt Polly, who evidently feared
open war was near, and was anxious to avert
"Yis, everywhere, they're searchin' in the
woods now, I s'pose," sighed the widow dis
mally.
"But, lor'! she ha'n't there, I shouldn't
wonder eff she was merried to Tom Darlington
afore this time" said Aunt Loisy with an ag-
gressive quicker.
"Loisy Hutchinson, you never did hev no
sense nor nothin' else," and Mrs. Long indig-
nantly left the room.
The entrance of a neighbor prevented any
comments being made on this sweeping accu-
satiOn.
The neighbor was a wiry, inquisitive look
ing man, whose nose looked as if it been
sharpened to a fine point by contact with other
peoples affairs.
''Wan," said he, cheerfully, fitting his chair
back against the wall and producing knife
from his pocket, which he drew backward and
forwa across the leg of his substantial boot,
"et seems naow as eff Delphine wasn't no
where. John Rainfall heZ got back, m he
SAYS the stage didn't take in no new passen-
gers tell she got way down to Cold Stream.
There ha'n't no strange team bin along the
turnpike, nor t'Other way acrost the bridge"
81 knowed somethin' was goin' to happen
in this famerly,' sighed Jane, 'fur there wuz
a windin' sheet in the candle night before
las'n
an Eunus sez the settin'-room fire, every
time it's been lit on cool mornin's this sum-
mer, has been baound to burn on one side en-
tirely. There was no coaXin' of it to creep
through t. t'other. That's alters a sign ov
bad luck, you knaow, I've knaowd it to mean
death, said Aunt Mary Ann.
The Elder and his friend did not return that
night, and shortly after nine O'Clock, though
there was still light in the kitchen, the house
became comparatively quiet The slow hours
phine let herself down from her lofty perch,
and eased her cramped limbs by walking
swiftly and noiselessly about the floor. But
she dared not remain long out of the kettle,
for a candle burned till morning in the kitchen
window, and Seth, who was absent, probably
still in active search, was likely to return at
any time She dared not sleep for fear that
morning should steal upon her unawares, and
she be discovered with her unfortunate heal
out of the kettle.
Another lovely, summer-like day crept gold
emily out of the autumn mist, and settled upon
the rich harvest fields and the purple hills in
the distance. The outside door was open,
and sweet puffs of wind, bringing fragrant
woodland odors of pungent herbs and bal
| sans, blew in Delphine's face. There was q
musical tinkle of cowbells in the air, the faint
rustic of the ratified river, the swish of
scythes in the ripened grain, and now and
then the lazy roll Of heavy farm wheels.
But all familiar sights and sounds seemed so
strange to the poor girl from her strange
hiding place. The day passed away much as
yesterday had done. The neighbors came in
to gossip and condole, to tell what was said at
the store, what was suspected at the corner,
and to give their opinions over and over again.
She heard her mothers voice at intervals,
now choked with weeping, now harsh
with scolding. The aunts gathered
round the saffron-bed in the back yard, just
under the chiIk in the wall, spent a full hour
in solemn conclave as to what would be done
with her clothes in case she was never heard
from more.
Barbary's significant sniff was of frequent
occurrence. The Elder returned at noon, ex-
ceedingly ruffled in appearance, his smart
clothing spattered with mud and covered with
dust.
Late in the afternoon she heard her moth
er's quick, energetic step cross the floor and
pause in the omen DOORWAY. For eOme mo-