Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-12-27
=" ONE OF THREE"
BY JESSE FOTHERaILL,
Aidhor Of =" PTobdtton," " The Wslfe1ds," Eta

BY JESSE FOTHERaILI,
author Of .Probatson,- -The Wslacsds." Eta
CHAPTER VH.-CoNr1NUEp.
"He-then of course mans hands
ought to be stronger than a woman's."
Il don't know what they ought to
be. l know what they are. Oh, they
are very strong. So is he, though he
never talks about it. l worship him
because he is strong and kind"
81 can be kind if 1 am not strong"
said Margaret.
81 can't decide vet whether you are
strong. When my friend has seen you
/ shall ask him if you are. and l shall
believe what he tells me and nothing
else
''You are trying to brighten me, but
you will not succeed" sad she, smiling
generously upon him. Remember, l
do not say 1 am strong"
mo, know; but you might be, even
if you said you were not; and you
might not be. even if you said you were
so, as said, I shall ask him."
..And can you like none but strong
people, Rupert?"
II didn't say that, but I like the
strong ones best, just because L am
such a miserable wretch-such feeble
pretense of a person myself"
A dark, troubled shade crept into his
pale eyes.
'.Do you always suffer-" asked Mar
garet.
"Nearly always. can't walk prop
erly. l can only hobble about with
that thing pointed to his crutch-
''or be driven about the lanes, or down
to the pier to look at the sea. think
like that the best. You must come
with me sometimes. Then 1 think
about the sea, and strange ideas come
into my head and J. write them down."
''Do you? In verse or prose?'
Sometimes one, sometimes the other.
Mostly prose, because, though my brains
are rather stupid, they are just clever
enough to let me know that shall never
be q poet"
Twill you let me see some of these
things that you have written"
Yes, if you like. Now, you know a
lot about me. Tell me what you can
do
"I." echoed Margaret. startled, and
coming rapidly over in her own mind
meager accomplishments. "Oh. can
sing little. and play little, and-and
teach a little, of course" she added,
with quick blush.
sOh," said Rupert, not very enthu-
siastically, .'have you got a lot of those
horrid certificates and things, like Miss
Flint had, who was here before?"
"Yes, / have some of them"
"Well, Miss Flint had them written
in her face. You haven't. We won't
talk about them. / want TO know
something. May I call you Margaret?'
..Oh, yes. if you like. Indeed. I
would rather you did," said Margaret,
with sense of relief in the idea that
this Rupert. whom she liked already.
would not pain her by constantly using
a name which did not belong to her.
Their conversation was prolonged I'M
til lunch time, branching off into the
most remote and irrelevant topics, but
ceasing never. Margaret was Intensely
pleased at the way in which the boy
threw himself, as it were, upon her
kindness and affection-knockinga at her
hearts door, to ask if there were not
room for him, too, within that ample
chamber. And there was. He confided
to her small bundle of the sacred man.
uscript which formed the solace of his
hours, he said, when he felt little
stronger than usual. and could sit at
his desk to write them. They had be-
come last 1rlenUS, Wnen at last the
sound of gong was heard, and Rupert
said:
THAT'S for lunch, and feel so well
to-day. shall 60 in to it if you will let
me sit next to YOU"
"Suppose we consider your place
next to mine. And now, take your
-crutch, and will give you my arm, and
we will hobble in together"
ATS CHAPTER VIII
JOHN MALLABARR.
As they proceeded slowly toward the
dining-room. Rupert suddenly paused.
"Hist." said he. Whose is that
voice hear, as well as the others?'
In the silence which ensued, they dis
tinctly heard voice. strange, of course,
to Margaret. say something in a laugh
ing tone The laugh was clearly audi
bile. though the words were not to be
distinguished. Rupert shrugged his
shoulders and made kind of grimace.
"It's John Mallabarr." he said. My
father must have brought him in with
him."
And you have some objection to
John Mallabarr?"
..Oh, mol He's well enough. only i
wish he had not come to-day, that's
ALL