Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-11-08

pile of old MSS. Matilda displayed
more reason in her fetch, it being 3
heavy gold watch-chain that had been
presented to Daniel Webster by the
State of California on its admission to
the Union, and that had fallen to her
as an heirloom. MY sister placed this
in her work-box. which with deep-lying
strategy was left on the sitting-room
table. 1t was locked, and the key put
into the cabinet; this was. locked in
turn, and SO on through a system Of
double locking as complicated as Mrs.
Pullet's. Where the final key was de-
posted can not say, for, like Oliver
Cromwell, it never slept twice in the
same place.
And then to bed, to awake countless
times through the night with the con-
viction that black-masked figure stood
by the bedside, and a voice was saying
"Shpake, and I'll put an, Ind tolyez- ="
Somehow l never could fancy any
but an 1rishman being burglar.
More than once wewere aroused: TOO,
in way that would have terrified less
timid people, for Lou, sure somebody
had effected entrance in spite of her
every door, would slip quietly out Of
bed to one of us. and with the idea of
displaying great presence of mind, and
awaking her quietly, would put her
hand fiat on her face. Reused in this
manner, of course the victim, began,
screaming, in which Lou would IL
stantly join, thereby convincing her be-
wildered and terrified victim that some
thing dreadful had really happened.
The duet of screams would continue
until the others came running in and
matters could be explained, In too .ex..
asperated moments it occurred to Ma
tilda and myself that the burglars So
eGietg would hays been psefersple to
Though awhile week halp 90 by,
and eHad neither seen norAcA3from
JACK Walcoft, nbne of lis aoNbkdfor
hoinenI hut tHat he wsaA q the
original of my description. A promise
with him, though given half in jest, was
still PROMISE / WAS stsanding. on the
porch one afternoon, just before tea,
when he came tramping ups the. street.
l run down to meet him, but he refused
to come farther than the gate, or where
the gate should have been. "#p'71
What is that pretty German story
you are SO fond otf?'' he began directly
-'.about the boy who longed for the
beautiful rare flower. and set out in
search of it. wandering over the world
in all its highways and by-ways. its trod-
den places and forgotten corners, till.
WORKOUT old man, he returned home to
find the flower blooming unnoticed be-
side his own door-stone. Wen, have
looked everywhere for your hearts
treasure. to find at last / have been
staring him in the face for the last two
years. He sits at the desk opposite me,
hates the city. wants to live in the coun-
try, even if he has the trouble of trains
so he told me this morning, where
upon it flashed across me he was the
man l had been looking for. A nice,
quiet young fellow of seven or eight
and twenty" Why was it Jack spoke
of men of that age in such paternal
way? He himself was but little over
thirty. He wants to come, and /
agreed to bring him out tomorrow night.
You'll be ready for him? His name?
Oh yes: Walter Forbes
/ told the news at the tea-table. ''Not
that we shall like him. l wound up,
decisivelv, and the family echoed with
equal force, 1--WE shall not like him.
1t was ungrateful both to Jack and our
protector, but we were too conservative
to take kindly to any one who should
break in in the slightest on our man.
ners and customs. He was but the less
of two evils. The frying-pan that was
only not the fire.
We were in small fiutter of excite
ment all the next day. for our life was
so quiet that even the meeting a stran-
ger was an event. True to his promise,
Jack appeared in the evening with our
defender. He was all that / had re-
quested-nay. | think, demanded-I
decided at glance. That he was easy
and pleasant to talk with, that first
evening proved. Jack was unusually
quiet, even for him, so Mr. Forbes had
the field to himself. After all, thought
to myself, as l prepared for bed-the
first time for many weeks I could go to
sleep unheeding my match box-per-
haps, after all, we should not exactly
hate him.
In two days could say it with more
firmness, for, beyond the blessed secu-
rity in which we now lived, Mr.. Forbes
proved neutrality-suspicious. to Our fanl-
lily circle. He was always so pleasant,
SO obliging, so ready to lend 4 hand on
every occasion, that the first strange
ness soon wore off. and we could look
upon him as the mythical elder brother
for whom we had always longed. He
won Aunt Barlow's heart by appreci-
ating her inimitable beef stews; that
was enough to have obtained herregard
for less attractive man. He trained
the vines on the porch with Matilda,
played and sang with Lou, read Ger
man with me. And so far from our
finding the presence of stranger irk-
some, it was of him as of that famous
statesman: '.He was never in the way,
and never ont of the way
And then the relief of knowing we
could seek our touches in safety.
1t was toward the end of that first |
month that we were one evening recall |
ing our foolish fears and more foolish |
of preserving our property. |