Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-01-18

WISH you udu never tstheu NE OF tndL
terrible rock.n~ and the pent-up torrent
broke forth again with renewed fury.
But she Welded to his caresses after
while and grew still again, but there
was a resolute look on the flushed,
tear-stained face that she lifted to his.
If l live to be woman III have a
name. you Just see if l don't !'' she said,
with fierce little gesture. ,,,,.,,
q To be sure you will. - he answered,
with laugh, 'you will get married.
1t don't make any difference to a girl
about a name" ''-'''
Ill never be married till I have a
name-my own name, l mean-neyern'
she cried, passionately.
''But you cannot know that, and
what odds would it make if you didp'
II tell YOU aOiU know" she cried,
will know, and shall go and see her
when I get big enough"
Sand leave me? Then you don't
love me any great deal, l guess he
said, with an offended air.
Yes do, Ralph, a great deal,' she
said, with odd gravity, but 1 won't be
Benson girl called me-even for you,
and do love you Ralph, and | shall
never love anybody else one-half as
well" and the bright little face nestled
down on his shoulder, and with per-
haps a faint prescience of the future,
he put his arm about her and drew her
to his bosom ina little eonvulsive clasp.
CHAPTER III.
1t was sometime early in February.
that Ben Anderson came home one morn
ing and tossed aletter into his wife slap.
"a letter from Tom, l reckon.
though it isn't his writing" he said,
holding it up to the light as he gave it
to her. -.f.. ..l-.r s-..-.- g
''It's woman's writing-it can't be
Tom has married again" she said,
turning the letter over, and holding it
up to the light as her husband had
done. .E.-
"S'posen you open it and see, Mis-
Anderson" chimed in jovial voice;
lit would be just like the reckless
critter."
Nobody can call you reckless in that
way, Ned responded Anderson laugh
ing. "COme in, Bradlee."
"Wan, no, not very. PHI allow,
neighbour. ha, ma / shouldn't wonder.
though, if l had married Mis- Anderson,
here. if you had only kept away he
said with a laugh and a wink at Mrs.
Anderson. s-
Il dom believe you would marry the
Queen, Ned" she replied, quickly, col
oring a little.
No, don't think I would, and good
reason, too! The fact is 1 m a little shy
o this noose-a Teller can't get out nigh
so easy as he can in! I like the women
first rate, but this matrimony business
it allus seemed to me that there. was
some sort of a catch in it,
Somebody will catch you some day,
hope, Ned" Anderson responded,
laughing, and then seeing that his wife
had opened the letter he added, land
now We'll hear about Tom"
Mrs. Anderson unfolded the letter,
and as she did so, dainty little note of
gilt-edged paper dropped into her lap.
She took it up and read, with a pleased
smile, '' Ralph Anderson, Esq
1T is from your cousin Blanche"
she said, handing it to Ralph. "Why.
how beautiful she writes! 1 suppose
Tom will give her fine education." q
faint touch of pride in her tone.
won't You take my seat, 'SqutreP'
Ned said, rising and bowling to Ralph.
The boys face flushed, but he laughed
as if he enjoyed the sport he knew Brad
lee was making of him, instead of feel
ing vexed and angry shat his mother
should have read it, or Blanche written
it, for he knew Ned Bradlee well enough
to know that this was by no means the
last he should near of his new title.
And yet, as he took the pretty little
note, the first letter he had ever had
from a girl, something under his left
breast broke into a tumultTlOus Hutter,
and kept it up so that he read one long
page clear through without knowing a
word that was in it.
In the meantime Mrs. Anderson had
run through her brothers letter, and
looked up with a little eager expression
on her face.
tom wants US to come out West
this spring, Ben, ''.she said. folding the
letter very carefully, and looking down.
40, yes, he always writes that. He's
not married."
mo, it was Blanche who wrote the
address. She is quite a young lady
fourteen in May-and presides over
household affairs like q woman. Tom
says. Don't you remember what a pref
ty child she was when they moved
away?'
Il believe so-yes. But read the let
ter Ned would like to hear it, and
there's nothing private in it. don'tsu
pose?''
80, no; it is mostly about this place
he wants us to have" and unfolding the
letter, she read:
s'MY DEAR SIsrER:-rve sworn off dozen
times about writing 20 you to come West, but
you are all the sster-or brother either, for
that matter-Ive got, and we are growing old,
my girl, and somehow it gets more lonesome
IA the years fly away. cannot come there
and the Lord knows don't want toi-but you
, and Ben and the boy can come herr, and bet
ter yourselves by it, There's a right smart
chance here now to buy one of the best farms
in Northern Illinois. 1 can get it at bargain,
as holda MORTGAGE on it which the fellow
who lives on it will willingly give up. 1t is
only three or four miles from Rookford-one
of the Iiveliest little cities in the Northwest.
Sell that bit of land and rocle-weed, and come
out where the earth has something beside skin
on its bones. You VIII be old by and by, aud
Ben can t always work as he does now; beside
there is the boy, and you owe it to him to give
him better start in the world than he can get
from that place, unless there has been a
miracle wrought on it since left Let me