Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-02-21
ON THE WALPOLE ROAD.

ON THE WALPOLE ROAD.
Walpole was lively little rural en-
porium of trade; thither the villagers
from the small country hamlets there
abouts went TO make the bulk of their
modest purchases.
One summer afternoon two women
were driving slowly along a road there
from, in a dusty old-fashioned chaise,
whose bottom was heaY ed up with brown
paper parcels.
but she looked younger, she was so hale
and portly. She had a double, brist-
ling chin, her gray eyes twinkled hui
morously over her spectacles, and she
wore a wide-fiaring black straw bonnet
with purple bows on the inside of the
rim. The afternoon was very warm,
and she held palm-leaf fan in one
black-mitted hand, which she waved
gently now and then over against her
capac Gus bosom.
The her woman was younger-for-
ty, perhaps; her face was plain-featured
and energetic. She wore a gray serge
dress and drab cotton gloves, and held
tightly on to the reins as she drove.
Now and then she would slap them
br;skiy upon the horses back. He was
a heavy. hard-worked farm animal, and
was disposed to jog along at an easy
pace this warm afternoon.
There had not been any rain for a
long time. and everything was very
dusty. This road was not much trav-
eled, and between the wheel ruts grass
was growing; but the soil flew up like
smoke from the horses hoofs and the
wheels. The blackberry vines climbing
over the stone walls on either side, and
the meadow-sweet and bareback bushes
were powdered thickly with dust, and
. had gray leaves instead of green. The
big-leaved things, such as burdock,
growing close to the ground, had their
veins all outlined in dust.
The two women rode in a peaceful
sort of a way; the old lady famed her
self mildly, and the Younger one slapped
the horse mechanically. Neither spoke,
till they emerged into more open
space on hill crest. There they had
an uninterrupted view OF the no, Invest
sky; the trees had hidden it before.
Il declare. Almiry," SAID the old Ia
shower.
1T won't get up till we get home,"
repl ed the other, IAN ten chances to
one it IL 90 round by the north anyway,
an not touch us at all. That's the
way they do half the time here. If I'd
"a seen q cloud as black as that down
where I used to live, I'd "a known for
sure there was goin' to be heavy
tempest. but here there's no KNOWN
ANYTHING about it. l wouldn't worry
anyway, Mis- Green, if it should come
up before we get home: the horse amt
afraid of lightnin
The old lady looked comlcal. He
amt afraid Of anything, is he, AL
miry?'
..No," answered her companion, Civ
ing the horse spiteful slap; ''he don't
know enough to get scared even, that's
a fact dent believe anything short
of Gabriels trumpet would start him up
q bit
81 don't think you ought to speak
that way, Almiry," said the old lady;
..it's kinder maxim light o sacred
things, seems to me. But as long as
you've spoke OF it, don't believe that
would start him up either. Though I'll
tell you one thing, Almiry: don't be-
1ieve thar's goin' to be anything very
frightful bout Gabriers trumpet. /
think it's goin' to come kinder like the
robins an the flowers do in the spring,
kinder .meltin' right into everything
else. sweet an material like"
THAT amt accordin' to Scriptur,"
said Almira, stoutiy. ---
..It's accord n TO my Scriptur. l tell
YOU what tits, Almiry, I've found out
one thing alvin SO long. an that is,
thar amt so much difference in things
ON this. airth as thar is in the folks that
sea EN-. It's me a-seein' the Scripturs.
an, IT'S you a-seein' the Scripturs, AL
miry, an YOU see one thing an an
other, an dare say we both see crooked
mostly, with may be a little straight
mixed up with it, an We'll never RELY
know how much is straight till we see
/, read it by the light of the New Jeru-
Sd EN-.
..You ought to ha' ben a minister,
Mis- Green"
-..Wa'al, so l would ..ha' ben eff l had
been man; / alters thought / would.
But l s'pose the Lord thought there was
more need of an extra hand just then to
raise up children. an bake an brew an
wash dishes You'd better drive along
a leetle faster eff you kin, Almiry."
Almira jerked the reins viciously and
clucked, but the horse logged along I'M
disturbedly. at amt no use,' said
she. ..You might as well try to start
tp a stone post.