Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-04-02

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work in my shirt-sleeves, so it won t
matter if I'm seen going indoors. I'll
dress and come to yon at the Half
! Moon; and then we'll see what's TO be
done. You can put up there for to-
| night; and you shall be my clerk in
earnest if you'll give yourself just one
/ more chance of being a-man."
"A man." 1t was singular to see the
change that came over Dick Black
| thorn 5 face with the change of clothes
which, by exceptional good fortune.
fitted him as though they had been
made for him. He no longer veered be-
tween SLOUGH and swagger; he even
laughed lightly, as he peered over the
bank to catch Il glimpse of MS reflection
in the pool. "A mani repeated he.
WHY, L m half that already. Harlow;
it the first time I've known the feel of
decent broadcloth for couple of years.
The gypsies, indeed-no gypsies for me,
if YOU please. The truth is, Harlow,
I've been thinking seriously of late;
and I've come to the conclusion that,
after all's said and done. respectability's
the thing. Who'd ever have thought,
old cock. to look at me and YOU now.
that you re the right side of the hedge
and I'm the wrong? What do girls and
horses count, so long as there tailor
to get one straight again9 | should like
sight of Patience again, poor lass; I've
half a mind to drop in on her and make
her scream, for fun, on my way to the
Half Moon. No-all right. old chap:
You needn' look so queer. A bargains
bargain, and nobody burst say Dick
Blackthorn isn't man of his word.
Down to-day and up to-morrow-that's
the game. Hey for the Half Moon and
a fig for King George, Az, come over
to the Half Moon: many's the jorum
I've had there in the old days. and
We'll have another tonight, You and l.
I'll stand treat if you'll lend me the
price of bowl till pay you again.
Oh. I'll be a man, I'll go ahead and
redeem the past. and eat the fatted calf
and be gOod--so good that the old
mans hairs shall turn brown again for
fun.
Whether Dicks sullen desperation or
his sudden burst into high spirits was
the worse to behold. Stephen could not
tell. 1t was plain the fellow had no
more ballast in him than a feather in
the wind: and that. whether up or
down. his good and bad spirits were
equally capricious and VAN. A mo-
ment ago he was hunted brute: now
he was what a fairly good coat had
made him. Stephen saw work before
him to which the restoration of Leys
Croft was mere child play. However,
it had got to be done.
Now be off with YOU said he.
Mind, l IN trusting you: if dom find
YOU at the Half Moon by the time | get
here. l wash my hands of you. Ii l
do, I'll see to it that if YOU break down
in life again it shall be the fault of
neither horse nor girl. but Your very
own.
.'Oh. that's all right said Dick.
i've half good mind to 90 back
through Manchester and meet the red
coats-that would be fun. too. / won't
though. I'm going to turn over 4 new
leaf, and be a good boy for the rest of
my days. Once out of this scrape.
never WI I get into another, so sure as
my names Dick Blackthorn. Ell 90 to
the Half Moon As straight as crow,
and wait as long as you please.
And perhaps by that time. thought
Stephen. little savagelv. lit will strike
him that it might be decent to ask after
his father and his sister. and that its
hardly good manners to take all a fell
low got to give him without so much
as a Thank YOU Well, I'm not going
to help him through for. thanks sake.
so L muslin complain. | must get his
father to forgive him; AID | must Get
him to MillpOrt, and put him to work
under my own eye. It'll be a stiff job
but, hang it, what a beast | am TO
grumble about doing for Patience and
her father the first thing that's like to
whatever it is; they've done ten thou
sand times more for me. Poor D.ck. |
cant think he 5 bad fellow at bottom.
It's not in the Blackthorn breed"
Perhaps the only impossible thing in
the world is to be set on helping a man
and at the same time to think of him
unkindlv. No doubt Dick did look
hopeless case. but then Stephen was in
the humor tor unlimited hoping. He
waited minutes enough for the coast to
be clear, and then scrambled back out
of the cOpSe in decidedly less repu-
table plight than he had entered. Not
that there would be anything particu-
larly out of the way in his crossing the
few remaining fields hatless and coat
less: for. a he had said. a good deal OF
his recent work hal been done in his
Moreover the mud and moisture he
had gathered in the copse would only
look As if his out-of-door work had been
anything but a sham.
OF course he gave up his idea of going
round by way of the church: nor wa.
he particually anxious. for once, &c
meet Patience herself all at once; he
had dreamed that he should never havs
a secret from her, and the discovery
that one was inevitable. though he
hoped but for a few hours, was not
agreeable, though it was for the good
of all. At the price of a secret, even
from Patience. her brother go at least
he thought) must be kept clear of Leys
Croft till all risk was past, and til
Dick could come home, not to be hid
den as a deserter from his colors. but
as a clerk in the firm of Prestons 4
Harlow. For. at any cost. Patience's
faith in her brother must be kept whole
and pure; forever. if it might beat
any rate. until the last chance of keep
ing it was gone.
Blazes, now. if l didn't know twas
We funk Il French bullet, stand aisy. if We
for We: but If we're after tryin to be
troublesome, I'll have to be sorrier
STILL
Stephen all hatless. coatless. and up
to the eyes in mire. had emerged from
the copse, not only into the SUM ght.
but also into party of four soldiers in
undress uniform. but fully armed, all
carrying their muskets save the man