Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-06-25

mere pe no peace in the family
till Mrs. Dent dies" said Pamela, ou1
eldest
''Or is married." added 1. There
as much hope of one as the other. She's
fair and forty better chances of life
than you or I. Pam
'Oh, she'd never marrv," Pam de-
clared. ''She would never leave Lefty.
If she would, there would be some
hope for Rob; and he is such a dear
good fellow, if they didn't expect I'M
possibilities; for, because she don't
care for music. is he never to go to
concerts or come over here for an
evening of singng-he with the best
tenor in Rockdale9 Oh, it's all very
well to say it's because she is ailing.
and I'm sure [ hope it will be better
after the baby comes; but don't think
it's a nice prospect for Rob"
They say the first year Is always the
hardest" Annie said. Its just eX-
cess of affection on her part, you
see. She loves him so much that
she can't bear his loving any one else
not even us, his own sisters. When
she gets something else to love"
But if it was better for rapturous
month after baby came, it was only a
truce. She was the lovelest young
mother in the world. and Rob adored
his Madonna. clasping his boy with
an ardor that satisfied even Mrs. Dent.
Bnt when she was well aga:n. over
the baby's name, and the baby's
medicines, and the baby's clothes,
and the baby's nurse, there were
chances enough of disagreement be-
tween the proud grandmother and
and the prouder maiden aunts. We
were homeopathic, and Mrs.tDent in
sisted ON an old school allopath when
ever the baby sneezed; and we couldn't
help saying one day, seeing the shelf
of medicines he was accommodating,
that twas mercy he had the Ora
ham constitution. We wanted him
named for his grandfather. good
Scriptural name that had always been
in the family; but he had to be Harold.
straight out of novel Lefty had read.
And when we called him Pet and
Blossom and Princeling, half to avoid
that detestable name, half because he
was so sweet, Lefty declared that we
de- pissed her and her baby. and he
wasn't worthy, she supposed, to be
the heir of the Grahams unless. he was
called Mark, and presently we were as
badly of as ever 1t was absurd, of
course. Welaughed over the trities that
made our miserles; but it was no tritle
when, with only block between u.s.
she wouldn't let Rob come TO see us for
a month. 1t ended in our going down
to the mills mornings when he was
there, and so getting to know the new
superintendent. Presently Pam asked
him to the house, in the Lady Bounti-
full way she had toward frIendless peo-
pie of all sorts and conditions. She
never thought that he was no match
for our Annie, the youngest and pref
test of us, and though she called her
self an old maid, actually only twenty
five, and not looking that. But when
she saw what she had done, and that
something serious might come OF it,
though nothing had yet, for Frank
Truman was as proud as he was poor,
she put the blame where it belonged
on Letty's shoulders.
For if it hadn't been for you, my
dear, we should never have known
him. l never before knew a superin-
Enthusiastically. mean"
Il don't know that it's so deplora-
ble" said. Its the family way, and
we Can dnoIu W oNSllOoh HIS poverty,
since he's really very much of a gentle
man, I'm sure" And l smiled at
Lefty. for we We're recCnciled now, and
she had run in to show us how the
baby was learning to take steps.
THAT must be such a consolation, :"
said Lefty, flush NC, and taking it
would-"to Annie, l mean-that she
is only following in her brother
steps; but 1 should think, out of re-
gard at least to him, and courtesy TO
me"
Why, 1 never meant to reflect on
you," L cried. 1--WE never disap-
proved -"
You never had a chance; and it
wouldn't have done the least good if
YOU had she or ed, defiantly.
mo, indeed" Pam said, coming to
my rescue. "Rob was too thoroughly
in love to mind if we had talked all day
at HIM. 1t was a clear case of be-
witchment.'
I'm much obliged, I'm sure" Lefty
said, picking up Harold; but if YOU
mean to intimate that 1 tried-that we
tried-to capture my husband"
Il only mean, to int mate" Pam
said, sweetly, that you were then,
as YOU are still, so very pretty that
Rob"
ooh. then, I've nothing but my pretty
face
(Which baby has inherited" put
in. Really, dear, the child grows
more Ike you every day of his life.
He's the image of his father" cried
Lefty. Eyes, mouth, everything. l
wouldn't own him if he was not. And
you know you only say he resembles
me to tease me-"
That was perfectly absurd. for the
ch Id was Dent all over. more's the
pity; but you might as we'll have tried
to reason with a turkey-cock just then.
She swept up the baby, and was out of
the house while we were laughing at
her vehemence. We never could get
into Letty's feeling about it, suppose.
We thought by this time. married two
years, and sure of our affection, she
ought to take things more lightly; but
it was plain she did not. For she
talked so to Rob about the
certainty of marital shipwreck if a
rich woman married a poor man
though it wasn't all sunny seas
the other way either-that he made it
his duty to discountenance the whole
thing. He sent Frank Truman off to
the West for few weeks to look after
some business for the firm, and in the
meantime he brought down old Talbot,
senior partner in tue Tuckahoe Mills,
where we had third interest, to con-
sole Annie. l should have thought
Lefty would have liked the other match
better; but she seemed to think that if
Annie married this old widower, who
was as rich as all of us put together,