Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-11-19
CHAPTER xXIv.-CoSr1suEp.

eHdu MS WOfuS, now utterly DrOkeu
and hopeless the man was, and when
ne ceased speaking he staggered again,
and those about him thought he would
have fallen; but he gathered his ener-
gies. made his way through the crowd,
which opened to let him pass, went to
the stable, and replacing the saddle on
his horse. mounted him and turned his
face toward home.
The moment he left the Recorders
office. dozen voices were heard eager
ly demanding to know the details of
the affair."
The man who was to have bought the
place could tell nothing beyond the
fact that on examining the records he
had discovered mortgage against 1t
for about the value of the property.
81. seemed strange" he said, ''that
the mortgage should be there and have
escaped the eye, not only of Mr.. Par
sons himself, but of the maker of the
abstract which he received from MIR.
Blake. There is evidently a mistake
somewhere. Possibly the mortgage has
been paid and the MORTGAGE has neg
lected to cancel it on the books in the
Office; if so and it can be proved, it can
all be made. right yet"
Then somebody suggested that Mr..
Parsons be called back and an effort
made to ascertain the facts.
at is a pity to let the old man suffer
so, if it is only a mistake and the
mortgage has been PAID" they said;
and half dozen of them started at
once to call to Mr.. Parsons to stay and
try to learn all the facts. but the Re-
oordar bo had ram n silent dnrinp
the discussion. now spoke:
.It's no use, men," he said, ''the
mortgage is there. and there is no
doubt but it will take the place. unless
the old man can raise the money to pay
it off.
..You know l have only been in office
less than year. When | came in here
got to looking over the books back 4
piece and 1 found things little bit
mixed and set to work to straighten
'em up. Among other things stum-
bled onto this mortgage. 1t was re-
corded all right but it wasn't lndexed,
and YOU know a man might hunt for a
week through these books and not find
a thing that wasn't in the index. Be
sides. no one would ever think of doing
so. as every mortgage Is supposed to
appear in the index under the name
81 thought at the time that like
enough trouble would come OF the
blunder, which is the fault of old Pu-
terbaugh, who was Recorder at the
time it occurred. He was never sober
two DAYS at stretch, and ought never
to have been elected, but he managed
somehow to get the nomination, and
then we had to vote for him or 20 back
on the party; and you know we
couldn't do that.
well, as l was saying, l thought
like as not Parsons never knew OF tina
mortgage being there. but hadn't thu
heart to mention it, and it wasn't an.
of INV business anyway. and l reall.
hoped it had been paid and would neve
give him any trouble. But about
week ago fellow was here from 'Frisc
YOU remember h m, Jo:' he said
interrupting Ii mself and addressing tn
landlord of the hotel, who was one o
the crowd-..tnat fellow with stove
pipe hat and suit of brown velve
clothes. He stopped with you?'
Yes" replied the landlord. IS L re
member him He was there to Dime
and supper and left on the down boat
Well continued the Recorder
.'that was Blake's brotherin-law.
don't know whether he is as big ra'
cal as Blake was or not, but anyway
seems that Blake got hard up and Dol
rowed fifteen hundred dollars of TIL
brother-in-law and gave a mortgage @
that place up there for security.
at was more than the ranch was wort
at the time, but reckon Blake was i
fix where he had to have that amour
and as that was all the security he ha
TO give, his brother-in-law let him hay
it. Nav be he never went to look :
the place at all. but just took Blake
say-so for what the property was wort
..Wen, after bit, Blake. who W;
ALWAYS looking over the records to ST
If he couldn't strike lead of SON
kind. happened to stumble onto the ia
that old Puterbaugh hadn't indexe
that mortgage, and he made up b
mind to sell the place to somebody ell
and leave the country
HE knew no one would be likely
see the mortgage in making an abstrae
and if they did discover it. why
would say it had been paid and d
stroyed. but the party had neglected
cancel it on the records. Then he wou
blnster around, pretending to be loo
inc for the party who had held it in {
der to have the matter fixed up, b
would never be able to find him, n
nretty soon the man who was going
buy the place would get sick of waltz
and 90 off somewhere else. or buy a
other place, and the whole thing won
be forgotten.
..At least, that's the way l figr
it all out. and reckon amt very
from right" 4,
but how does it come that c
brother-in-law hasn't put in claim
his interest money all this time ask
one of the bystanders. eff his ella
on the place is good, he has been losl
a pile of dust by not collectin his
terest from year to year.
..Well. may be so, and then ag'
NAV be not" returned the Record
s.You see, the improvements Parse
has put on the place is worth GO
deal more than the interest. Besid
this brother-in-law may not have kno
that Blake had sold the place, and "
just making it easy on Blake, as
supposed.
Anyway, the mortgage is there.
# you'll step over to Tom Anderso
Office I guess you'll find that he has
lob of foreclosing it in the next term
court, which begins the second Mono
of next month, and that he has aires
sent notice to the Ne,Cs for publicatl
IS required by law. {"
ats an outrage on the old man W
the crippled boy" remarked one,
the crowd dispersed. land Blake ou
10 swing for it If he was back ags
I'd be one to help do it !"