Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-10-01

since, Tcplieu MIS-. dEsOUS Dus
what about the place? Is there any
house on it, or an orchard, or any
thing? And what does the man ask
for it?''
There's bit of shanty on it," re-
turned her husband, SAN few scat
term grape vines, an dozen or two
peach and pear trees. The place is
well up on the mountain an is off of
the main road, an sort O. lonesome
like; leastwise, I'm afeared 'twould
seem SO to you an the lad. But there's
q chance to make livin' there even it
it amt very good one. an | s'pect
may be grapes will do pretty well ON part
O. the claim. It's mighty rough an
broken, though, an won't be so pleasant
cultivatin' as this place used to be.
''There amt no bottom land onto it,
ner within ten miles of it fer that mat
ter. An there amt many neighbors,
an such as there is is poor folks, that
couldn't git claims nowher's else. l
talked with one of 'em, an he said he
was satisfied they could raise as good
fruit of most kinds as grew anywhere
in the State; an anyway there amt
any danger of their floodin' it from any
mines; it's too far up on the mount
dllS leE tIitt, All may NC Vic bcSt tu'us
we kin do is to take it. specially as the
owner, who lives in town, is willin' to
take pair of horses an purity near
anything else we have to turn out TO
him, | guess"
Then we had better take it." re-
piled his wife. II had rather have =
place of our own, however poor, than
to be dependent upon somebody
Ill 70
perhaps, and never feel that anything
is our own, as we would do on rented
place. But are you sure about the
title, John? Don't for PHYS sake let
US buy a ranch to which there is not .
good title.'
That's just what told Mr.. Blake.
the man that owns it. / told him that
if there was anything at all wrong with
the title l wouldn't touch it with ten
foot pole, but he says it's all right, an
he is to get an abstract of it from the
recorders office. The place has never
had but two or three owners, an it's
clear outside of the land grant, so if
there's no mortgages onto it don t
see how there can be any danger, an
of course the abstract will show"
Il almost wish you had told him we
would take it. I'm afraid somebody
else will step in and get it first, there
are so many looking for places now.
When did you tell him you would give
him an answer?'
He is to come over tomorrow and
look at the things we have to trade. II
we kin agree, then he is to get the alb
stract, an if that is all right, it's .
trade. Iwish you could see the place,
mother, before we decide about it. but
L don't see how you kin, unless We take
Johnny over to Ritchie's and leave him
while you go an take look at it.
"What do you say, Johnny? Will you
stay at Mr.. Ritchie's while mother goes
with me to see the new placer"
won't the water and mud rise clear
over us and bury us?" asked the boy,
in his weak little voice.
ooh, no." replied his father, "Mr.
Ritchie's house is higher up than ours,
you know. There is not q bit Of
DANGER"
'sThen I'll stay"
But Mrs. Parsons did not wish to go
to see the place.
lit would be hard days ride" she
said, ''ffty miles there and back. and
we would have to go on horseback, l
suppose, for it must be awful slow get
ting along with wagon, now; and be-
sides it would make no difference any
way. If you think we can make a
living ON it we had best take it, for we
can't stay here many days longer. We
have no other place to go to, and it will
not be easy to find places that we can
trade for"
And so they talked on while the tea
was made and drank. Then they lay
down, but it was almost day before
sleep came to either of them.
About noon the next day Mr.. Blake
came as he had promised.
He was man of medium size and
pretty we'll built. He had red face
and large mouth, and appeared about
fifty years of age.
Certainly not a handsome man, he
was yet not noticeably homely. In
fact. there was nothing especially no.
ticeable about him in any way. To all
appearances he was an ordinary kind
of man, who had doubtless mined
some; been farmer back in the States,
perhaps, and at some period in his life
had probably kept a hotel in a country
town, or engaged in some other occu-
patton which had given him a little
more the air of a man of business, and
little less that of day laborer.
At dinner, of which he was invited
to partake, he asked blessing. AS
they ate he commended the cooking;
spoke of the great loss which his host
had sustained from the destruction of
his ranch by the overflow, and con-
demned in strong terms the outrage
upon the rights of so good citizens as
those at whose table he sat-
Then he passed on to a description
of his own ranch, which he wished to
sell.
1t was we'll up in the hills. he said.
but it was a fine place for fruit, and
was out of danger from the overflow,
and all it needed to make it valuable
property was the cultivation and care
which Mr.. Parsons knew so we'll how
to give it.
He offered it for sale cheap because
he was going back East and wanted to
clear everything up before he went, and
get what he had together
He would prefer to sell for cash, but
if they could not do that, he would
take a pair of horses and a1y other
stock they might have to turn out. And
if he could not dispose of them readily
in the neighborhood. would drive them
to Sacramento. on his way to New
York. and sell them there.
After dinner he went out, in company
with Mr.. Parsons, and looked at the
different animals and the things which
the now nearly impoverished family had
to offer. He readily agreed to take one
pair of horses and wagon and the top
carriage. also three cows. But this
still left difference which he proposed
should be made up by a note to be