Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-09-17

| may come upon the rest "a them. On,
If could only die!'
By this time, however, Erastrs had
partially recovered from the blow
which had fallen so suddenly. if not
unexpectedly, and was able to take up
the thread of the conversation where
| Lucy had dropped it; and Jennie, Aanx-
iious not to reach home in such q
frozen silence as to attract the notice
of their mother, also chimed in, thus
giving her sister time to rally again;
and when they stopped in front of the
cottage and Mr.. and Mrs. Parsons, the
former carrying Johnny in his arms,
came out to welcome them, they
thought they had never seen their
daughters in a gayer mood, and attrib-
uted it to joy at being home again after
such long absence.
When Mrs. Parsons told her husband
of Lucy's engagement he remained
silent for time and then said:
u s'pose it's natural, Marty, an
what's natural is ginerally right, but
sonieway I'm afeard Lucy will be sorry
fer It some day.
.Iain't got nothin' in particular agin
the young man, but I'd heap ruther
she'd married Rastus, an l feel GER
| tain he'd a asked her eff Mr.. Annelsey
| hadn' tgot in his way and be seen that
Lucy kind o took to him; though |
never could make out that she loved
him so very much while he was a
comm here to see her.
MAY be its all right as it is he
continued, after moments pause. ''At
| least she won't want fer somethin' to
eat or to wear. An may be it don't
make any odds how it's got, only so
YOU get it.
Il used ter think" he went on, that
nobody couldn't 90 to Heaven that took
what they hadn't earned, but d'know.
May be there amt no Heaven 'er no
Hell; an no right and no wrong-that
we're just put here like the wild beasts
| to fight fer what we git. and that them
| that can git the most is the best fellers.
I IF man or child is hungry and
| takes loaf of bread, they send him to
/ Jail, because that's a vi'lation of the
| law; but he has money to start on an
brides Congris to pass a law so he kin
rob lot of poor folks of everything
they have. as fast as they can get any
thing together, why, they're maxim
money because they've got more talents
than other fellers have; and every body
is entitled to all they can make in this
country!
Il don't believe Christ ever taught
any SIGH doctrine es that, but there is
them as pertends to be His followers
and to speak for Him as is always cud-
! dim to the rich, a KNOWN, too. that
no man can get a million of dollars
without gettin' some that belongs to
other folks.
Wall. Annelsey's rich. an Lucy Il
be his wife an dress in silks and satin.
and hope she'll be happy: May be
when we're dead an gone he'll let her
take care of johnny, eff the boy outlives
Us. There ought to be some good come
out of so much sufferin', an may be
that'n be the way til come.
Il wouldn't take a cent of it myself
eff I was dyin' of hunger, but eff some
time Johnny should need their hel p it
won't be gift exactly, for the company
that's putin dollars into Annelsey's
pocket is takin' 'em out of ourn, an
though they ain t the same dollars ex-
actly, it amounts to the same thing
it 5 a Robin of us to get rich them
selves
A few days after this Erastus inform
ed Mr.. Parsons, and, later in the day,
the other members of the family, that
when the hurry of the season was over
he intended to leave them and strike
out for himself.
He hoped that they wouldn' t feel that
he was deserving them, for he would
never do that; but he was now two
years past his majority, and ought to
begin for himself, and a number of
young men of his acquaintance were
going down to the Mussle Slough
country to take up land, and he had
decided to go with them.
This decision of Erastus was the
cause of much regret on the part of
John and Martha Parsons. They loved
him as their own son, and had hoped
and planned that when he should start
for himself it should be in the imme-
date neighborhood of their own home,
if, indeed. he did not marry one of the
girls and remain always with them.
They readily conceded his right to
90, however, and as there was now
little prospect that they would soon be
able to buy him a place they did not
wonder that he wished to leave them
and start a home of his own.
Perhaps they OWNED some of his feel
ings for Lucy; at least they realized
that they could offer no objections to
his going which would not appear
purely selfish.
At first they insisted that he take the
few hundred dollars remaining in bank,
and pair of horses and a wagon.
The money he positively refused to
touch. except few dollars necessary.
to enable him to make the journey to
the Slough, although both the girls
Joined their parents in begging him to
do so. and declared they would remain
home from school. or even teach school,
rather than permit him who had done
so much to aid in accommodating what
they possessed, to leave without any.
thing
Finally it was agreed that he should
take pair of three-year-old colts and
one of the wagons, together with pro-
visions and money sufficient to last him
until he could reach his destination,
look about him little and decide just
what he would do.
During the time intervening before
the day set for his departure he worked
even harder than usual, that he might
leave the fall work in good shape and
so relieve Mr.. Parsons as much as pos
sible. The colts, too, were harnessed
every day and made to do some light
work that they might be hardened q
little before starting upon the journey,
which, although not such very long
one, would vet be hard one on ami
mails of their age.
1t was a very sad household, that Of
John and Martha Parsons, during these
few weeks of work and preparation;
perhaps the saddest that had ever gath
oroI n ont hai hoard