Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-09-03

A"iA ABOUT Ialth movln mountains"
SAID the man who handled the pipe, as
ne watched the dirt crumble and dis
solve, while great trees and rocks slow
~ sank into the abyss. Talk about
Faith movin' mountains, and TIM a
i-e-e-t-l-e bit skeptical, am; but say.
Faith and stream of water from one
OF these here pipes. an I'll gamble on
it every time.',
John Parsons turned from the SIGHT.
faInt and sick at heart. He had seen
enough. They would wash the earth
OF those hills from their rocky foun-
datlons as the dust is washed from the
paved streets of city by July shower,
and the valley must become its rest
ing place. Farms, and orchards, and
vineyards would be covered, at the
hrst great flood, with the worthless
earth of the mountain tops which was
now pouring through the sluice into the
gulch below. Fertile fields would be
made barren, their owners impoyer-
lshed, their homes made desolate; all,
all that a.few men already rich might
grow richer by possessing themselves
OF the few penny's worth of gold that
lay hidden in each cubic foot of the
mountains top.
low do you do, sir; 'ope 1 see
you well?''
John Parsons turned squarely around
and stood face to face with Mr.. job
bers, who extended his hand with a
rather pompous though cordial air.
low is Mrs. Parsons and the young
ladies; well, 'ope? MIR. Hannelsey
was telling me before e left as 'ow e
ad hoften called on you during is fish
ing and uniting excursions. Come hup
to my quarters and ave a glass of
wineh
1t is not to be supposed that Mr..
Jobbers' invitation was caused by his
having noticed the look of exhaustion
and hopelessness which had settled
upon the face of John Parsons. He was
not in the habit of noticing the look of
peoples faces, unless he suspected them
of having designs upon his purse. He
was not bad man at heart; he was
even capable of being generous at
times and'in way-or at least he be-
ieved he was.
If beggar appealed to him in a par
ticularly touching manner he gave him
q shilling, and had even been known to
give half-crown when feeling espe-
cially amiable: but it never oc-
CURED to him that beggar
had any feelings except of cold or
hunger. and these he supposed only in
modified degree, and not keen
1y as people in affiuent circum-
stances would do if by accident they
were to miss meal, or be caught out
in a storm without sufficient clothing.
Besides, it was intended that some
should be rich and some poor; of this
he had no doubt whatever; and it was
Il <~fS, hn ,4,1
in the condition in which God had
placed him. He was contented with
his lot, and he felt that he thereby per-
formed pretty nearly his whole duty to
society, and he had no sympathy with
those who made complaint against their
condition in life; but occasionally
would give the price of a meal of Wit
uals just to prove to himself and the
world that he could be generous as well
as strictly just.
Such freaks were not common with
him; at least not enough so to excite
any fears of his bankruptiRg himself on
the part of his friends; and when it did
occur it was invariably after having
eaten hearty dinner.
Then, too. he recognized the claims
of hospitality; and having eaten and
slept beneath the roof of the man now
standing before him, he wished to
prove that he could be hospitable in his
turn. ~
John Parsons was not a lover of
wine, and seldom drank it, although
wine of his own making was always in
his house. and often on his table; but
now he felt that a glass of it would
stiffen him up and may be clear his
ideas, which some way seemed terribly
mixed. Then, too, he suddenly re-
membered that he wanted to talk with
Mr.. Jobbers.
He had utterly forgotten about Mr..
Annelsey, and would have given him no
thought had not Mr.. Jobbers mentioned
him, and now he did not think to in
quire why or where the young man had
gone. 1t was sufficient that he was
gone, and SO could be of no use in in
1uencing the company to cease the
work of destroying homes. But MIR.
Jobbers was one of the company: he
represented that half of the stock which
was held in London, and if he could
only be made to see how much damage
was certain to be done, how many
homes ruined if the work went on, he
might, voting for those whom he rep
resented. stop the whole thing at once,
by stopping work upon his own mine
and refusing to sell water to the other
companies.
1t was foolish thought. for when
have men ever refused to get rich from
fear of running others?-yet John Par
sons said to himself that he would try,
and if that failed he woIld threaten
them with the law No, not the law,
for he felt that that was ALWAYS on the
side of the rich. Only the higher law
the right of every human being to all
the products of his own toll, and to de-
fend that right regardless of conse-
quences to those who attempted to vio-
late that law, was worthy of being APP
pealed to, he thought; and he called to
mind the Instances in which men who
were being robbed under guise of legal
enactments there on the coest had
appealed to this higher law and admin
istered justice with bold hand.
But now he would go with Mr.. Job
bers and would see what could be done
to save his own home and those of his
neighbors from destruction.
CHAPTER XIV.
DEEPENING SHADOWS.
So that he gathered the red ore and precious
What has man ever cared for hearts thai
bled?
What has he rocked Of affairs eyerthrown;
OF brave men dead: of hearthstones
Overgrown with weeds?
Louder speak than words and deeds
OF man in all the past proclaim
He only cared for gold-gold and q name;
FOR that his name might live,
- I, rod 1aor, fy,f Twin