Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-08-13
CHAPTER X-CoNrIN1rEp

hi' PARSONS, introducing Erastus.
Ow do you do, Mr.. 'Emmingway,
SAID MIR. Jobbers, extending a red and
rather tieshy hand; speaking deliberate
ly and with a slight accent upon the
first and last word of each sentence.
well.'' ~"
Erastus assured him he was in good
health, and expressed the hope that
their guests We're not too greatly wor-
RED with the jaunt over the hills
With Mr.. Annelsey he shook hands
cordially as he had done with Ensign
when meeting him at the well.
In few moments Mr.. Parsons, who
had left the room after introducing
Erastus, returned and invited the party
out to supper.
"Ihis is my wife, and these are nv
daughters he said as the gentlemen
entered the room where the table was
spread.
"'Ow do you do. ladies? Hi 'ope
Hi see you we'll" And Mr.. Jobbers.
who appeared to have one formal
phrase for the expression of his pleas
ure at meeting strangers, bowed low in
recognition of the Introduction.
The younger men bowed also. En-
sign once, with a respectful glance
about the circle, Annelsey to each of the
ladies in turn and with slightly affect
ed air and his right hand upon his heart
He was little surprised, evidently, as
was also Mr.. JobberS. at the degree OF
ease and general air of refinement that
characterized the young ladies, and de-
sired to make good impression.
Hi say. you ave huncommonly
fine n1acp spra - RI no Tn liSb
man, after they were seated at the
table. Hit is wonderful low you
Hamericans do things. Great henter-
pr Sc, that of building a railroad hacross
the continent: Hi don't wonder you
people hare proud of your country, sir.
'Ow long. may l hask, since you
hopened this place, sir?"
Its eight years last fall since we
first camped on this spot" returned
Mr.. Parsons, land mighty rough camp
in it was. too, Mother there n the
girls slept in the wagon for nigh onto
four weeks, while me and 'Rastus took
the ground fer it until the shanty was
up and a roof on. We see some purity
hard times for the first few years, bnt,
as you say. we hev made a good bit of
improvement since then"
Hi should say so. And you ave
done it hall yourselves, without cap
ital''
Eyes, without any capital 'ceptin' a
pair of bosses and n wagon, that brung
mother and the girls across the plains. 1"
Hi declare; hif that don't beat hany-
thing I've seen yet Hi don't see 'ow
you could get ahead without capital to
start hon.
1--WE had the land to commence with,
and we had good health ginerly; an
we had willin' hearts," replied the
host; IAN am Of the opinion that tn at
is about all the capital a man an a
woman needs to start on. We've
opened two places afore this, besides
addin' to the one we begun on, and
have been driv' off of 'em all; an /
don't see what anybody needs more
than an ekil chance with everybody
else. I'm sure that's all the men that
work for iyin' are askin'."
Hi say. But there is many a man
in Hingland that would be glad of the
hopportunlty TO make i'm 'ome like
this. Hi know several good, honest
farmers that could raise money enough
to make the trip. and when 90 back
shall hadvise 'em to come to Hamerica,
and to California.
During the meal the conversation was
principally between Mr.. Jobbers and
Mr.. Parsons, with an occasional word
from Mrs. Parsons and Erastus.
Ensign made no effort to take part in
it, but devoted his attention strictly to
the business of satisfying his appetite,
unless an occasional glance at the
young ladies may be considered an in
corruption.
Annelsey made several attempts to
enter the conversation, addressing his
remarks principally in the direction of
Lucy, who sat opposite to him, but, al
though too sensible to be really bashful
in the presence of strangers, she was
not sufficiently seif-contident to engage
in a lengthy conversation in the pres
ence of so many gentlemen whom she
had never before met, and so caused
Annelsey to fail in his efforts to be
especially entertaining. But after sup
per was over and the girls had removed
the dishes, and in company with their
mother joined the gentlemen in the sit
ting-room they found it much more
easy to talk together.
Mr.. Jobbers had communicated the
fact of his having an interest in the
Hydraulic Mining Company to their
father, who was listening very earnest
ly and attentively to what he was say
ing regarding the size of their claim,
the length of the fiume and the power
which they expected to obtain from so
great fall This gave the young peo-
pile an opportunity of chatting among
themselves in a less formal manner
than they could have done with their
elders taking part in the conversation.
Annelsey. having just arrived on the
coast, was full of the incidents of the
Journey, which he had made by rail;
and his references thereto naturally
called up, ON the part of the others, re-
membranes of their own far more te-
dious Journey, and soon they felt quite
ut ease in each others company.
Then, too, Annelsey had spent a week
in San Francisco. and hearing that the
girls were but just returned from there,
found fresh food for conversation in the
objects of interest in that city. At first
the custom to which he had been bred,
of looking upon a workman as an in
ferior had shown itself in his treatment
of Ensign, who was but an employee of
the company in which his father was a
large stakeholder, but the perfect
equality with which he was received by
the family of intelligent people beneath
whose roof they were, together with the
fact that Ensign evidently had himself
no thought that he was not socially the
equal of any, soon forced the young
New Yorker to treat him as an equal;
and when the time came for retiring.
the young people, with a single excep-
Sion, felt that they had passed q pleas
ant evening.