Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-12-24

editorial columns, business-like inves-
LEGATION of extracts from other papers,
and letters of correspondents, and at
the last by no means Indifferent review
of the advertisements.
Argyle, who had presided at the head
of his table ever since she had been left
a motherless child of ten years old, and
poured out his coffee for him, watched
his proceedings this morning with an
Interest quite new in her pretty
ladyship. Usually she professed a
supreme indifference to the news
papers and their contents, and
II she did not receive an azure or rose
tinted missive of daintiest size from one
of her own correspondents-whic was
rare occurrence-as she was herself
lncorrigibly lazy about answering her
letters, her occupations, after finishing
her own breakfast, consisted in feeding
the two brown settlers, Dash and Dare,
and gathering flowers to arrange in the
sitting-room. 1t was a very lax house
| hold in its ways, but Argyle, to do her
| justice, was fond of early rising, and en-
joyed the fresh cool air of dawn, and
| the run in the garden for the fruits for
| the breakfast, which was the meal her
| father preferred above all others, while
the dew was still fresh upon them. She
| had generally aired and busted both
rooms; superintendent the making of
the coffee and the preparation of some
weather being decidedly an epicure, and
had eaten her own simpler meal before
her father appeared.
| He was the most absent-minded and
unobservant of men, but this morning
/ l. 10, L
ened by Argyle's remaining at the table,
and by her rather uneasy glance toward
his paper. He pushed up his gold spec
tacles and looked at her with an amused
smile.
..Well, Argyle, are you expecting any
| special news from the papers to-day?"
..Ye-es-no, papa, no news specially
to-day" she answered, hesitating and
blushing q little under her fathers
amused scrutiny.
| perhaps you would like to hear the
results of the last English elections?" in
a sarcastic tone.
| mo, thank you, papa"
cor the present value of gold on Wall
| street,"
"Oh, no, papa, indeed, would much
rather not" with an expression of such
| unfeigned horror that Mr. Meriweather,
with an amused laugh, turned again to
the last paragraph of an editorial col
umn. As he turned over the page, he
| uttered an exclamation. ''Argyle!' he
said, in a brisker tone than usual, as he
looked up from the sheet, ''by the way,
have found an item that may interest
you"
'.What is it, papa?" quickly.
s'SOme news about one of your ac-
quaintances," laying down the paper,
'that young officer from Louisiana-Du
-Du-I forget his name. 1 found him
very dull company, but 1 remember you
seemed to think him rather entertain
ing"
dupont was his name, papa" an
swered Argyle-after nervously intent
upon pulling out the fringe of her red
fruit napkin. ''But isn't his name men,
toned in the paper? Didn't you say
there was an item about him?"
Eyes, of course" replied the old gen.
tleman, in a somewhat guilty tone, as
he searched the columns of his open
page diligently. II am afraid l am a
little absented-minded. Argyle-that is.
about trities. Yes, my dear, you are
right. of course, his name must have
been mentioned"
| Argyle waited with 1ll-COnCCalcU I'LL
patience while her father slowly and de-
liberately read aloud the heading of each
separate paragraph: Letter From AL
bemarle County,' Account of Grand
Military Review in Richmond .Discov-
ery'-no, that's not it. Murder or Sui
eide of Stranger.
:.Oh, papa, that is too horriblet' eX-
claimed the young girl, the tears rising
to her eyes and her cheeks growing sud-
denly pale. HE was so gay and full of
spirits-I can not bear to think of such
fate''-and her tears began to fall
quickly.
..Why, my love, what's the matter?"
calculated her father, looking up in as
constituent. 'sOr were you only jest
ing about his sad fate? There is moth
ing here about Dupont except descrip-
ton of his wedding, and, by the way. it
seems to have been very brilliant and
fashionable affair"
..Hs weddingr' repeated Argyle, in a
tone of inexpressible surprise, and then
as the truth slowly dawned on her in all
its ludicrousness-for having failed to
receive one of Captain Dupont's ardent
and gloomy epistles for the last three
weeks, she had been haunted by fears
for his safety-she broke into silvery
peal of laughter.
Dear papa, how you did alarm me!
YOU read the Suicide of stranger so
impressively-a if that were the very
item you were looking for. And so
Captain Dupont is really marriedn'
laughing again with such an abandon of
mirth and amusement that her father,
bewildered by her rapid transition from
tears to gaity. remarked rather GROSSLY:
My love, you seem to find the young
mans marriage very comical; now, l
can not assert that / was very intimately
acquainted with him-he always APP
peared to be rather diffident about con-
versing with me--but from even my
slight acquaintance should judge he
was just the kind of young man to take
a foolish interest in such things.
"Oh, papa, papar' exclaimed Ar
gyle, leaning back in her chair, and
laughing again, ''you may be very
learned and wise about English politics
and German literature-but you don't
know the least bit about what is going
on under your very eyes! Yes, papa, /
think he was rather foolish about such
things, and his marriage wouldn't have
surprised ME at all-except that / was
expecting to hear something else-quite
different
1T is precisely what 1 would have ex-
pected," remarked her father, severely,
for he did not enjoy being laughed at;
and Argyle, catching glimpse of the