Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-10-14
IN THE MIDDLE WEST,
a Story Of Life in the Great
Mississippi Valley.
BY ALvA MILTON KERR.
ToP1RIaHT, 1856, BIZ TIE A. N. KxL1oca
NEWSPAPER COMPANY
CHAPTER n.-Cosr.xrp,

Ether fingered little, but when Alb
Salon declined, saying he never drank
any thing stronger than water, she
trlpped merrily into the kitchen and
began to futter and sing about the
dinner.
We'll I don't suppose it's the best
plan in the world to be guzzlin' this
stun, sand Joel, ..but it cools a man
on you know. Here, Popp. fill up
r your tumbler again. l don't indulge
IN this very often, Heater, only occa-
slonally when I'm hot, you know
Juilus drank several glasses, talking
voiubly most of the time, and when the
bottles were exhausted he departed,
sdil talking volubly. and went down
the street on a kind of rickety hop skip
and Jump, with his tall hat on the back
OF ms head and twirling his cane. He
matted every one that he met in his ella
ton. regardless of occupation or ac-
Guardianship, and striking an atti-
tude told them with great gusto of the
unexpected arrival of, ..my son-in-
law. Captain Heater, one of the slick
est and most brilliant specimens that
the war afforded, SIR" and upon his
arrival at his wife's place of business,
he literally dunn bfounded the remain
der of the Pops with the latitude of
his panegyric and the glitter of his ad-
jectives.
Harry Whitney, coming from school
at the noon hour. heard of Absalom's
arrival, and hurried up into the office
of Bower d Woodlnan. John Earl
1ng was writing busily. "Who do you
think has come home?' he said. ex-
cited out of his usual rather lettering
drawl- John Earring looked up won
deringly.
'.GuessI' said Harry.
John Earling tapped the table with
his penholder and shook his head
'-Old Abr cried Harry. slapping him
on the shoulder. John Earring sprang
up. put on his hat, and the two went
away toward Joel Whitney's at q ire
mendous pace Absalom and Joel
were standing in the yard talking when
they came up. Joel was telling him,
with good deal of flourish. of new
house he intended building on some
lots over on the knoll. and Absalom
was listening in a not very interested
way.
lis that him?" whispered Harry,
doubtfully, as they went in at the gate.
''Yes." said John Earring, and the
two ran forward and caught the be-
wildered Absalom by either hand, with
delighted cries and ordinations. The
soldier looked at them in curious
halffrightened way. .'W-w-whatr' he
stammered, ''it aim t the kids?"
Eyes, it isi'' cried the young fellows.
He held fast to their hands and
looked from one to the other. ''B-
blamed if it ain IT, he exclaimed, and
the first tears he had shed came into
his eyes. He held them off and looked
at them and pulled them about, not
seeming TO be able TO stand still with
his emotions. Why he said, '.only
a little while ago | was rolling you kids
around on the grass here and you
wasn't much bigger than my fists. and
now your most as big as i ami and
ever and anon, during the dinner at
which Mrs. Whitney graciously pre-
sided that day. Absalom ceased eating
to look affectionately at the two young
men and mutter: Blamed if it aim t
the kidsn'
A feast was made that night at the
residence of Mrs. Julius Popp, which
was attended by deal of good cheer
and seemingly enjoyed by all, save
Will lut sure ItStINdllOH Vi
Absalom, who suffered not little from
glorious Julius.
In the morning Absalom pushed his
chair back from the table after break
fasting. and said to the happy-hearted
Ether: well, Poppy, 1 guess L may
consider the war over now, and
change these blue duds for white mems
clothes
But Ether, together with the other
Popps, protested at once; he looked
SO distinguished and splendid in his
Captains uniform, they said. Absa-
lom, however. reminded them. with a
shake of the head, that they had not,
like himself. been blue on the outside
and blue on the inside, worked in blue
and slept in blue: seen blue dead men
and blue living men about them, and
had little but blue sky over them, to-
gether with large quantities of blue
smoke to breathe, during the better
part of five years, else he mag
ined their admiration for that particu-
lar rim of the rainbow would
be less pronounced; for himself, he
most emphatically thirsted for some
uuieter color. and proposed to proceed
forthwith to quench that particular
desire. The Popps severally and
sinrly held their breath, while Absalom
fetched these sentences, and, at the
finish, broke into agitated APP
plause, for Absalom never before
had been known to attempt the de-
livery of dozen words at time,
seeming quite able to convey all he
wished to say in a very meager me-
dunn, so that this lingual burst of his
was something quite startling. In
deed, the effect was SO electrical the
yent-pipes of Julius eloquence were
Immediately opened and proceeded to
flow. Absalom was emiuently a per-
son of action and not of words; in
evidence of this he jumped up and
proceeded down town, coming back
presently a tall. sun-burned, ordinary
looking individual, clad in civilians
dress. with his uniform dangling over
bis arm.
Very happy were Ether and he as
they went about the residence portion
of the town looking for a purchaseable
home that day. They had been mar
RED FIVE wears, but this was their first
day together. Little wonder is it, then,
that they well nigh forgot the object of
their quest and wandered away across |
the river among the wood-pastures and
lost the day and the whole world in
listening to their whispering hearts |
Bv the next day they were somewhat
more attentive to sublinary things, |
which resulted in their finding cot |
tape exactly to their eye upon the brow |
- !. xvoo.sad Slone LOOKING down upon