Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-08-26
IN THE MIDDLE WEST.
q Story of Life in the Great
Mississippi Valley.
BY ALva MILTON KERR.
COPYRIGHT, 1885, BIZ THE A y. KELLOGG
NEWSPAPER CoMPANYl
CHAPTER I--COxTTNFn

afe- Ihen suddenly Sprang up with
low cry of pain and fear pressing y
aer hand upon her heart. and sank shud-
dering and covering down into the
chair again 20 God, o God. what :
It she cried. looking around the
room IN terror. then ran blindlv out
with her hands cropping before her
face, and down the hillside 70 the
gate Nothing was there save the
shadoWy meadows divided by the
whispering river. Then back Sha came
Ealing for AbSalom. who came run
ming from the Kitchen Go for vossr
master. she cried: wake the men and
20 Tor your master. Oh, something
aas happened. something has hap
pened. Then down 70 the gate she
ran again and >traininc her eTcS from
ander the trembling archuaE OF her
hand looked Up the lane. Present
y She started. the sound - :
galIOplng horse could be heard far uD
the road Family It came, then was
lost: then came again louder and loud
ar nearer and nearer. while the sien-
der woman clutched the gate and shook
the horse along the lane and went
flashing by. bat wheeled in circle
and swept neiShing up 10 thu CAT
The saddle was enptv. and the woman
slipped moaning down and WAS silent
In moment Absa!om with the men
came hurrving from the harms. and
finding the limp figure living beside the
gate. with frightened whispers they
carried II up the pathway II the house.
When they laid il down, and the light
fell on the horror-w hitenad face. the
rough farm men drew back with
grave aveTted faces thinking she was
dead But in Z breath her eyes fiut-
tered open and she started up with a
strange sound looking wildly around.
but seemed 10 remember il all then.
and sank back with her
hand against her heart. moaning
in low far away voice: Bring him
home to me. bring him home. | felt
him die; it struck him here in the heart.
and il has killed me-.
Half the night men were searching
along the dark road DER which the
fated horseman must have come. while
Elizabeth Earring lay in a great chair
beside the sleeping child turning her
wan still face from side 70 side. Al
midn light they found him. lying be-
side the roadway in the dark skirt OF
the wood. Life had gone out Of his
strong frame forever. Slowly they
bore him home. and when the MN
came into the porch with their helpless
heavy burden. Elizabeth Earring arose.
and like one gown old ana feeble
and bent. went out n meet hin.
CHAPTER II
Beside her dead in the eastern room
sat Elizabeth Earring. a white and
rigid figure holding the dead man :
helpless hal.d. An. love. how
potent i thy power max
ing even the cold and pallid face
of death seem dear and beautiful
Ever and anon she stopped little and
kissed the pale one gone so far from
her into the dark sleep. moaning with
ineffabIe love and sorrow. Then she
sat long time W lille the dawn began
its rosy work along the east With &
low 1wittering that ran among the ap-
ple-trees the darkness began TO lift
and the great glimmering back OF the
world heaved slowly into sight 4
vast bank OF ashes seemed stretched
athwart the east and stirred softly a
from an under wind. Not unlike q
surf OF foaminC amber streaked with
pink and silver. or like a vast cloud
heaving upward through meaSureles~
vineyard. ii came, crushing the grapes
against the sky. and drenchinC the
eastern heaven with indiscTibabieg glory.
And the long liguescent beams falling
through the window lit up the white
sleeper face a. with some new. ethereal
life. and frightened among his vel
low curls ike q faint aureO!e. Sad '
the woman lifted up her head. and
seeing Hettie standing by her with the
child. and all the glinting fields below
and the rich SKY and the kindled Wis
age of the softly sleeping dead. she
caught the grooming baby TO her and
gave her first tears - the nspeakaDly
bitter time
An examination had disclosed no
evidence of violence save one great
bruiSe over the dead mans heart. but
the large sum OF money which lvyl
Snaer averred that he had paid him was
gone. To substantiate his statement
Ivyl Snaer produced the deed which
John Earring had given him. also the
foreman of Snaer's lands stated that
he had seen Earring enter lvyls house
and afterward ride away again. So
when the dawn first sent its gray ar
rows among the willows that feathered
the edge of the wood. men were strain
ing their ewes upon the spot where the
strong man had fallen. There seemed
some traces of q struggle, or
that the horse had fallen throw
ing his rider. but neither could
be clearly determined. Near
the fatal place little stream ike mott
en- glass came leaping down into the
valley through leafy notch in the hill
side. and some small loose stones were
scattered about. green with slight
moss. and damp from the humid earth
and summer-long shade. but these were
undisturbed save where they had found
him. Perhaps the mortal hurt had
come of falling on one of these, If 50,
WHY had he been rified of the gold?
Something resembling a human foot
print was discovered in the soft and
mossv soil at the stream : edge. but II
it were that, the foot had evidently
been unbooted Then old Jade, look
ing narrowly among the trees, found
strange circling abrasion in the bark OF
one of them; these were the only traces.
the battling hints. that rewarded the
scrutiny of a score of curious. earnest
ewes Then the horse was brought.
but this on. dumb witness reared and
trembled and refused to pass the
place of mysterious horror.
with wide eyes and nostrils dis
tended, the fine beast that bore
John Earring to his death. when urged