Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-07-08

sane rage for dress which attacked her
IN its worst features and Iured her on
70 her ruin 1t is Turing many now.
CHAPTER VIII
Things were almost coming to a re-
volt; never were poor tenant farmers
so ground down and oppressed as those
On the estate OF Moat-Grange. Rents
were raised. expenses. properly falling
on landlords, refused TO be paid or al
lowed for. Mr.. Dalrymple. the present
owner, was ruling, with hand of
IRON. hard and cruel
As to the Grange itself the dwelling
mansion, it was the dreariest of the
dreary. When Oscar DalrvmpIe
through the extravaganza of his wife.
had been rendered liable for heavy
debts. he had sold off the better portion
OF the furniture. retained two or three
OF the rooms as habitable for himself,
wife and one servant, and closed the
shutters OF the rest There they lived
a life OF RIGHTEOUSNESS; and Selma
Mrs. Dalrymple. would sometimes I'M
lock the doors of the once familiar
rooms, and pace alone about their dusty
hoors. In anger and remorse almost un-
eontrollable-anger against her hus-
band. who need not have proceeded to
this extreme pass. and remorse for her
own folly, which had led TO IL
Three years went by and things grew
worse; more wretched indoors. more
oppression out. One day Mr.. Lee came
up to the Grange, respectable farm
er, who had rented all his life, and his
father before him, under the Dalrym-
pies.
Sir, began Farmer Lee. without
any circumlocution, when he was adj
mItted TO the presence OF his landlord.
Il am come up about that paper which
has been sent to me from Jones, your
lawyer. It's a notice that next Nj
chaelmas. when my lease will expire,
the rent is to be raised.
''WeIl?'' said Mr.. Dalrymple.
"A pound an acre"
'tWell?''
81 pound an acre." repeated Farmer
Lee, with increased emphasis, as if he
thought he was not heard. ZONES
must have made Il mistake; you never
could have told him that. sir Nv
was drunk: for every body knows that
he has fits of drinking"
They are the Instructions [ gave
him. Mr. Lee"
ITO raise my rent pound acre.
echoed the farmer. forgetting his gram
mar in his excitement.
Exactly. The farm will bear it.
No, it won't bear it. sir, and /
won't pay it
Il am sorry for that, Mr.. Lee, be-
cause it leaves only one alternative
And what that?" asked Mr.. Lee.
TO substitute III its place notice to
quit
To quit! to quit the farm. forme 20
quit nv FARM reiterated Mr. Lee, in
his astonishment. why, it has been my
home all my life, sir. and 1t was my
fathers afore me. L was born in that
farm. Mr.. Dalrymple, years and years
before you ever came into the world.
and I mean to die in it. -
Mr.. Dalrymple did not acquiesce or
object in words. He only looked at
him with his impressive face, and cold,
colorless eye.
Its NV labor, sir. that has made it
what it is, continued the farmer.
When my poor old father died. it was
not half the farm it is now. Early and
late have [ been at my post, working
myself and seeing that NV men worked.
I have spared neither labor nor money
to bring it to it $ present fine condition;
you can't deny, Mr.. Dalrymple. that
it, the best worked and most flourish
ing land on the estate.
My good sir. [ do not deny it. I say
Us you do; that it is too hourishing to
remain at it's present low rent
The rent Is not low, sir: the rents
a fair rent. fair for master and fair for
tenant. Ask any impartial person. ask
Mr.. Cleveland. or ask Jones. and they Il
say as l do. You don't seem to take
into account, sir. that my money has
brought it TO what it is. and that [ have
not vet had a return for my money
spent Il YOU raise the rent twenty
shillings an acre, the money may just
as well have been chucked into the
dirt. -
Il can make no alteration in nv de-
eision,n said Mr.. Dalrympie. Il have
these complaints from day to day:
nothing else but complaint. The land
on INV estate has considerably increased
in value, yet those who reap the benefit
object to pay a higher rent. | had two
of you here yesterday, Watkins and
Bumford.
They have spent money on their
farms, too. they have. and the land
hash t answered to it bad. Good farm
ers are Watkins and Bumford. nodded
the speaker approvingiy, ''but they
have not spent half what [ have. You
see. sir, we never looked for Mr.. Dali
-ymple's dying young. and
Are you speaking of Charles Dali
rymplea" interrupted the owner of the
Moat-Grange.
No, poor fellow I don't mean Mr..
Charles, [ mean his father. Squire
Dalrymple did die young. sir. so to
say: you can't call a man under fifty
old Well. he was a good landlord.
and we were not afraid TO lavish money
on our farms, because we knew we
should be allowed to reap its fruits our
selves. That's how it was, sir.
MIR. Dalrymple's rule is past and
gone; he was always Indifferent TO his
own interests. Had he been more alive
to them. his death would not have left
his family in the helpless condition that
it did. y
You mean Mr. Charles death and
your succession, sir. boldly returned
the farmer. though its tone lost none of
its respect. when Squire Dalrymple
died and Mr.. Charles succeeded. the
family still lived on In comfort at the
Grange here. as they had done before.
And as they world have done after.
had he lived. generous young fellow
"a squandering young profiigatei'
scornfully retorted Oscar Dalrymple.
well, he's gone, poor soul, and it |
will answer no end To. speak for or
against him. but he was favorite on |