Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-12-16

out now John Earring nau not the
neart to 60 and see him again. bu
WITHIN an bour he had set about pre-
parlng the ground for the next struo
gle, while the old lawyer, lying undel
the moose head out at the north end O
the town. looked at his attendant as if
l would be an exceeding pleasure to
eat him, and muttered maledictions
upon the cravenly Ashman. John
Earring did not know, and neither did
tie murmuring people, that Joel Whit.
ney had given them the drink that
made their bosoms bitter Only one.
perhaps. the old lawyer with the bic
Indian head and palsied hands, di-
vined the true impulse that moved
Judge Ashman on to action
Dang it, he said, with his amber
eyes glaring at the moose head, There
can't be any justice. and you know it,
as long as the law and politics run Oh
together, windin' into each other like
ewo Internal snakes. with politics as
rotten as the city treasurers heart in
tie courthouse of Sodom"
The moose head did not offer to dis
butte the assertion. and the old LAWYER
sroaned and lay still.
All tAat odN Iilt SAY Sct'ucu uII tiill
low and leaden. with a raw wind
breathing out of the north and driving
the dull scui across the heavens away
INTO that stUpendOus mouth which SKY
and prairie made toward the south.
fhe sun could not be distin guished
when it set save by q long. low fire
where the world turned down at the
west. AbSalom Heater, standing upon
his porch on thu ridge TO the west of
Openstone, thought how like some
great burning city, smOIe-mutfied aud
crumbllug. it looked. He let his eyes fall
away from it and pause moment at
the brow of the ridge to the south
where Maun was murdered. and shook
his head and looked up M the drifting
scud. Cant let i'm of. he NUT
tered Wrong, though. right, too.
tough, hate to. no verse than shoot
in rebs. | guess, thought and lie
stood looking abseHtlv at the frozen
ground before him awhile. then turned
and went in.
Several times while eating supper he
stopped. and, after looking atoGt the
comfortable room and c#ressing the
curly-headed twins and smiling Ether
with his eyes. gazed @IoomiIy at his
plate and growled: might hev be-
haved himself, then. Might hev had
as good as this! Its his own doins,"
After supper he kissed them and
went striding away toward the town
Darkness came early into OpenstOne
that night upon 4 rising wind, which.
with falling snow. went moan
ing over the houses and sobbng under
the caves. Everywhere lights broke
out. throwing their pale streams though
the windows into the darkness and dis
covering to the muiiied passer-by what
an infinite white swarm was nvinC
over and about him. Down by the river
the big fiourin-- the long plow-
factory. the wagon works, the foundry
and the planin@-mill.' were silent. save
at the dams middle where the spill
way shot its waters gurg.ing and sput-
tering through a beard of ice into the
stream below.
Absalom Heater paused upon the
bridge as he passed and listened a mo-
ment to the murmuring water that had
so often ST the big mill rumbling for
him. ..Smut; Ii 5 dirty thing to let 90
tween the burrs. but sometimes it's got
to be grOundr' he muttered. Then he
turned with the winds blowing against
him and looked up the long slope to
the place where Maun life had been
so tiend SHY nut out. and nodding his
head atfirmatively muttered again: It's
the right place; don know what the
kid will say, but its the right spOt,'
and went on to the town.
About nine o clock that night Sa,vo
Popp. who of late had been dabbling
in ink both upon foolscap and legalcap
without any sensible appreciation, was
passing along the east side of the gas
lit square. with his coat-collar pulled
up and his adam s-apple pulled down
to cover it from the whir!ing storm.
Seeing a light in the office of Bower
Il Woodman he went up the stars
and entered John Earring was
sitting at the big round table
in the rooms center with 4
pile of law books beside him and the
gas-light falling over him. He nodded
and smiled pleasantly to the siOping-
shouldercd youth, and with a side
wave of the head motioned him to
seat. Salvo thought him very strong.
clear-cut looking fellow as he sat there
with his high forehead. clear eyes.
large, straight nose, nervous nostriis.
driving Americans. he looked a little
pale and rather older than his years.
He had writing-pad before him on
the table and was rapidly gathering
notes from the volumes as he turned
the pages. and as Saivo Indicated that
he only desired to sit and read awhile
he proceeded with his work. Salvo
threw his thin shanks over Il table. and
! i
from his pocket began to
move forward under the m1gician's
wand. now twitching the corners Of
his mouth. giving his nose littlr >pastic
Jerks like a rabbit, and endeavoring in
vain to swallow his adam s-applc as
his heart rose against it.
So the time ran on and the court
house clock struck ten, then eleven.
and at last doomed slowly the mid
night hour away up in the storm, but
John Earring did not pause in his writ
ing. and Salyo was trying very hard TO
swallow his adam s-apple and did not
notice it Suddenly there came a kind
Of mutfied seething sound; John Ear
ling listened. sprang up quickly and
throwing the window up looked out;
half the square was black with silent
moving figures bleared over by the dim
and swiring storm. With whitening
face he dropped the window. caught
up his hat and went leaping down the
with the bewildered Salvo
after him. When they reached the
walk the front of the mass was passing.
and John Earring sprang upon hitch
ng-raii and sent his heavy voice ring
ng out over them.
Men, for Gods sake don't commit
another murder Do not b. rash, Let