Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-11-11

IA.
MIN, as the poise of a dainty head the
turn of cheek or chin. the music of a
voice. the lift of fathomless ewes had
singiy charmed many a single sense
before, and had at last taken the whole
heart In the net of love.
That John Earring shor,Id come to
iove-whether healthfully or not de-
pending. of course, upon the worthi-
ness of the one beloved-this girl, or
indeed almost any decent woman,
young or old, if brought into sympa-
thetic contact with him, seems proba-
Die, Judging by human experience For
IL Is fact-and often as sorry as death
that it is not given man to stav the
sproutings OF the seeds of love when
the dew falls and the sunshine comes,
nor to prevent its eager tendrils from
Unfolding oft unworthy and unhappy
things. But Maun Woodman was a
beauteous object: lissome, sensuous.
airy, mdian-footed and innocent.
What fault were there in loving her?
None, perhaps, save this, that whatever
worship was springing up in John Earl
ing for this girl was rather of her body
| than her soul At first he was not
even conscious of this, and only dimly
at the last, so fully fed was his beauty
loving eye with the colors and the
curves that made her.
When he came to the lawyers that
evening, she was lying in a hammock
under some trees that shaded 4 lawn
at the northern end of the house. Her
eyes were closed and the flexible arm
was stretched out under her cheek
and curved over her head with her
fingers tapping upon her hair to a
droning tune she was humming. She
did not at first perceive him. but at
the sound OF his foot upon the graveled
path, she sprang up and came to meet
him with a certain bounding, eager
movement that gave John Earring a
sweep of feeling. But she stopped
when she had come nearly to him and
drew the back of her hand across her
brow in a hesitating way, as she looked
up at him and mUrmured salutation;
then she came forward again, some
thing like a soft quick wind, and
caught him by the hand and held it as
they went up to the porch.
Jonn Earring felt an impulse flash
across him to fling her hand from him,
her action seemed so unmaidenly, but
she seemed SO eager and glad and in
nocent, and the clasp of her hand felt
so sweet, he could not until they came
to be seated. Then they fell to talking
of something touching their relative
isolation, and the young man let fall
something covering the fact of his
knowing little entertainment beyond
copying briefs and unraye,ing prob
lemns in law books. with an occasional
peep into pleasanter volumes, when she
said. with a deprecating shrug: How
do you endure it? | can't understand,
| know. for l dislike books SO, at least
hard ones"
John Earring looked at her curiouslv;
then he said: Il suppose that it is a
natural enough feeling, since there are
many unpleasant books Still, for my
own part, L can not remember when
was not eager for any thing in type, al
most regardless of its character, guess,
and that isn't best, | suppose"
| She met his look little blankly, and
| made that movement across her fore
! head with the back of her hand which
/ seemed to be a habit with her.
Papa says 1 like Wild books too
much. I am afraid that I'm great
! trial to him in that way" and she gave
shrug and a low bubbling laugh as
/ she looked at the young man with her
/ dusky, dropping eyes. Then. with 4
sort of flash: Il like music. though. |
never could speak only through my
| fingers. But almost better than that [
! like riding. White Tom is slow and
| tame though; | wish father would let
me have wilder horse. Sometimes
| feel like riding one that could Hy!'
| She gave a low laugh again, and sway
| ing sidewise on her willowy waist she
said: Look between the trees there.
you can see the prairie twenty miles
away. [ can't tell you how quickly
would like sometimes to ride to that
point. l expect so fast that the horse
would drop dead when he crossed it. F"
She looked the incarnation of the
wish for an instant, like some eager,
beautiful animal, and John Earring
watched her with smiling amazement
in his eyes. She bit her lip and col
ored, for he said nothing.
1T is one of my many follies; the
most foolish, L guess; this greatness,
| father calls it, for riding"
oh, u good many are fond of it.
| but few SO passionate with it think.
| You must have inherited it. ut any
rate, it is evidently not artificial" he
said, with smile.
She looked at him an instant, as if
not wholly comprehending. Yes,
| she said, - it seems to me l can re-
| member riding years and years and
years ago; the sensation or some
! thing; [ can't explain it. But some
times feel the same way when l hook
| cut upon the prairie; somehow it
seems to me l have known it forever
| and forever. Do you ever feel so
| about it?"
| mo. but sometimes feel q SINH
| lar sensation when | come upon some
idea in reading. L have wondered if
| my father or mother wasn't acquaint-
ed with the thought or item of knowl-
edge before me. and transmitted it to
me somehow; that all the time it had
been sleeping in my mind, and only
for being touched by a strange hand
might have never Weakened up and
turned its face to me. But that is only
Il fancy, [ presume; it is probably
something I had once known and for
| gotten
Il guess mine Is memory. too.
coming from my childhood in Mexico
ard Southern California. I suspicion
that I was happier then than since
father set about markings lady of me.
She laughed and said, suddenly: 20!
remember, when you were here before
| you spoke of liking flowers so well, -
and she sprang up and went down to
| the end of the veranda to elm bling
vine. and posing before it, began
making little nosegay of its blooms.
John Earring watched her swaying
about like living hazel, and when
1 la, IL ,x,h a.