Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-09-16

American eve not unsightly. Looked
at from the distance it seemed not I'M
like some huge white flower, freckled
with brown and streaked with green,
that newly blossomed on the prairie's
edge. To the eye long fed upon the
messy softened outlines of the Old, the
town perhaps were product to light
~ leave beside the way, but at the end
of all that might be said about it in
derision or defense, the fact would yet
remain that Openstone was fair to
those who built it, and an amazing
evidence of energy and zest. 1t. per-
haps, and thousands more that sit upon
the lap of this great West, could not
be matched in all the worlds
life for pleasant homes, when measured
by its length of years. Like a magic
product it had burst the soil in one
swift night and lowered, and even at
its Towering seemed more beautiful to
many than its older sisters, sitting
among the far-off hills the sun had
crossed to kiss it. But, after all, the
souls real windows are in the heart,
and those who wrought in Openstone
and loved its breezy newness might
through affection overrate it, and In
the end repent them that they were not
silent. For doubtless it was much as
other villages mar. in some sort OF
little spites and puerile ends, of many
not unholy hopes and humane deeds.
Indeed, five thousand lives could hard
ly follow on the heels of separate pur-
poses within one murmuring hive and
| never clash together in its paths. Much
wholesome, aforementioned blood
there was in Openstone. and in the
main the machinery of its body worked
| with smoothness and dispatch; yet
, there were veins of evil blood and spots
| diseased that brought commissions IN
| the end. Quite hidden were these poi
| soned places at the first, and in truth
| were never over-patent to the careless
| eye; but left unpruned they grew and
Slapped and shook the region bitterly.
| The heart of Openstone consisted OF
a spacious square, and at the heart OF
| that courthouse webbed about with
NAPLES and leafy park. To north
| and south and east and west, the streets
ran out with rows of shade trees to the
| fields, save at the western quarter where
| they broke against the river, but leaped
over at two points by bridges and
wound away among the trees and farm
| steads, won with speeches. labor from
| the wood.
Beside the river stretched the MUIR
muring mills, tianked by the dam, that
backed its still and polished waters
half league to northward among the
plums and willows, and everywhere
was thrift and seeming plenty. Joel
Whitney owned the largest mill upon
the stream; huge white building full
of little dusty windows and low I'M
l.. hA of
times to direct the labors of the men,
who moved about among the endless
belts and pipes and titterlng hoppers
in the powdery seml-light, look,
ing strange and misty. But
in the main he kept at his big store
upon the square; and here the mex
morning after John Earrings inter
view, while Joel was rather slowly run
ming his fingers up row OF figures il
his ledger, Absalom Heater burst il
upon him something like a shock
They've fred" he well-nigh yelled
Joel jumped, and. turning with an an
CIV wrinkle in his forehead, demanded
s.Fired what, you rattlehead?'
Fired on Sumter, Sumtus, O
somethin'! Pm goin'!' and out h
went.
. Joel Whitney turned on his stoo
and said, very emphatically: The
deucer' Then he laughed. Next h'
put on his nat, and was putting on hi
coat to 90 out when Absalom re-entere'
with such velocity that he struck tn
t capacious person of Joel amldshlps
, who shut his arms instinctively abou
him, and together they sat down heavi
" upon the floor I'm goin' to ge
| ;aI AhCa1nn1 mo hi
nose along Joers vest buttons as the
scrambled up.
' Thunder and lightnin'. are 20
crazy?" said Joel, glaring at him.
: They've fired! m goin' in the morn
+ in! Got to get married tonight pante
/: Absalom, catching up some thing
: about the room that belonged to hir
Y and flying out much as if he were she
e from a mortar.
n Joel looked about him for momen
> both ruffled and confused; then n
good nature had its way and he So
t down and laughed. He was accu'
s toned to Absalom's impetuous manne
i of doing things, but since that perspii
|. ing youth had begun to enter til
O uuieter kingdom of manhood, this viz
lence of his had in measure speI
a itself; but in periods of great momeI
and excitement Absalom's vigor WI
J. clearly undated, and Joel W hltney
: thinking of it, broke into a fresh fit {
r laughter He had not we'll done shall
u ing when Julius Popp came busting il
It Julius Popp. lawyer. was the fath'
of Ether Popp; he was also possesses
: of a daughter younger than 81
O christened Yeslit, Il son, too, of "
| IF his lnlnS
k him he had proudly christened Salv'
al Whether or not this latter name fe
o. naturally to the child, since Julil
l. Popp saluted him as his real first-bor
having no previous male issue,
sprang from julius inordinate tas
e, for swollen glittering words, could n
perhaps be detinately set down. !
II all events. Mrs. Popp was of gent
20 unassumin@ turn and whatever Cd
he ness lurked about her children al
their names one felt instinctvely n;
Of fallen from their sire. That mercuri
" person was of medium height, tou'
it bow-legged, and STOPPING just lit
v, at the knee as he stepped. His ey
Ill were of rather doubtful hue, as w
at also the mustache on his lip, whi'
y, seemed ever turning its tendrils I
/ to pick some indefinable quarrel WI
it his nose. To moilify these membe
Julius Popp spent not a little TIN
a stro&ing the one and gently rubbiI
the other. Indeed, julius had seer
ingly set apart and dedicated his lt
IN hand exclusively to their service, sa
it with the further extraneous duty
is very frequently adjusting his hi
I'd That portion of his apparel was ever
IL Il \, Sl,nH