Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-08-19
IN THE MIDDLE WEST,
a Story of Life in the Great
Mississippi Valley.
BY ALvA MILTON KERR. ..
ICoPYRIGHT, 1886, BY THE A. N. KELLOGG
NEWSPAPER COMPANY1
CHAPTER I.

heids of long-forgotten history through
mat narrow neck where backward paz-
ing eyes see the prospective dwindle to
point Out from that vast region the
red streams t-ickle and Irvine toward
u.s. infinitely mixed, and moving to
infinite results. That every man. his
tory lies against and is linked to a
thousand other histories running chain
IKE back into oblivion, stirs the story
teller S heart indeed. But fortunately,
however much the fires and forces of
the past be lost or have renewal in our
present, the chronicler, if he be wise,
ventures not over-far to rearward lest
he return unto his friends with other
matter than the truth. The case in hand
has doubtless Il mcasurelass train of
long-foreshadowing causes, yet, by
what lanes of love and light, by what
paths OF hate and evil. over what sun
lit heights, or through what sunken
regions, the souls we are to follow had
come into our Western realm, we find
but dimly indicated. Plainly the elder
John Earring was of tough, honest
Scotch fiber, though a little bleached
and softened, be it said, in the great
bath of modern life. A touch perhaps
OF the asperity was there, and some
thing of the robust love, and hate, and
hardihood, that featured the lusty
Scots who laid their claymores about
each others ears in the good old
knightly days. Nevertheless, John
Earring was sterling worthy person:
morally we'll knit and in the main of
even temperate life. What he would
have been, removed from the gentle
tine-spirited creature who bore the
yoke of life with him. is. of course, con-
jectural. Certain we are that his short
life would have been less shapelv. being
denied. mayhap, that rounding work of
love which smooths away so many of
natures angles. Whether or not the
sweet laws of God had ever produced
gOOdlier example of womanhood than
his fair Saxon wife never troubled
bluff, square-shouidcred Earling. That
her brow was high and her eyes tender
of light and very deep. he saw, but
considered lightly perhaps beside the
great fact that he felt her unspeakably
sweet Not so much the soft turn of
cheek and chin, or the gentle dignity
of her carriage, laid him under trib-
ute. as her unfailing love and perfect
purity of heart. These in Elizabeth
Earring. as, indeed. in all women per-
manently beloved of man. supplement-
ed her fair exterior and would, with
the inevitable destruction of her charm
ing outward gloss. have become the
sure and hallowed rcSting-place of his
affection. 1t were little less than mar
vel then, considering the clean and rich
soil, were the fruit of this sweet union
other than of the best and finest text
ure. Eight years they had lived hap
PLY in the old hillside house. looking
out through its vines upon the Ohio
rivers placid reaches. ere the little be-
ing whose footsteps we are to follow
into the clouds and clear weather of
this great schooling place, came blind
" in at the doorway of the world.
Thereafter the field of life seemed very
wide and green and grateful to John
and Elizabeth Earring. Even we who
stand affair off may well-nigh rejoice to
mark the entrance of this dimpled bit
of humanity into our realm of hazard,
seeing it so Tapped in love and soft con-
ditions. Indeed at that doubtful date,
according to the averment of old jade
Eric. who spent his days in digging
about the fat acres of the estate and
easing his mental garnet of its inter-
minable phlegm, the future lord of
Earling farm shook his rosy fist full in
the world cold face, being so finely
housed and fed. And old Jade
shook his grizzled head again
and yet again, declaring the
youngster to be: "A whole field
full! A perfect heap" and other large
apostrophes indicative of his approba
ton. Something touching this great
event did old Jade growl forth good
humoredlv through half the summer,
when coming home to his little house
among the meadows, he met the never
failing and ever agreeable picture of
Grandam Erie, with spectacles on
forehead and pipe in mouth, awaiting
him at the door. For John Earling,
the Younger, was born among the flow
ers; his first greeting was with love
and summer; no cold and bitter trick
of Fate could rifle him of that felicity
at least, or drain his spirit wholly of
their SAVIOR what use soever Fortune
put him to. Up in the mild old dwell
fing among the hillside trees he lay
blinking among mis- pillows, as pink
and white as the apple blossoms that
nodded at the windows. Over him the
mothers eyes, lit with unspeakable
'gladness. kept happy vigil, and John
Earring the elder. invading the young
masters precincts at all seemly
and unseemly seasons, tossed up his
prospective heir with rough hilarity.
and freed his heart of many ridicu-
lous prophecy and soft, odd-sounding
quirk of gladncss. There, too. Gran
dam Erie often came, clad in her
best apparel. and fairly exuding nurse
nv knowledge and odors of the pipe;
also sundry other DANES of high and
humble station from neighboring farms
and the near town, called with recipe
and praise. taking in return furtive
inventories of the fair New England
woman and her belongings, under the
large freemasonry of the event. And
Absalom Heater, the painting youth
who seemed ever in perspiration and
bearing half-healed hurt upon his
nasal member. and whose habitat en-
braced the kitchen and great barns
living backward from the dwelling,
came worshiping with many low
whistle of approbative astonishment.
Hettie. too. the fiorid young person
who sang and made merry with
Absalom and the kitchen dishes.
brought every day some dainty
edible in her fat red hands to
tempt the future master. So time ran
on, and when the apple blossoms again
were nodding at the windows, the
plump brave babe began knocking
Justify about the furnishings of the fair