Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-03-25
She shakes her head in sadness.

She shakes her head in sadness.
| You can not get it for me-" she
saws. IF William Fairfield would
| come back and comfort Laura. it would
gladden. me and do me good" She
pressed her hand to her heart as she
speaks, and looks toward Stephen. who
turns from his child with groan.
Laura is very unhappy, doctor?"
Very unhappy, child" replies DR..
Bax. in tone of infinite compassion;
for words have passed between him
and Stephen Winkworth which made
him more than suspect the deformed
girls secret of her hopeless love-
.'You really do not know, doctor"
she asks, what made William Fair
field go away so suddenly?'
How on earth should I know?' cried
DIR. Bax. irascibly. .'Some COMPOUNDED
mischief-maker had hand in it, dare
say. And yet that he should have so
conducted himself! 1t is unaccount-
able, most unaccountable. l was in
his company last Christmas Eve until
nearly midnight, and if l had had the
most remote suspicion of what was
passing in his mind. 1 would never
have left him. never! / have lived N
this miserable world good many
years, my dear, and the longer l live
the more it puzzles me. How such a
young man-generous and noble-mind-
ed. as l believed him to be, could so
baselY desert that sweet girl-for she's
an angel, my dear, and so are you'll
is the most incomprehensible piece of
folly it has ever been my bad fortune
to be mixed up in. Upon my word, L
believe the world and everybody in it
have gone crazy. Goodbye, my dear.
l will see you tomorrow
And Dr. Bax leaves the house, rub
bing his head with an air of great vex-
alton.
William Fairfield saw nothing but
the desolate ranges; heard nothing but
the shrieking of the storm. and terri
BILE and hopeless despair gathered about
his heart. He could scarcely keep his
senses at the thought of dying uncared
for in this wild spot. But he could not
bear the cold, and he was fain to join
his mates in the tent.
Il have never been much of be-
lever in presentiments," Gentleman
George was saying. but have got the
idea in nv head that if we don't get
get out of it alive We could keep the
snow away for pretty long time, but
without wood for a fire, Id DEFY the
very devil to keep himself from freez-
inc. Then, we have nothing to eat"
..And the bacca's nearly all run out, !"
grumbled Cornish Tom. I'D give a
pound of gold for pound of Barrett s
twist. l wouldn't care brass farthing
If we had pIppfy of bacoa ,,
.sWill the old folks at home" said
Gentleman George, lever have an idea
of our fate?''
.'D6n't keep on talking like that,
George demonstrated Cornish Tom:
..you II make me feel as low-spirited as
bandicootn
The simile was accepted in its most
expressive sense by his mates, though
it would have puzzled any one of them
to impart accurate information as to
whether the animal were predisposed
to low spirits. But for forcible figures
of speech on the gold-felds the bandit
coot was an invaluable creature.
1T isn't my fault, Tom, it comes. I
haven't seen my parents for over ten
years, and though l don't write to
them. and don't know. indeed, if they
are alive, can't help thinking of them
at such a time as this. | never heard
you speak of yours, Tom
Haven't got none," said Cornish
Tom. laconically.
Have you, Willy?" asked Gentle
man George.
William shook his head.
You have, | know, Dick" George
pursued. for have seen you reading
their letters-and have envied you,
mate. You see, was scapegrace at
home, and they were glad to get rid of
me and was not sorry to go. But 1
should like to see their dear old faces
again. if they are alive"
And SO you will. George" said
Cornish Tom, theoretically; ..but we
are not going the right way about it.
We must keep stout hearts, and we shall
be all right. At all events, we won t
stay here till we're so snugly showed
in that we can't escape. Wen start
tomorrow morning and cut our way
out of this
'.Harkr' cried William. starting to
his feet. do you not hear cry?0
They all listened attentively; no
sound reached their ears but the moan
ing of the wind.
ats hard for man to hear any
thing in such a gale as this" said
Cornish Tom. sGreat Lord, what is
that?"
They rushed to the door. A dead
ening roar drowned the shrieking and
moaning of the wind, and. looking
out, they beheld a sight which made
them hold on to one another in awe
and wonder. An avalanche, slipping
from the summit of one of the loftiest
rangesi Down. down, it Numbered,
throwing out huge snow sprays. each
one sufficient to bury hundred men.
Down the steep side of the mountain it
rushed, increasing in volume with
every foot it rolled. and detaching great
masses of snow and ice, which leaped
over each other with awful velocity,
until they Numbered into the gulley. A
roar as of ten thousand evil spirits; an
angry rush as of a giant army of white
monsters, filling the air with terrible
sights and sounds; and then the ava
lance spread itself with terrific thud
at the base of the mountain.
The lookers-on, with white faces,
held their breaths, all thought of their
own peril gone in the awful grandeur
of the scene.
I'VE shall be blown into ice-blocks,"
presently said Gentleman George. as
deep sigh of relief escaped him. If we
stand here much longer. Thank God
we are not under iti''
With a feeling of devout thankful
ness in their hearts, they went into the
tent, and, seraping up the scattered en-
beers of the fire, huddled around it in
close companionship.
To divert his thoughts from the con-
temptation of the dread peril which
surrounded them, Gentleman George
hnnan To toll of his nnld-finldS adynnt-