Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-01-07

formed a novel stage. while the musi-
clans stand was improvised from the
walls of the horse-stalls, with a few
loose boards laid across, upon which
sat the two fiddlers and the Gordon
man, the latter calling off the swift
half-dozen sets of rustic swains and
maidens, led off by the blushing
bride and groom, were gayly dancing
below. All this, with the gapeing,
laughing crowd of lookers-on without.
their long, slant afternoon shadows
blotting out the hazy September sun
shine on the grass, formed picture
worthy of Claude Lorraine. Coachy
looked on eagerly, unmindful of jim
my's impatient nudges and whispers,
to the effect that ga bar'l of new sweet
cider was bein' ladled out just
round the corner" and at length,
spying Sallie, sweeter than ever, in a
simple white dress, he broke away with
scant excuses, and hurried to the spot
where she stood alone and self-ab-
sorbed, looking on with big, wistful
eyes.
Surely no Duke of them all could
have made a courtlier bow than did
Coachy, doing ready homage to the
everlasting sovereignty of beauty, as
he begged the honor of her hand for the
next dance, while she, starting from
| her reverie, smiled, and frankly met
his eyes as he led her to their place upon
the smooth floor.
The afternoon passed rapidly away, a
scene of careless merry-maklng and gay
| good humor to the uninstructed eye,
| Int with dramatic Sitnatinnc
to the initiated. What else was the
meaning of Peters grim frown and
flashing eyes as he looked gloomily on
while Sallie and her new friend danced,
or talked in corners, apparently engaged
in most desperate Irritation; or the
evident agitation of ''pa and ma who
vainly tried to recall her to duty by too
transparent hints and innuendoes?
Even Jimmy, having had all the cider he
| could swallow, was sick and sulky, and
! thought it s.real mean O. SAL to take up
his company like that. AS for the girl
| she had, for once, thrown off all restraint
| and given herself up to the impulse of
the moment; for, though she could not
| tell how it happened, the third dance
was not ended before she had poured her
whole story into this strangers ears,
even treating him to sight of Joe's last
| photograph, suspended in a locket about
| her fair neck. On his side he had vol
unteered the information that the Duke
was expecting soon to visit the very
mines in question, as he had an interest
there, and wished to make Il quiet trip
through that country.
| land oh! if you should see joe
| cried the sweet girl, with an upward
look that melted her partner S heart
..give him my love, please, and tell him
I'll never marry old Pcters-nererr'
They parted warmly, as became good
friends with secret between them.
I'm 50 glad Jimmy brought you,"
she said, as he held her hand longer than
was exactly necessary, out under a big
lilac-bush. in the cleaning. you've
brought the real comfort, somehow, and
I'll not soon forget it. It's lucky the
Duke didn't come, though, for he would
have spoilt it all--but how will you get
home to the hotel?'
| .'Oh. Mil-the Duke. l mean-kindly
promised to send the carriage for me; [
presume it's waiting now at your gate
Well, must 90. Oh! here's Jimmy.
Goodbye, and may the Lord bless you. ~
But the Young man walked very slow
ly away, and looked back more than
once. .'to see the young girl standing
still, waving his hands us if to a friend
| and equal, while a half-mournful sigh
welled up from his very heart.
Jimmy heard it and frowned.
Say, Coachy," he said, in grieved ac-
cents, Il think you We treated me mighty
mean, that's all! And what's more, if
| ever get q chance to tell Joe about
SAILS actions I'm going to-you bet!
| want yyo,, To 1IpInrctan6 that NV SiStor
amt a-goin' to run away with no coach
man, if he does belong to q Duke, and
you can just put that in your pipe and
smoke it!'
Coachy gave him glance that would
have annihilated anything but an Amer
lean boy, burst into a curt laugh, and
then bit his lips into silence. Jimmy
he said gently, after a pause, ''when
you're older you'll know more. Mean
while, here's something to help you en-
JOY yourself while you're young" and
slipping big round coin into the young
ster's palm, he sprang into the landau,
called out gay goodbye and was driven
rapidly away.
The astonished youth looked after the
audaciOus and much-privileged servant
with round eyes, which finally dropped
to the piece of metal in his hand. He
held it up in the waning light.
..It's gold lie whispered, excitedly,
land not silver dollar, as [ s'posed,
and there's two KS on it. Jerusalem
crickets! It's a twenty-dollar gold piece
if it's cent?
Four months had passed away, and
the farmhouse in the hollow, crouched
under its snowy covering, snug and
safe, while away in the Western noun
tains men toiled as they could, and
cursed the snow and the cold which
heightened and hardened their desperate
task of wrestling from its hiding plac
that gold which to them meant home
and fireside, with the presence OF
loved ones far away Poor Joe, UNI
daunted by fatigues and sufferings which
would have driven stronger men to the
wall, still kept at work, spurred on by
the thought of pair of dark, wistful
eyes which he knew were looking hope
fully for him each day. But his pile was
still very small, and hope seemed almost
ready to desert him.
| How could he be sure she was faithful,
after all, he thought, gloomily trudging
homeward in the cherries twilight, with
his pick-axe on his shoulder and his
eyes on the ground. Such pretty girl
wouldn't wait long for suitors, and
hello! what's that?
A long cry of ''Hel-pn came family