Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-12-02

d Maun innocent life had been emptiet
INTO the grass. With cry of pain ane
norror he ran to and fro looking fo
tne body; others came painting to the
place. but he was following dizzily
where some bleeding weight had beer
trdiled toward the river, and they
poured after him. Half way down the
nlll-side he picked up piece of paper,
ana glanced at it and threw out his
hands with acknowledgements
movement as if he had been dealt q
dow In the face, his eyes seemed to
contract and grow sightless for mo-
Hment, then they suddenly diIated and
ne gave kind of wailing, fierce cry
and crushed the paper in his hand and
went on AT the rivers brink there
was nothing, only some blood-drops on
the stones and the still water SLOWLY
howing by. In an instant he turned
and went down the river with dozen
awe-struck men following, and there
All, God, that Cain was ever born, that
the passionate animal, man, should
ever outrun the angel, Reasoni-there
under the clear water he saw the face
OF Maun, With the first sight he gave
cry of pity and anguish, and reeled
aside with his hands smote hard against
his eyes. He had seen for the first time
IN his life the wreck, Disagreement
| and cruel ruin of beauty that he loved.
At that the old lawyer came crashing
through the brambles down the hill
side. He might have came out of a
grave. he looked so CHASTITY. tattered
and old.
Don't let him come herer' John
Earring cried wildly, don't let him
see her! In the name of God, men, re-
strain him. Keep him back! It will kill
him! II will kill him.
Some ran before him, but he hurled
them out of the way and came straight
to the waters edge. Then Salvo Popp
and others while memory remains viii
never forget the cry that came from his
lips at sight of his murdered child.
'Maun. Maun! Manu- he walled close
over the waters that covered her like
sheet of glass, and he held to her cold
hand wailing like one that is lost as
other trembling hands lifted her ten
derby, fearfully from her soft bed and
laid her down on the grass with the
first sunbeams of the morning stream
ing across her face. There lay the
willowy form which had moved like
music to John Earring. His heart
seemed bursting with the sight. He
had his arms about the old lawyer,
holding him in his wildness, and the
two men, pale, torn, bleeding and dis
heveled, swayed to and fro in agony.
Slowly the old father slipped down,
the young man following him with
hands to prevent his falling, and kissed
and fondled the still wet face and
mass of tangled oozing hair and moaned
and lay there with his forehead be-
tween his arms upon the ground roll
ing his head in anguish. There lay
the man who with his eloquence and
legal wileS had set many 4 murderer
free There. gentlemen of the bar, and
sirs of the ermine, lay q successful
criminal lawyer.
Suddenly he sprang up with his gray
hair Struggling about his face, his eyes
fevering wildly out, his fists clinched,
and the veins and cords at neck and
wrist distepded, knotted and working.
90, who has done this? who has done
this9" he cried, hoarsely, shaking
his trembling fists above his hoary
head. 80 God, o Father of
wrath. give him into my hands. Give
me his heart, that bowl of hell-made
poison, that L may dash it in piecesi
that | may have justice. o that may
have justice" and he started wildly
from the place and wavered and stag
gered and gasped and fell prone among
the brambles and was still. John Earl
ing ran quickly to him and lifted him
up, and they dashed water in his face
and over his head again and again. In
a few moments he opened his eyes and
stared about him. John Earling stood
so the stricken man might not see the
murdered girl. lis it SOP he whis-
pered, looking piteously up in the
young man face.
Yes" he faltered.
A dull blind expression came into the
pleading amber eyes and the old man 5 |
you, he murmured, land l meant her |
for you
Strong hands carried him back to the |
road, and carriage was brought and |
the palsy-stricken man drawn slowly |
home. When they had gone. John
Earring. with that sad anger. that |
turned to the men and said: Gentle |
men, friends. let me in this poor IA
theirs stead thank you for what you /
have done. Now let us find the man
who did this awful deed. First find /
Fowler, Joel Whitney's book-keeper.
and apprchend him at any cost. | |
have evidence pointing to him. One
of you be kind enough to bring the l
coroner"
Then some Of the men fastened
away. two of them watched by the
dead girl. and John Earring went inch
by inch over the ground where the
body had been drawn. He gathered
some shreds of her dress from the
and found button with a lit
tie strip of gray cloth attached to it
and some of Maun's hair caught about
it. These he did up in the scrap of
paper he had found and put them in
MS pocket-book. Then he went back
and stood moment by the dead girl.
She was beautiful of outline. even with
hat frighful. frozen spell upon her.
With tender, trem bling awe, he COM
posed her hands and limbs, brushed
he dusky hair back from her low brow.
md laid a handkerchief across the cash
n her white throat.
You did not knowi o, Maun, YOU
lid not KNOW he said. hoarseIy. ain
locent! motherless! your father never
old yout he never told youi he killed
-ou through his love and foolish fearr'
md he kissed her cold forehead linger-
ngly and went up the hill and looking
lack saw her lying there on the shore
ike piece of sculpture. with the sun
dancing against her hair and along
he wet length of her velvet riding
ress. The hushed men were standing ,
20 |