Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-10-21
CHAPTER XIV.

When John Earring walked away
from JoeI's Office that autumn after
noon, he put the check for two thou
sand dollars in his pocket and went
absent-mindedly along the street that
led down to the river. He did not no
tice much that was about him, for his
mind was working in that sad sort of
anger of his over Joefs treatment of
him. He did not at first feel the weight
of this acquisition of dollars or think
how it might freshen and change his
life. He had liked to a certain limit
this big energetic man from the first.
though as his own soul opened from
the bud of childhood into blossom,
Joel's indelicate wit came to be dis
tasteful to him, and his business meth
DDS something to be despised. But his
heart was hurt, and an angry kind of
loneliness was on him as he walked
across the bridge and up and along the
wooded bluffs that rose in the elbow Of
the stream that turned away to the
west. Had Joel some Interior and I'M
fair object in thus always letting him
believe himself penniless? He certain
" had taken advantage of him by this
secrecy.
These thoughts burned about in his
mind as he walked along under the
| oaks that crowned the bluffs, with now
and then an acorn dropping from
| among the boughs and bounding on
the sward. Presently he stopped
under an oak and, taking his hat off,
| stroked his forehead and hair back as if
| to throw off the dark humor he was in.
His hat slid down on the grass, and he
| leaned against the tree with slow
wind falling against his forehead as he
| looked out over the prairie that dipped
| and folded away to the south under a
| blue film of autumnal smoke. He was
not pretty fellow, but many people
| doubtless would have thought him fine.
| He had no color-this perhaps from
| excessive mental work-and his brow,
| like his mothers, was square and high.
His nose seemed rather large. but was
| strongly chiseled, with nostril sensitive
| to every emotion. He was not twenty
years of age, yet he had touch
| of his fathers square-shouldered stur-
Giness, though of shapelier sort. His
| mouth and eyes, however, best voiced
| the inclinations of his spirit. The last
being bold and clear, with an eloquent,
| eager look, and the first being cut so
| delicately one might conceive that he
would never tire of looking at any
thing that was beautiful. This, indeed,
was one of his browning tendencies,
and brought him, from one direction
| in life at least, unmeasured anguish.
| He might have been poet or an art
lst; nay, perhaps was both of these at
| heart, like many another in whom the
sound of music. the sight of lovely
| flesh, the glory of the heavens and the
| beauty of the earth, awaken answer
ing voices, that out of kind of mental
| chastity forever refuse to mate with or
expose themselves in ink and oil. Be-
sides, he was of too practical father
| for many visions, and the conditions OF
his life had tended little to rapture. But
| often he would pluck flower, for in
| stance, and look long and Accordingly
into il, studying its minute and mar
Vicious beauty, and thinking through 1t
at the infinitely delicate and powerful.
| something whose thought it seemed
sent through the ground to meet hi
| own
He took out the check and looked at
| it; nos valuing it much vet for what II
| might bring him. but rather wondering
at it rs representing in some sense the
mystery and tragedy that surrounded
his beginning. Then his mind followed
along the simple track of his life uatil
of a Sudden it came upon that evenin g
at Judge Bowers, and the voice OF
little Celeste rang in the cha mber OF
his memory like sound struck from
some exquisite fairy instrument of sill
yer. He closed his eyes and produce d
it again and yet again by the help OF
fancy. and fell to thinking of her
beauty with something of the purity
with which one might approach an
angel for to John EARRING whatever
| was beautiful was to be touched by
thought or hand IN chastity and rever.
ence.
TO BE CoNTNUKAl