The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-09-27
CHAT TER XIX.
THE MOUNTAIN RANCH.


THE MOUNTAIN RANCH.
II was high noon whey our friends
reached Phippsburg. and they were still
fifteen miles from the new home to
which they were going.
The girls had not yet arrived, the
steamer on which they had taken pas
sage having grounded upon bar
formed from the washing from the
mines.
johnny. too. was complaining Of his
back. and his parents feared 10 take
him further that day over the rough
roads.
Ii was decided. therefore. that Mrs.
Parsons and Johnny saould remain at
the hotel in Phipps5urg. while the men
went on with the goods, and that on the
morrow when they returned. the heavy
wagon and carriage with the team whica
Mr.. Blake was TO have should be turned
over to him and the family should 20 on
in the spring wagon.
Small rs it Was. the expense Of re-
naming at the ho,el was a sad draw on
the few remaining dollars in the posses
sion OF John and Martha Parsons. but
il could not be helped and the teams
drove on and left them.
Towards evening the boat arrived,
and on it came Jennie and Lucy. Mrs.
Parsons could net leave JOHNNY to 60
down to the landing. but watched nj the
hotel window and heckoned to them rs
they came up the opposite side OF the
street.
When the girls saw their mother they
hurried across the street to the hotel
and into the s.ttingroom VIII she
awaited them. and in another moment
al three were CRYING upon each others
shoulders.
..3h mother, mother. its awful to
think that the old place is lost, buried
by the overflow from those mines; is
there no way To save ita Can't j, be
ioaied of agains' sobbei Lucy. her
whole frame shaking with excitement.
Il can't bear To live and know that you
and father are driven out of Your COM
Portable home and forced TO begin on a
piece of wild land again. wish you
would 90 to town and live and let me
teach school and support You. I'm sure
| could do it,
You must not take it SO hard.
| dears,' returned their mother. still
holding the girls close to her. True.
it is very sad TO be obliged to give up
the old home. but no doubt we shall be
very comfortable on the new place when
we get it fixed up little. What hurts
me most is the knowledge that ". may
never be able to visit YOU if ,ou 20 SO
far away as suppose YOU will do when
You are married to Mr.. Annelscy.
III never marry. mother never
sobbcd Lucy. II have written Mr..
AnncIsey and broken of our engage
ment. and am going to stay with YOU
and father and help take care of Johnny
as long as live. You need not say a
word against it, for it is too late: the
letter is half way 10 New York by this
time
TO say that Mrs. Parsons was greatly
surprised at this would lie but 10 safe
the truth. To say that she greatly re-
GREETED ii would not be SO true.
She had felt certain degree of pride
in the thought that Lucy would marry
wealthy, and had sought to obtain COM
fort for the supposed coming separa-
ton in the knowledge that her daughter
could w;nt for nothing which wealth
could buy. yet at times had feared that
Lucy mi .ht not find happiness in the
union and wondered if it would not
have been better for her TO have mar
ried Erastus.
Especially since the last great trouble
had come upon them. and she saw how
her husband was breaking under it, she
could not help thinking how much com
fort it would have been to him. and t.
herself. if the Young folks could have
found their happiness in wedding eacf
other and remaining with or near then
in their old age. And now, while sht
scoldcd Lucy a little for her haste il
the matter, she could not but feel thank
full at heart that her child was not to g,
from her, at least for the present
Jennie joined her sister in deplorin,
the loss of their old home. and wep
aloud and violently when her mothc
spoke OF separation, but she did no
offer to teach school to support he
parents, and when her mother gcntl,
babe her cease to weep she wcpt TIN
harder and clung the more closely.
"Come, Jennie" said Mrs. Parsons
finally. you really must cheer up. dear
1t is not SO bad but it might be worse
We have each other yet and no doub
shall get on nicely in the new home
and when Mr.. Ensign gets ready, yo,
and he can be married and live in Sal
Francisco. which is not SO far away bu
!, that you can come home and sec II
once in awhile. and may be we cal
visit you-why Jennie. what is the mat
ter: have you broken with Mr.. Ensigl
alsop'
|. But Jennie OILY cried the harder an,
. clung the closer with her face hlddel
. upon her mothers shoulder
Seeing the inability OF her sister +,
speak. Lucy said: Jennie is marie,
already. mother, and she and Mr.. En-
sign are to start for Chicago next week.
MIR. Ensign came to see her the nigh
that we got your letter telling us of tn
breaking Of the dam, and founl u
crying, and when we told him about
he urged Jennie to marry him at once
AMI finally she consented, and he wen
and got clergyman. and We all wen
down into the Professors parlor an,
saw them married"
Il sh-shall ne-ncver forgive myself in
. in the world if you are angry with me.
sobbed Jennie. You know you-yo
wrote in the letter that-that We
YES, dear, | know" said Mrs. Pal
|. sons, soothngly, stroking Jennie's hal
. the while, Il wrote you that if you
lovers urged speedy marriage you
father and would not object. So 20
t have done nothing wrong. and ! NJ
sure Mr.. Ensign will make you COCO
! kind husband, and | hope you VIII b
, very happy. | am only sorry that 20
, are going SO far away. Can not Nj
| Ensign find work in San Francisco"'
At this Jennie began to check he
sohs, and from the two girls their motl
er learned the whole story.
+ Ensign had CHANGED to meet gel
tlcman from Chicago for whom he ha
5 worked before he came to the "oas
: and who now offered him position :
c good wages with the prospect of for'
4 manship in short time, if he would n
turn to Chicago and the old shol
As wages were not SO good in sa
: Francisco rs formerly, and thci
/ were rumors of the factory shuttin