Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-12-13

sings siA0 sWc6b Old English ballads that
| cant Imagine where she picked up.
And did YOU notice how careful she
was to make up the little parcel to
take with her? What do you suppose
there was in it? Something she called
her mothers wedding lines. And
little bundle of letters, and an old
photograph of her father, and ring,
just plain gold one, that his father
gave him when he was boy. and that
ne used for her mothers wedding ring
and the mother died. poor young
thing-and they were so poor he sold
every thing else. but he wouldn't sell
that. She said all this as she was put
ting up the parcel. haven't asked to
see any thing in it.
THAT Is right. Respect her reserve.
And by and by she may forget the
thing. hope so if we keep her. And
1t looks as though it were meant We
should
well, if ever there were two young
fools who ought to have guardians APP
pointed" cried Aunt Juliet, coming
over later. ''Of course you can always
find a leading of Providence where you
want it. But hope you are going to
keep her in the kitchen and make her
of some use?''
~ GU don't mean to send me away!"
cried a voice from behind us, and Nina
that was the name her father called
her, her mothers pet name-stood
there, tip-toeing, her great eyes glow
ing and darkening, her hands wringing
one another. ''You can't mean to send
me away when you've brought me here,
when I've got nobody else but you,
when love you sol" And the tears
that her great despair and neighbor-
hood to death had not called forth
FLASHED over now in large drops.
''YOu know" she said ''that will take
care of Effie and run Roses errands and
sew with Jane all the day long, and /
will teach Effie her letters, and can
wipe dishes and pick over berries, and
l can dust and feed the cats and put ice
on your headaches and air the newspa-
per"
'.For goodness sake hold your tongue,
child" cried Aunt Juliet. Il should
think she went by machinery. OF course
you'll make yourself useful and stay in
the kitchen and earn your living. And
1 expect" she said, warningly to me,
that she'll eat you out of house and
home. The idea of taking in every
beggar's brat you come acrosst'
But Nina had no idea of staying in
the kitchen. On the contrary, where
ever / was she was. and / soon found
that she considered herself on the foot
ing of a little or elder daughter.
For awhile now Nina was very quiet;
sometimes she cried little by herself.
but quite gently, over a doll she played
with; sometimes she came and stood
by me. hanging an arm around my
neck, silent for long while; some
times she sat in the big window and
crooned her old ballads to Ralph, for
whom she had developed an extrava-
giant devotion HE is lovely, isn't
hep" said She "Oh. if could only do
something for himi If it would do him
any good to walk right over me would
lie down under his feet-indeed 1
would"
''That is very strong language" said
l. II can't see how that would do him
any good, and it would hurt YOU"
AZ should want it to hurt mel" she
exclaimed, passionately. 81 can't do
any thing for him except to be hurtr'
But after season this feeling seemed
to abate somewhat; for Nina went to
school, and the new interest and excite
ment thore diverted her, till she began
to hate .Ier lessons and defy her teach
er, and presently to beg to stay at
home. And when Ralph told her she
was his little girl she declared she was
nothing of the sort, but was his little
servant. Aunt Juliet had said so, and
she needed and would have no educa-
ton at all.
OF course this phase ended by the
teacher giving her reprimand before
the other children, and with that she
became, as you may say, uproariOus.
She after that was more likely to be
found wading in the river up to her
neck when the school-bell rang, or
swinging in the topmost bOugh of a
tree, or walking around the caves of
the house with her arms balancing her
steps than picking up her hat and
books. Once, indeed. having her
school-luncheon strapped over her
shoulders, she stayed up in the tree all
day and all night, in spite of my eff
forts, Ralph happening to be absent,
and felt that she might not have come
down at all if she had rot seen the doc
tor call for little Etfie-of whom she
was passionately fond and into whom
she had confidentially told me she was
sure the soul of the little dead baby
must have gone-which sight brought
her down so incontinently as to bring
multitude OF bruises and scratches
with her. Neither ientreaty nor force
could bring her to leave the room after
that till Effie was pronounced to be out
of danger.
1t was of no use to tell her that she
panied us by her conduct-it was we
who panied her. 1t was no use to tell
her that she was disgracing the name
that we had given her; she said we
could take back our name and she
would take another. And she could
be brought to see no use in book
learning or in demure behavior or in
any obedience that she did not see fit
to render. The years were soon long