Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-11-21

| Hzzz!I24x< "
SNOW, AUNTY, TELL ME YOUR PLANS"
tainty. Her apathy was all gone now, and
her eyes began to sparkle with the rays of
q new hope. ''This will pay every debt and
leave quite a large sum besides. can plan,
now that there seems to be something to
plan with"
"Oh, my dear auntie, you have plenty to
plan with" said Isabel, joyfullv. 81 have
the very best husband in the world, and
have come prepared to repay you for little
of the love and care you have given me
from infancy. All there is for you to do IS
to make up your mind what course you
wish to pursue, and the means shall not be
| wanting"
Shave you, then, married a man who is
able to allow you to do thiss' said Mrs.
Harmon, looking into Isabel's glad eyes
| with surprise.
"Not only able, but willing, auntie," and
she repeated her conversation with Mr..
Falconer before starting, and named the
| large sum he had given her.
isabel, child, ought not to take it, in
| deed I ought not" cried the widow with
emotion; ''your generosity forces me to tell
you secret, which l have never thought
| best to divulge until now"
ga secret2" said Isabel, surprised in her
| turn.
eyes, secret. ought not to take your
| money, dear child, for really you are not re-
| lated to me, and have no claim on you for
| such liberality."
'sNot related to you'll" echoed Isabel.
s'Auntie Harmon, what do you mean?"
| "Just what 1 say, Isabel" replied Mrs.
| Harmon. 81 have never told you the story
| of your parentage, fearing it would make
| you uneasy and dissatisfied with your hum
| BILE home, and the hard, humiliating work
which I saw no way to prevent your doing :;
| but now that you have a husband and po-
sition to sustain in society it is fitting that
you should know who you are, and that not
drop of my humble blood runs in your
veins"
"You are good and kind, and have been a
| true mother to me; you shall not under
rate yourself" said Isabel, warmly; 'but,
| oh do tell me of this strange thing"
| 1--WE were just married, John and 1.
Isabel, child, pardon me if continue to
name you as relative"
| s.Auntten' interrupted Isabel, deprecat-
ingiy.
| "You can not realize, perhaps, that John
was kind husband, and that l was one of
| Tue lipplcSb VI WIVES W. liNtu Ill d SS,
handsome cottage then, and were quite we'll
to do at the time you were born. The first
shot had been fired at Fort Sumter the
previous January, and a young Southern
! gentleman came here with his young wife,
| who was an invalid, and he had brought her
| North not only to escape the fierce heat of
| a Southern summer, but to avoid the ex-
element OF the troubled times which she,
in her weak state, was poorly able to bear.
| He was of rich and influential family, or
| he could not have passed the lines, even in
| that early stage of the National troubles,
| and nothing but the devoted love he cher
ished toward his wife would have kept him
| out of the fray.
'They were accompanied, of course, by an
old black nurse, Maum Chloe, who had
nursed and waited on your mother since her
| infancy; but in spite of the tender care
| which she and the tender young husband
had lavished upon her, the young wife con-
tinued to fade, and he stopped here on their
way to the South, and decided to remain
| here until after you were born, hoping that
she would then be better able to travel, and
to face the excitement of the war times at
| home.
"Searching for quiet boarding place, for
the hotel was far from being a pleasant
homo for an invalid, he happened upon US,
and at his earnest solicitation I consented
| to furnish them rooms and board for few
months, and in nine weeks from the time
| they came you were born"
"Then I am of Southern birth?" said Isa-
bel, who was listening to the story with
| earnest eagerness.
"Yes, and your name was Isabel Caring
| ton. Your father was an ardent sympa-
| thizer with the South as it was natural he
| should be, and we kept our lips tight closed
| to repress the words of patriotism which
| burned to come out, out of Difference to our
guests. 1t was not for long, however, for
| your poor mother, poor young thing, was
not strong enough to rally after your birth,
and in our intense anxiety for her all Sec
tional differences were forgotten for the
| time, and we watched over her as if there
| were no interests outside her sick cham
Der. She only lived few weeks, and the
| war was fully under way, and though your
| father was almost distracted with GRIEF
at his loss and the necessity of leav-
ing her here, he saw no better way
than to bury her in Northern soil, until
such time as he could come back
| and remove her to his home, which I think
was on plantation near Richmond. They
were wealthy, knew, from their converse
ton, though they did not show it by assum-
ing superior airs, as so many people do,
and came to love your dear young mamma
very much. After she died your father
was more than ever anxious to throw HIM
self into the war, but, of course, 1t was not
| to be thought of taking tender babe like
you with him, even if he could have passed
the lines with you in safety. So, with
fathers natural feelings at parting with
you, he left you in old Chloe's and my joint
| care, leaving with me an ample sum of
money to care for you both, expecting with
the sanguine folly so many were guilty of
that the war would soon be over, and that
he would return and take you South. Poor
old Chloe pinned and mourned for her young
mistress, and grieved over her home until
she was mere shadow Of herself and an