Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-01-16

| long table. After supper was over Aunt
| Kate set to work washing up the plates
cups, etc, and putting away the remains Of
the feast. After she had finished, Tom
with comical smile upon his face, took VI
his fiddle, and standing in the middle of the
room cried out: ''All as has blood in theil
veins, get up! Any as is man and not
mouse, get up! Take the love of yer hear
| and dance with her! Or, if she isn't will
| ing, take somebody else's, perhaps it will dc
| just as well. But get up, men, get up!''
And to this soul-strring appeal he added
the further entreaty of a lively country jie
on his fiddle, that set the girls eyes t
| twinkling and their feet to beating time
But the men all stood s.ill and looked
| sheepish Tom, taking no notice of this
| played on perseveringly, and at last by
sort of mutual inspiration, without a WORD
| being spoken on either side, one of the
young men and one of the young girls stood
up together This bold move won a nod OF
| approval from Tom. THAT'S It'll Now an
| other pair of sparks, and the fire'u begin
| Ned-Mary! here, you two-what's come tc
| yer!' Thus eXhorted, Ned and Mary go
up and faced the other couple. Slowly
| stiffly-their feet began to move, carrying
| them backwards and forwards in a monot
onous little track. Suddenly Tom snapped
| his strings with "a thwang! 81 wun't play
wake up-go it livelyl turn yer partner
there now-that's it'll That's more like!"
And stamping and playing, and swaying
and shouting, he seemed to infuse life into
| the four wooden images like an electric
shock. How they dancedl How their feet
flew! How their eyes shone! and how all
the room grew excited and wild with them
Oh, there's nothing in the world more glad
than a dance like that! Where innocent
fun runs riot-where every nerve and
muscle is brought into play, and where one
laughs like child through sheer delight
without grain of the intellect in it! There's
nothing in the world so joyous as a laugh
just because one is happy. And happiness
is a holy thing-a glimpse of the other worl6
even if you come by through the strains
of a worldly fiddle. That dance! All! how
glad, merry and rollickng it was. All stood
up and danced. Even sober old Mother
Bansom's eyes shone, and her feet KEPT
time. And as for the young folks! If ever
there was good, downright wholesome en-
joyment for them, it was there that night
in that old log house.
At last they had to stop for breathing
spell, and Tom, triumphant, shining with
enthusiasm, rested his beloved fiddle for a
moment on his knee. Lets have some
cider!' he cried.
pop!" said Mrs. Ellery.
I'LL fetch 'em," said their hostess with
pardonable pride, bringing forth bounti
full store. And then-the laughter, the fun
the popping of the corn, the sweetness o.
the cider, the red apples, the redder cheeks
of the girls, the bright eyes, the nonsense
the breeze of enjoyment that was in that ole
house that night Right in the height o!
the fun and merriment Uncle Aaron quietly
left the room and went outside. Strange
to say, inside he felt lonely. He went out
side, all unmissed, and seated himself on
fallen log, under the shadow of a tall pine
tree He was without hat, and his strong
face was sharply outlined by the clear
light of the room. The valley beneath
looked like a painters dream-and he felt
its beauty. He heaved sigh of unconscious
pleasure and looked all around. Just then
a small, white, childish face came up out OF
the shadows, and Jacob, taking a seat upon
the log beside him, said softly: ''Father.h
He was not in the way. Another would
have been. The man reached out his hand.
and pointing to the beautiful shimmerine
moonlit picture beneath, said under his
breath: Lad, that ere is pretty"
For answer the boy sided up to his knee
sat on it, reached up his arms, put them
around his neck and LAID his head down on
his breast. The big man just stroked his
hair and said nothing. just then woman's
voice called out: 'Aaroni Aaron! Where
be vera We want some more ciderr'
ITO BE Continued