Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-07-23

One by one TIE passengers were c1-
tracted.
There's lady in there" voice
said.
"Wen come to her presently. Seat
yourselves on that log, gentlemen. Here
she is! Now, madam" offering a 6ia-
mond-ringed white hand.
Up rose Helen, as little dishevelled as
possible for a woman to be under the
circumstances, and was assisted up and
out by masked man with the easiest
elegance Of deneanor.
1--WE are sorry to Inconvenience q
lady" quiet voice said, but it is ono
of the unpleasant necessities of bust
ness. l suspect we have r2ade mistake
We took this to be the Taymastcrs trip
down to the mines"
Helen bowed composcdly, and took
her seat beside The others, and then,
under cover OF half q dozen revolvers,
there was 4 rapid and exhaustive collec-
ton of valUables from the party. Helen
was not molestcd; no one spoke to her.
In the first minute of the attack some
one had thrust a heavy wallet in her
hand; she held it carclcssly, with her
Handkerchief md the gloves she had
taken off, and q book, to which she had
clung unconsciously through all the con-
fusion. None of her belongings We're
to,t;,led c.. looked at.
The Pine Valley coach will be along
before morning. We can only say we
are sorry for the blunder," and with a
courteous gesture of farewell to Helen,
the party rode away.
Both leaders lay dead in their tracks.
Clearly there was nothing to do but to
wait for the Pine Valley coach. Helen
was made comfortable with shawls and
wraps on a bed of pine boughs, and
fell asleep quietly under the stars. She
did not wake even when the coach came
up.
Now, Helen" voice said, and she
opened her eyes to find Harry standing
beside her, and with him tall figure
dark in the starlight.
Another road agent?" she said, half
asleep.
Harry laughed. I'VE don't know what
he may develop into. at present he is
Frank Bronson"
Helen rose to her feet, broad awake
at once.
you've had stirring introduction to
your new life" a pleasant voice said,
land popular report makes you out a
heroine"
Helen flushed little resentfully. He
might have been talking to girl of six
teen in that voice of easy patronage.
She was silent. Harry, used to that pc
culiarity, did not notice.
Frank Bronson began again: I'm
afraid you'll be inconveniently crowded,
Miss Tryon."
Il beg ynu- pardon" in her slow,
cold way. u am Mrs. Morse
They came out just then into the
glare of the lamps. Bronson looked at
her curiously.
Harry did not tell me-" he said. with
a sudden air of constrained bashfulness.
At the journeys end the passenger
! whose pocket-book she had saved took
G great solitaire diamond off his little
finger. "A memento, madam, simply a
memento. The ring was in the wallet
You saved me fifteen thousand dollars
last night by your presence of mind"
She would not take it, but a few
weeks later there came to her through
the post-ofice the stone reset in another
ring heavy enough for an arrnlet. She
smiled, slipping it over her slender
finger. Then She met Bronson's eyes
watching her.
My good deeds pursue me. am the
heroine of Pine Gulch.' Would you
have suspected it? And there is no adj
dress" She dropped the ring into his
hand and walked away.
They were settled now in their new
home. A very sketchy sort of home it
was, but enough for the needs of a eli
mate where a house is not needed much
more or much oftener than an UMBRELLA.
They had camped with the Injuries of
wall tents, while the young men did
their own building. A sitting-room, two
sleeping-rooms and kitchen-that was
all; and the canvas of the tents made
an awning under which a hammock
might be swung. The new pine boards
were aromatic in the hot sunshine; the
conventional requirements of living
were reduced to their very simplest
form.
1t was solitary enough life for Q
woman. One of Harry's experimental
gang of Chinese workers had been de-
tailed to kitchen duties, and the peace
of the house was profound. But Helen
liked it. Dreamy and silent she was
still, but somehow little by little she
seemed to come back toward human
sympathies and interests. Half IN
consciously her black garments were
laid aside as oppressive in the heat of
the long, bright days. The young men
coming home at night found a white
draped presence awaiting them. Harry
thought without spoken comment that
something of her girlhood as he remem-
bered her was coming back into her
face and into the rounding outlines of
her figure Once or twice he heard an
echo of the old imperious infections of
speech, when something went wrong in
the simple programme of their house
keeping; once or twice she laughed
aloud at some of Sam Lees achieve
ments. At least, the old, monotonous
calm was broken; she had fits of de-
preston, felt keenly in the sensitive
household atmosphere.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Lady of the Lamb.
At Kidlington, England, there is or
was curious custom annually OBJ
"a l.