Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-08-20

Ito to my only granddaughter "eu-
ding in a borrowed hat and grandpa
waxed indignant.
Well said the young man, this Is
growing into a matter of momentous
importance to me, and l move that that
hat be found"
.I' second the notion" said Aunt
Anahel, springing up from her low
seat at her mothers elbow. when
did you wear the hat last, father?'
Il wore it to freeman's meetin', and
when l got home Abigail remarked,
with that vexatious laugh of hers, that
the town hall had been honored with
one more visit from the old bellcrown,
and took the hat off and looked at it
and said that when l bought it of
Lieut. Ncvers he said it would last me
for my best hat as long as | lived. He
made it himself. 4 hatmaker by trade
the old lieutenant was, and that hat
was made upon honor more than
twenty years ago; and because he said
it would last me as long as | lived, l
mean that it shall. for l always main
tanned that he was man of his word
for all that he was took up for
perjury / went bail for him and /
testified in his behalf. and | bought up
the piece of land that the trouble was
about, and paid for it, and there 1t
lies, with the timber growing on it, to
this day, because never dared cut it. not
having a clear title. The lieutenant
was my friend and I've testified to my
faith in him up to this day, by wear
ing that hat. AS for it's being bell
crowned, | explained to Abigail, bell
crowns went into style and out, out of
style and in, but my bell crown went
on, year after year, doing its duty on
Sundays-and at funerals and we'd
din's and SO on as regular as the bell
in the church steeple. Then ] took
out my handkerchief, and snuff
scented with rose l had bought for
| mother at DOke's store, and my
wallet, and I'll be bound that's the
last | ever have seen of that hat. Alb
could tell where it went to, if she
pleased.
Il couldn't" sniveled the maiden
daughter. Il went into the back pan
try while he was lauding old Nevers up
to the skies and stayed there a spell,
and then | slipped out and went over
to the other house, for fear | should
say something impertinent about that
old rascal Nevers, and | have never
seen the old hat from that time until
this, although its loss has been laid to
my charge every day since"
''Perhaps mother hid it to put a stop
to the contention between men Nab
Nonsense, father said the placid
old lady, threading her needle anew,
and deity sewing loop on the holder
she was making for Katie. You knew
very well never NEEDLE between you
| and Nabby."
Lets lind it." cried the expectant
| groom. 1T must be on the premises.
OF course it is not in the parlor?''
Il should think not" asserted abb
! gail. The minister's set in there
every time he's called, and I'm in there
every day. You might as well ask if it
is in the meal chest or pork barrel"
Wen go up garnet first" said Aunt
Anabel. taking lighted candle. and
the two young people followed her up
the narrow stairs. They hunted be-
hind the loom. moved the spinning
wheel and the little wheel. the foot
wheel and the reel. They opened the
brass warming pan and the foot stove,
as well as a score or more of ancient
chests and drawers. and other possible
and impo ssible receptacles.
When they emerged into the kitchen
with their garments feStOOned with
cobwebs, grandpa said: Glad of it.
Abigail thinks she is awful neat. She
takes charge of the house now. The
garnet was as slick and clean as the
paTlor in mothers day
+ha1r IN harm md ha
shop, the Toulouse and the sheep
shed. Il haven't been over the prem
ises so thoroughly since | was a child -
said Aunt Anabel.
They looked in the well and then
went down the open bull>head into the
| cellar and peered into the ash-hole,
looked on top of Che cider barrels. in
| the apple and vegetable bins and the
| butter closet
There's one place we haven't
looked whispered Kate, at length
! land that is into Aunt Abigairs closet
! under the front stairs. I've no doubt
| she knows where that hat is-she
never could bear old Mr.. Nevers, I've
| heard mother say, because grandpa
t made himself unpopular in town be-
! friendiug him, and | presume she was
| so veXed that day that she put the old
! hat out of sight. | don't know how we
are going to manage to get into that
| closet"
| 1--WE can go up the back STAIRS whis-
| pered Aunt Anabel, as ready as a girl
for the frolic. land squeeze through
the narrow passage between the old ell
| part and the new upright part of the
house, go down the front stairs and in
| to the closet without Nabby mlstrust-
| ing Il thing"
| Away they went on tiptoe, and as
they were making their way through
! the narrow closet, George, who was
| six feet tall, exclaimed:
| Hold on a minute. I've hit nv
head against something crowded up be-
| tween the rafters and the partition
| 1t feels like high hat-and it is a
| hat
oh, take it down please"
| .'Oh, this can't be the one?'
That is Lieut.. Never's old hat" said
| Aunt Anabel. I've seen him with it
on a thousand times when l was a
child. l feel as if l had seen a ghost. .
How came it here?" asked George.
| II do not know" said Kate, but
| grandpa told me once as secret that
his old friend the day before his death
| whispered to him that he had discov-
cred the papers giving him clear
title of the land and had sent them to
him by trusty messenger, but that