Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-07-09

AL%lAZAA
HUNDRED THoUsAND"
just wait awhile and moneyll git it all
right"
What business are you in?' some
one asked.
well, l amt in any business now
have retired, you might say. l made
my money in different sorts of specula-
ton and have got it well invested,
drawin' fust-rate interest. | live in
Georgia and am putty much at home
when I'm there, l can tell you. My
wife has been dead good while. and
about all I've got to look after is the
enjoyment of my daughter. Her will
is law with me and l am straightfor.
ward enough to say right here, or right
anywhere, for that matter, that the
man who wins her love will be fortu-
nate. There's about two hundred thou
sand dollars waitin' for him."
George Miles looked up quickly and,
with a sheer, said: Il wouldn't marry
her for three hundred thousand"
The old man seized his cane. which
he had leaned against the bench, and,
springing to his feet, glared at Miles,
who. without changing his position, sat
placidly smoking.
do you mean to insult me, sir?"
Beck roared.
Not in the least" Miles answered.
"When | want to insult a man hit
him and then insult him afterward.
You had, without interruption, eX-
pressed your opinion and 1 merely eN-
pressed mine. You introduced your
daughters name in way not only I'M
necessary to the force of your former
statement concerning the power of
money, but with a narrow-mlnded
vulgarity that was disgusting. If you
want to strike me, do so. l have said
nothing in belittlement of the young
LADY, said that wouldn't marry her
for three hundred thousand, and l
wouldn't: not that she is not worthy of
me morally. but because our tastes are.
doubtless. wholly dissimilar. Now, if
YOU want to hit me with that stick, all
right
Il won't hit you" Beck replied.
What you say may be right from your
standpoint, but no matter what you
thought about my daughter you ought
to have kept it to yourself. 1t looks to
me like | would have thought a long
time before l would have made any
such remark and / would have
| thought that any true gentleman would
have done the same. / am rough
and-ready sort of a man, and admit
that l don't always do the proper
thing, and if my room is worth more to
| you than my company, why, l wish you
| good evenin'."
ssOh, no." several of the men cried,
but he brusquely fastened away.
George, you ought not to have said
that" a friend remarked. You can t
blame him for thinking so much of his
daughter, nor for his determination to
| give her future husband two hundred
thousand dollars"
MY dear fellow" Miles answered,
Il don't blame him for thinking sc
much of her, and | commend his deter.
mination to reward her future hus
| band, but / do despise his vulgar show.
| He is an old bear, and | want none OF
him
Il wouldn't mind marrying the girl
said young fellow named Hicks; II
|
taste and with the old mans vulgarity.
| Yonder go the old man and the girl
| He is looking this way, and 1 warrant
he is telling her about you, George"
Il don't care if he is" Miles replied
''His ill-will and her prejudice can't
hurt me-
Several days later Miles, whose
friends had left the place, was stroll
ing along the mountains side, wher
suddenly. upon turning sharp point
of rock that jutted out over the path
he met Miss Beck. The path was toe
narrow to admit of his passing the girl
and he was about to turn back, wher
she pleasantly remarked:
| "Oh. don't turn back on my account
l will climb down. / am used to climb
ing
Il will climb down." said he, bow
ing.
"Oh, no." she interposed. Il an
afraid you might hurt yourself, and
then -"
And then what?" he asked.
Nothing, only you might be distig
ured if you should chance to fall. ant
YOU might afterward consent to marry
girl for less than three hundred thou
sand dollars"
"Ah. your father repeated my re
mark" he said. slightly coloring.
Yes, or | shouldn't have knowc q
it, as wasn't eavesdropp:ng."
He would have gladly climbed down
but she detained him with this ques
tioning remark:
You place pretty high estimate
upon yourself, don't you?"
Yes, rather" he answered. now dc
termined to be bold.
1T is strange that l never heard O
YOU" she said. Il was looking over q
sort of encyclopedia of great men just
before came here, and it is singular
that your picture was not in it.
The compiler of the book called OF
me-" he replied, but | refused to be
come the victim of cheap print H'
wanted my picture, and had intended
that it should fill one page and ru1
] over on the second, but l refused"