Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-08-11
BAPTIZED By FIRE.
Uncle Zarah's Story Of How Cap
pie Won Her Husband

hat reminds me OF an incident
said Uncle Zarah. That riding mas
ter may think ne knows i ali 50 far as
grace Is concerned. though his ideas
OF grace differ with mine materially:
but Id like to tell him about one
woman have known who had been
accustomed TO the management Of
horses in rural parts or on the plains.
who had been al home on i horse
back all her life and seldom essayed
any gait but 'gallOp,' yet who could
lay it over any rider in this city for
grace"
Uncle paused to polish his glasses
then remarked. interrogatively: You
remember Mrs -? Her name was
CaDrola- Did / ever tell you how Cap
pie won her husband?
III was an early September morning
in the late sixties. The summer rams
had made vegetation rank and the buf-
falo grass was then thIckly matted.
brown and dry as powder The night
had been gray and still. and given place
to a skylight copper in the morning,
AMI a strange stiffness brOoded ia the
air
II had oeen given orders for brand
lower range. and a. came mp on the
porch discovered Cap in her dizzy old
riding habit. sitting on the edge swing
i'm her feet and swapping a quirt- her
pony browsing just IN front OF her. and
beside her was Henry-the owner Of
the big Home ranch and her af;ianced
lover. His bride rein was thrown over
his arm. and he was earnestly begging
the girl to comply with some request
Please, Cappie. yield to me this
time
But / want the gloves and whip
.-'I'll buy you gross of silver
mounted whips and a dozen pairs of
Jouvin's best; import them especially
for the purpose, if you would give up
riding a. the fair
That would be a circumstance,
wouldn't ito flashed Captola- i could
shake them under Miss Oates nose and
say: There, Just see what / got for
letting YOU win the prize" No, Hal. il
isn't the gloves or the whip, but a
mean little ana bition j want TO CRAFTY
That woman called me a hoyoen- an
uucuIt!vated little heather and said !
couldn't ride a little bit ! don't mind
the hovden and heather. / suppose
am both. but ! can ride. and mean 20
do It
Little girl. you hurt me when you
talk 50 thoughtlessly-'
And YOU hurt NE cruelty she
cried. passionately. a she turned her
flashing eyes on him I'm ashamed 20
acknowledge how much / thought
Won loved me. but Won don't. When
YOU see me beside YOUR mother and
vour incompara BILE sisters and-and
that horrid prim Puritan, Miss Oates,
You get ashamed OF me and want TO
make me over by the square and level
of your own social world. but you can I
do it i tried to cultivate the little
prairie anemones, but they always
died. I'll die. too, under the cultivating
process SO you'll think-vou can
have your ring back and with little
svb Captola began 10 tug At her gaunt-
lets. but Henry caught her hands
MY dear little wild bird. ! love
you. am twenty years older than you
are. but never said that to a woman
till / met you. / am graver and
ouieter than You are. but l like
your sunny ways your bright
nature. NV mother and sisters do
not know you as well as | do, and
they want me TO marry Miss Oates
They are looking for flaws in my gem.
and don't want them to have a chance
to think they have found one 1t is
such little thing ] have asked you
Your father is away; there Is no one
to attend you. as you utterly refuse my
escort unless / desert my mother and
the other ladies' which | cannot do
You-well, you know. little girl tina;
you are very unconventional in both
manners and dress, and ! do wish you
would try to win them over. child
Henry paused. feeling that he was
making a bad matter worse
Never Cap replied, angrily- as
she jerked her hands away. They may
take me as am or not at all If mann
ma had lived maybe / would have
been different-as prunes and prisms
as Miss Oates, possibly-but I've only
had dad. and he likes me best as am
/ never would have thought of riding
at the fair. only when we were all out
horseback riding one night after Miss
Oates first came, she said, purposely for
me - hear, that sticking on" was not
good riding by any means and made
fun of my ''old-fashioned" riding habit
And Caps tears splashed down on the
-dingy black calico.