Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-03-14
NUMBER 81

She had a big pole in her hand, and
nothing on her head; her hair was cut
short and sto cd up like porcupine
quilts. Arms and legs naked, and the
only garment she had on was a kind
of smock with straps over her should
ers to hold the dress up. and it just
reached her knees. AS she stood
glaring at US. said, Come to the
fire. Lyd." She stamped her foot on
the floor and brought the end of her
pole down on the floor. I said again,
''Lyd, come to the fire."
When she saw did not act as if I
was afraid of her, she came towards
the fire. I set chair for her, and she
sat down and looked at the little child
rem. who had all stepped around back
of my chair. said, .'Lyd, amt you
cold?" She snapped out, "No! my
temper keeps me warm.
Then 1 asked her, "Ar'n't you hun
gry?''
She said, Eyes, / am."
So got her plate of baked beans
right out of the old bake-oven, and
good slice of pork, and some bread
and doughnuts. And the poor Great
ure did eat! After she had gone, we
all ran to the window to watch her as
she went wading through the deep
snow, with her bare feet and legs. o,
we felt so sorry for her, the poor
creature! have all my life felt glad
l governed my fear and fed and warm
the poor outcast. What ever became
of her never learned. What a pity!
Another queer person in our country
was man who owned a farm up in
the mountains, about four or five miles
south of US. He had got the idea he
and his family were going to starve.
So, as soon as he would get up he
would put on his hat and start out
sometimes in one direction and some
times in another. At almost every
every house he would walk in without
knocking or any salutation, with hat
on his head. AS he walked in he
would say, BREAD" When folks that
knew him saw him coming they would
put loaf of bread on the table, and
as soon as he said, "Brea1," they
would hand the loaf to him. He would
put the loaf under his left arm, and
with his right hand break off chunks
of bread and just cram it in his mouth,
as if he was feeding a sausage mill.
And there he would stand or sit until
the whole loaf had disappeared. Then
he would. without word, walk out
and travel for another house. So he
would go, day after day.
Another queer person lived on a lit
tie place adjoining my fathers farm.
She was an old maid. Everybody
called her s.Aunt Easter" Her house
stood out even with the road, with no
yard in front and two-story back. The
lot back of the house had been at some
time pond. She had all of this lot
set IN mulberry trees, from which she
fed silkworms, as she made silk every
year. One of our neighbors said one
day, "Aunt Easter never combs her
hair from the time she begins TO feed
her silkworms until they have wound
or gone into their cocoons; then she
would sit down and comb a peck of
silk balls out of her hair"
But of all the mean queer men ev-
er saw-it does not matter what his
name was or where he lived: while we
were building the old homestead, one
Sunday morning, before breakfast. that
man came and said he wanted coffin
made for his daughter. He said, Il
did not bring the measure. but you
can be dressing the plank" You see,
in those early days we did not have
undertakers. where you could get any
sort of a coffin. l have seen people
buried In a very rough pine board box.
About ten o'clock, l took measure
and rode to the house. AS ! got off
and hitched my horse, l saw the house
was full of folks. AS / came to the
door the father came aud met me, and
as he took hold of me looked in and
saw a woman sitting up in bed talking
to the company. The old man said.
Don't go in just yet; she amt quite
dead yet"
1 said, ..Is that her sitting up in
bed talking?"
He said, That's her."
lust wanted to knock that old sim
ner's head for him and l am afraid
said some things to him that would
not look very we'll in book or asound
very we'll to ears polite. But know
he found out my opinion of himself.
Oh. was too angry to remember the
Injunction, ..Be ye angry and sin not. ="
told him wished the coffin was for
him; l would make it for nothing.
That woman did die that day some
time.
Well, it takes all sorts of people to
ma ke a world! L. +. Il.
nh n a