Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-04-16

proudlike. Bud Frank, take the gentle.
men to the springhouse and give EN-
a bit of buttermilk. Fresh churned
this mornin', gentlemen. And you uns
do look like you'd been swalleria' 20
peck of dust all t'oncet."
Lumley took his hand off the latch
and faced toward the men.
Were foolin' away valerable time
gents. Will you step down to the milk
house and wet yo' whistles before we
start ag'in?''
Wont the gentlemen stay and take
bite?" Sues hospitality waxed ur-
gent as she perceived her father was
bent on pushing forward. "'Twon':
take me more'n half an hour, pop, to
get 'em sOmethin' hot"
They'll have something hot when we
ketch the Teller that done for Jeb Will
son; SO will he"
This witticism revived the tagging
energy of his followers, and after a
hurried excursion to the springhouse,
Sue had the satisfaction of seeing them
mount their horses and disappear down
the steep, stony bridle-path by which
they had come.
When the last hoof-beat had ceased
to sound upon the rocky ground, she
fed her prisoner, and loading him down
with provisions and good advice. sent
him away in an opposite direction from
that taken by the horsemen. He turned
and waved his hat to her before the
black woods swallowed him up.
'Of course, I won't never see him
again." she said, stolidly, "and don't
know as I care to; but lied for him,
right on top of nammy's Bible, and
that's goin' to make it hard for me to
forget him out and out"
In point of fact, she found it impos-
sible to forget him ''out and out" She
called herself mean-spirited creature
for clinging SO tenaciously to his Elem-
cry, but it did not mend the matter at
all.
Jeb Wilson's real slayer was discoY-
cred and summarily dealt with. Jeb
Wilson himself was well nigh forgotten
when Sue, sitting on the slab Smelling
corn, as she had been doiLg that event.
ing, lifted her eyes to guage the length
ening shadows of the familiar land
scape, as she had done on that evening,
and saw a man standing on the stiie
that spanned the rude yard fence.
She sat quite still, but slow, sweet
smile came to her lips and a glad light
into her clear, steadfast eyes.
"You be come back! What for?"
He was by her side in few swift
strides. He held out his hands to her
and smiled down into her uplifted face.
I'm building house over t'other
side of the dell"
''Oh, you be?"
'And I'm goin' to live there"
"Yes?" The color came and went in
The girls sunburnt checks in hot tor
rent.
I'm going to take my wife to live in
my house when it is finished"
PIT was almost whisper. She
fell to Smelling corn rs if the world held
TO other possible occupation for her
trembling little hands.
He seated himself boldly on the slab
by her side. He laughed and filled his
hands with corn she had shelled.
Don't you want to learn something
about the girl I'm building that house
for?''
IF you be anxious to talk about her."
81 am"
lie flung the corn from him, and the
pigeons came in white-winged throng
to repair the waste.
shes the pluckiest girl ever saw.
Shes worth ten dozen of me. She got
the dearest, clearest brown eyes in the
world, and-and once upon a time she
saved me from being hurried out of the
world by lot of idiots who insisted
upon calling me murderer"
Slowly the truth dawned upon Sues
mind. She leaned toward him with
hands folded on her knees.
Il lied for you on mammy's Bible.
How are we going to get around that?"
''We are not going to try to get around
it. We are going to forget it. No one
need know we ever met before"
And Sue placed her hand in his, with
a smile of absolute trust and content.
Pending the furnishing of his house
and the fencing of his farm, Martin
spent much time at the Lumleys. Peter
fancied he came there to learn wisdom
in farming of him. Frank thought he
came to learn how to make a colt pace.
Each ma sculine member of the Lumley
had his own solution Of the
mystery.
Sue alone knew why he came. Martin
alone knew how he had been saved
from an ignominious death by the SUI
perb courage of the mountain girl. No
one else will ever know how handsome
Bradley Martin came to throw himself
AWAY" IN pa$ar Tumley,c Cuo-N "
Ledger.