Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-12-03
TRIBULATIoNsoFELIzA
BY M1LLER PURvIs.

There was note of Interrogation at
the end of this guess" and the tone in
which it was uttered, and the peculiar
accent took me bnck to the gentle hills
of the Western Reserve, which knew
must be a-blaze with the spIendor of the
autumn. burning red and yellow, pur-
pie and brown under the dun skies of
Indian summer. thought of all these
things in that instant which comes be-
twees G1csp and waking when one is
suddcnly spoken to. Before opened
Gpy eyes had fancied that was stand
ing On the hills back of Mantua station
looking across that wide valley at one
of the fairest scenes under the sun.
am not certain that was not dream
ing of day long gone when 1 stood
with those green meadows, fruit-laden
orchards and bare potato fields and said
to myself: Here lives peace, and this
is surely the valley of content
Whether it was a fading dream that
brought these things into my mind or
the voice that reused me, matters not.
L opened my eyes to see standing above
me a tall and angular but kindly coun-
tenanced old man, who has guessed
as to my dwelling place.
1t was O day when the birds sing be-
cause all nature is in harmony; such a
day as one catches himself grooming
over the familiar old ballads of boy
hood, and, firing of all the ceaseless
crash and smoky skies of the city,
had mounted my wheel and ridden in
to the country without thinking of
where I was going or caring when L
should come back.
BY the side of a sluggish stream,
after my cyclometer had counted near
ly 80 miles, stopped, and on the brown
turf that bordered had lain down to
enjoy perfect idIeness, remote enough
from any habitation to feel secure of
being alone.
There dreaming such dreams as
make every man or woman a poet, IN
der skies that seemed to be within
whispered strange, sweet stories or
far-oR lands where life drifts on like
some lotus dream, / suppose 1 fell
asleep.
was not particularly pleased at be-
ing brought back to earth so suddenly,
but 1 was in no mood to be rude that
day, and sat up before responding to
the implied question that had been
asked me.
IL guess you have guessed it," said.
81 see your machine standin' there
sg'in that willer all alone an was won
derin' where it come from an come
over this way to see an see the one
toed p'ints of your shoes a-stickin' up
an then / knowed to once that you
come from taown. Say! Where dye
keep yer other toes, an'way?"
The implication that my shoes served
as guide to indicate my whereabouts
while the rest Of my person was con-
-cealed, did not annoy me in the least
and just to hear the old man talk in
that old familiar "down east" dialect,
was worth much to me.
"You live near here, guess?" sug-
gested, yelling my question in the true
Yankee style that inherited from an
cestral Vermonters.
"Y-e-s," he responded, as Il reluctant
to admit the fact; y may say live
around here, though have been calc'-
latin every year that would go back
east to stay the rest of my days, an die
when my time comes"
It was the same old story that had
heard so many times. One who is
born to the breezy hills and the wide
reaches of the valleys is never fully
contented with the monotonous level of
the prairie.
How long have you lived here?'
asked, Stimulating an interest that had
no lodging place in my breast.
81 come out here in 81, when this hull
country was nothin' bit water an
grass an sky as fur as you could see.
Been considerable change sence then"
He sat down and began to break n will
low twig which he picked out of the
grass.
Chicago wasn't much of a town
then, / suppose?"
NO, it didn't amount to much,
though hain't never been much inter
ested in Chicago. 1t was big enough
for me when come here, an it's too big
now with all them crowds on the street
as IL there was q circus in town every
day in the year. I go up there once in
awhile, but come back feelin' as if
had a swarm o. bees in my head an
vowin' / won't go there ag'in till have
to-"
ct suppose the growth of the city has
added to the value of your land some
what?"
yes. oh. yes; amt got word to
say as to that, though when a man has
a farm an lives on it, it don't make
much difference what the lands with
as long as prices of products don't go
up"
Really was too lazy to discuss any
question and Tor space silence fell be-
tween US. I noted his hard hands,
his kindly sun-tanned face. his hat, evil
IDENTIFY bought for dollar back toward |
the silurian period somewhere, but
did not feel like talking.
"Yes, me an Jud. Bramwell come
here nigh onto As year ago." said my |
companion at last, as If he had been re-
viewing his life Eve had mighty lit
tie money, an we was glad enough to |
tackle the rich soil an try 10 lay by |
something for the comm time when we
should want to rest"
You succeeded, / suppose?r 1t /
seemed impossible for me to get out of
the interrogative manner of my forefa-
Tiers, and am not certain but there
was an Inherited prolongation of the
word ..yeaou'' that sounds so delicious
% the ear and looks so dreadfully awful
"a print. .DrcadfuIiy awful" is
phrase I learned from our Office pirl. l,y