Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-05-20

| What old Gabe called his "other clio IS"
hung on long, wooden pegs in the spare
| ROOM" whose window always stood
open, for the old man had lordly con-
tempt for burglars. But one day, when
| he went to get this extra suit, another
claimant had taken possession In the
wide-open pocket of the ridiculous old
coat a handful of straw was gathered.
and from the midst of it four naked
| heads, with gaping mouths, were lifted
at his approach.
well, dear me-" calculated the old
man, "ef that wren amt gone an made
a nest in my coat pocket. Did you ever
see the beat o. that fur downright i'm
pidence? The Plaguey little critter-
she knowed l wan a-goin' to poster 'er
an I'll bet she kinder winked her eyes
when she done it. She jes' says to her
self: Well, amt I a-playin' joke on
the ole man this time? Las year I
fooled i'm outen his other hat an this
wear he kin go without his Sunday coat
Blame the cunnin' little rascal any
way"
With a grin spreading all over his
face he hung the coat back on the peg,
carefully arranging it as it had been,
and he went coatless to church all that
summer. Il got my coat rented out, -
was his simple explanation.
EFF that want the cutest trick" he
said to those friends who found him
leaning over the fence afterward, and
whom he thought worthy to hear the
story. That little rascal played that
on me fur joke, jes' as plain as eff
she'd a-spent the whole year a-fggerin'
it out. I'll bet she watches me a-goin'
about without any coat on, an laughs
tell she can't see."
Even his few flowers took part in
the long conversations he carried on
with the world around him.
You're a-lookin' kinder droopy," he
would remark to some blossom as he
bent over it and touched its petals ten
DERBY. II reckon may be We want lit
tie water, don't ye? Yes, to be shore.
1t was a good thing ye spoke; eff ye
hadn't, this big, blunderin' ole fool
would "a let We starve to death. AL
ways a-thinkin' about hisself, he is, an
a-lettin' we set here an starve."
1t must be acknowledged that some
times his companions imposed on him
shamefuIly. Prince was especially des-
titute of those qualities with which the
old man, in his misplaced affection,
idealized him.
Come now, Prince" he would re-
mark to the dog as he was preparing
TO go to work in the morning, come
them clo'es eff you're done with 'em.
Come now, that's a good dog" But
Prince generally refused to "coL!e
now" and even growled when the e.
quest grew urgent, and the old man
abandoned the argument, and wore to
the field such miscellaneous garments
as he could gather together.
prince was a-layin' on my clo'es,"
he explained to the hired man on such
occasions, and there dismissed the SUBJ
ject, as though that were all the eN-
PLANTATION that could possibly be needed.
And the nearest approach that
Princes master ever came to injuring
any human being was when, on one of
these occasions, the hired man re-
marked, in gruff voice, that if the dog
was his he'd break his neck. The old
man turned pale and lifted the hoe
above his head. The next moment he
lowered the hoe and he went on work.
ing. The dog amt your'n,' he said.
And yet it was this same hired man
who carried to the outside world the
news of the last night spent by old
Gabe Carter.
THE ole man was a-wanderin' pretty
much all that evenin'," he said, medi-
tatively whiting a silver from a white
pine box at the grocery store. Il set up
with i'm. cause it didn't seem quite
right to leave i'm all alone; an he was
a-talkin' about all kinds o. fool things
rabbits, an birds, an sech truck-teH
you couldn't see. l thought may be he
wanted somethin' to eat, an l asked
I'm eff he wanted me to git a rabbit fur
is supper; an blamed eff he didn't
mighty nigh eat me up, he was so mad. |
An he was a-talking all the rest of the |
night about waterin' the flowers, an |
not botherin' that birds nes' in is coat |
pocket, an takin' keer o the cat an the |
dog-ies' a-wanderin' all night An |
along when mornin' was jes' beginnin' |
he says, all of a student: The birds is |
a-singin' fur day An then he turned |
over an went to sleep, jes' like he'd been |
l-waitin' fur that. | was mighty sorry |
be was a-wanderin' on that las night"
But no matter, since the wander
ngs" had led the gentle soul across into
the land of sunrise.-Ladies' Home !
Journal