Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-01-07
TRONTON. MO. Y, JANUARY 2 1897
NUMBER %.


other liquid layout for himself, solel.
to be good company and to relieve th'
tension of his spirits.
The protege ate. and ate, and ate
and drank. aud drank, and drank
Not word did he utter after the frs
mouthful until he had unbuttoned thu
last thorn that confined his now all toC
circumscribed duster. Then bill
thanks burst forth anew, and he over
whelmed his patron with ardent,
gushing expressions of grateful. tear
full acknowledgment. But the Cap
tain, after paying the bill, besought
him to spare his blushes, and sough,
TO ''shut him out" by n hasty retreat
| to his hotel.
/" One moment, my benefactor. my
preserverr entreated the now CON-
pletely restored protege. You found
me dying of starvation. and have Civ
en- me new life! You. an utter strang.
er, acted without hope Of Tee or rs-
| ward-where In the long past was it
heard those words? No matter! 'Tis
true, and fain would I show that q
heartless world has not berereit me OF
| ingratitude. Hold! / will--yes, by
heaven, / will make even the last and
greatest sacrifice to the promptings Of
my heart! My savior and rescuer'--
leading the Captain apart from the
group that the unwonted scene had as.
sembled-'you found me, as / said,
starving and exhausted even to faint
ing. You will be Astonished TO learn
that even then bore upon my tattered
person that which would nave pur-
chased two hundred-nay. two thou.
sand-meals at the Blue Store! Yet /
could not prevail upon my foolish
pride to part with the heirloom Of five
hundred years-no, not even 10 keep
soul and body together. But what
are the cravings of a hungry stomach
to the promptings OF gratitude such rs
now overpower me? Stranger. have
seen better days! The name OF Mes
senhelmer has been unknown 10 neith-
er tame, riches or glory. 'Twere too
tedious to recount our decline and fall,
nor would it possess interest to those
who know not of me or my progenitots.
Behold all that remains of the past
grandeur of our house! 1t came to me
as the last lineal descendant, trans
mitted from father to son for twelve
generationsr
"Plucking from his bosom package
of dirty paper, he unrolled it with
tender care. dropping the wrappings
to the floor. until there remained In
his hand pure white diamond OF the
first wateri The Captains eyes
sparkled-for he 10 q connoiseur In
diamonds-but his mouth gave no ut
terance. Tenderiy the forlorn straug-
er gazed at the sparkling object. and
for a moment his emotions overcame
him and stilled his tongue; but only
for a moment, and then his better feel
ings triumphed. He extended his
hand and that it held TO his patron.
=. Take this. kind friend-msy call
you so?-as token OF my feelings! It
is worth in the markets OF the world
an unknown price. but / freely give it
you-nay. will not be refusedr
But said the Captain, .if take
this you will surely starve; you have
no other source of sustenance, even In
your direst need
My time on earth feel is short.
and scant the price to carry me TO the
end of my pilgrimage. Nay. then. II
you will have it so, take the stone aud
pay me what plttance you will. Only.
let part of its worth show my graft.
tude If you would not give to poverty
its deepest sting-its inability to st.
test the holiest of emotions! Return
me, If you will. say, $50, which will
carry me to the land Of my fathers.
that my bones shall rest with theirs'
the residue OF the value shall remind
you OF one who was unfortunate but
not ungrateful.'
1.-The Captain still hesitated. The
brilliant was worth at least, according
to his mental computation, $500; could
he consent to this poor fellows volan-
tarily robbing himself OF $3.50 TO graf
ify what was perhaps but a momentary
gush of feeling? Would 1t be right!
Yet, on the other hand. the owner
seemed to have already sundered near
ly all the ties that bind mortal to the
earth, and he gazed so wistfully at bis
benefactor aud besought him 30 tear
fully with those cavernous eyes! The
Captain finally did what most OF US do
with our consciences: he comprOmis'
ed. He took the diamond, but insist
ed on returning 800 bill, which bis
protege reluctantly accepted. Ther
they parted-the Captain to his hotel,
and the last OF the Messenheimers tC
the homo of bis fathers.
/ Next morning the Captain went e
an expert dealer in precious stones
/ m