Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-04-15
From TarheeiIana.
AsHEv1LLE, y. C., April 6. 1897.

Looking about me upon the objects
rendered familiar By oar five months
sojourn. l confess that a portion of
sadness alloys the Joy of home-going-
On the 21st day of November, 1896.
We landed in Asbeville, strangers in a
strange land, without Z single friend
IL greeting 10 bid US welcome, Or any
one to note the event of our coming
We had left the world we knew BE-
hind Us, and the thread of life, broken
from its base. must take new anchorage.
All old things must give place to new;
the daily associations of forty years
and their fruits were 10 become but a
memory. No matter # only for pre-
scribed period, the cutoff for the time
being was as absolute as if the span OF
ages lay between. Excepting the
name of the town. all was new and
strange-even the name Of the hotel
before which the car halted - the
Swannaroa-was forbiddingly unique:
a cognomen drawn evidently from a
language deader than any descended
from the sages of the somber-browed
ancient Orient lis true, the portals
of the hostelrie stood invitiugly open,
and the shining visage of the ebony
hued porter grinned professional wei
come as he relieved me of the burden
some grips; but knew it was per-
fuuctory duty - sharpened, perhaps,
by fee expectant - that moved the
well-springs OF his being. Between
the files formed by hotel attaches and
idly interested guests we were mar
shalled to the Office bar and caused to
put ourselves on record. Even the
Eindly face of the clerk-since grown
familiar and pleasant TO think upon
could not penetrate the armor of our
desolation. The formal bedroom to
which we were assigned looked out
upon a backyard on whose CRASHES
domain a pair of melancholy goats
were grazing. Only, the sun shoneI
bright and the air was soft and balmy.
No telling what catastrophe a lower
ing sky aud dismal rain might have
brought forth! Even the dinner-that
healing balm 10 sore distress-gave
but nonentary ray of comfort to my
darkened inner consciousness. The
first letter from home came the second
day after our arrival-earlier by sew
eral days than we had expected, and
from one unlocked for. It was an
agreeable surprise-the writer never
wrought with studied effort a sweeter
pleasure-and l acknowledge that be-
fore I had finished its reading my vo-
cal muscles got clear beyond control.
1t was from ''hOme" and Of s'home," y"
the nearest and dearest sound known
to the tongue.
| But time conGuers all things is
truer maxim than the old labor OnlRid
Uincn. We formed acquaintance; the
room took on a more cheerful aspect;
and the backyard was enlivened by
the presence of two boys engaged in
breaking the aforesaid goats to a
wagon suitably fashioned to their
strength. The distant greeting grew
into a more familiar good morning,
and the strange faces of our fellow
guests softeued into friendly recogni-
ton. As the metal is attracted to the
magnet. so congenial spirits met and
friendships were formed which trust
will not soon give way to the weaken
ing influence of separation, nor be lost
in the shuttle of life's tumultuous as
pirations. a semblarce of home life
faint but pleasantly degrees crept in
to the cold formality OF chance asso-
citation: the rigid lines of polite exac-
ton were relaxed; aud some OF the
pleasures of living came halting to the
rescue of our loneliness. The memo
~ of the old home, too. was no longer
bitter regret, but resolved itself into
sweet anticipation of days to come. So
time went on, and now the appointed
hour is at hand!
| THE DEPARTURE
The luggage has been tagged, check
ed and sent ahead TO the station. We
have taken a last look at the room and
its familiar articles of furniture, and
it is notable the emptiness caused by