Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-06-24

wouldn't be right; but we kin erford
a Pianer an never miss Their money"
Yes, 1 reckon we could erford, if we
WIS so a mind; but low we won't
Money comes too hard to be given out
for sech trash, an es fer humorin' theT
gals, it's all bosh. 1t 'ud Jest be the
spilin' oy 'em for work. They don have
NO need Nv no pianer, an they won't get
none"
Mrs. Shrimp saw that it was useless
to argue with Slime, so she refrained
from saying more, and the next morn
/ ing early he rode over to Bob Herring
tons to loan the money he received for
| the hogs.
Simon Shrimp was we'll to do, and
every year he reaped rich harvests from
lis many broad acres of productive
| land But so far as his family was con-
cerned he might as well have been the
poorest man in the settlement. He
| never had any money to spare for the
purchase of luxuries, and even the lit
tie that went for absolute necessaries
went so grudgingly as to make it pain
full. His wife felt herself fortunate if
she possessed a print gown fit % wear
in church, and the boys and girls had
long since ceased to go out in COM
pany for want of decent apparel All
Skrfmp's money went for more land,
or into the hands of the Herringtons.
Six months had passed since Shrimp
sold his fatted hogs. when one day,
while he was engaged in re-roofng his
shackled old barn, Squire Beeson rode
up and said:
"Mornin', Sime!"
How air ye, squirrel"
''Hev We heerd the news, Sime?"
NO; what news%'
''Erbout them Herringtons."
''No; 1 hain't," Slime said, turning sud-
denly pale with an unconscious dread.
what erbout emp
oval. it's er bad piece NV business,
femme tell We, an many er homes
mans a-goin' ter suffer from it." Then
the squire stopped, and, squirting one
eye, very deliberately chewed away on
his tobacco, while he left Shrimp agon-
izing on the rack of suspense.
what is it, man?" Simon demanded.
Speak out"
''Ther long an Their short Nv it is,
IL
er kite"
Down went Skrimp's hammer, but in
his excitement he missed the nail and
hit his thumb squarely, MASKING it al
most into jelly.
"D'ye reckon it's SOP" he gasped,
when he was little recovered from the
shock.
"Yas, 1 reckon it air." the squire went
on, coolly. ''Yistidy was down to the
county seat. an heern them a-talkin' Nv
it on every corner, an Their lawyers wus
er flynn erbout like tater bugs on er
hot skillet. Their hain't no doubt Nv it,
Slime, not Their least in Their world, an
KNOWN es how they he'd borried o. you,
1 thought it proper ter ride over an let
yer know"
But their LAM" Simon said; "all
them fine acres!"
"Yas, l know, but thet's kinder mort
gagged an decided around among their
selves an their wives. till Their hain't
nc doin' nothin with it. Leastwise their
creditors can't tech it,"
Simon Shrimp got down to the
ground in some way, though he could
never tell afterwards how. All that day
he felt like one in a dream, and for
years after, that time rose up before
him as horrid nightmare.
1t was several days before he was able
to ride, but when he felt equal to it he
had a horse saddled, and he rode over to
Bob Herrington's. He was shown into
the best room. and told to wait till Mr..
Harrington came up from dinner. 1t
was good half hour that Slime had to