Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1900-11-29

4@9 w. g&AS E2S - 1Ao 4G1 LAX MAJ
into the house.
"Wife, here is a jaded man who will
be our guest if we give him an easy
bed and wholesome fare. And he
must have every care, for he fought
with the Green Mountain boys under
Macomb and Strong"
The landlords wife, a woman of
| girth and good nature, murmured q
welcome with a courtesy of respect.
She also marked the pallor and brood
ing sadness of the stranger, and her
sympathies went out to him.
No host eve had a more peculiar
guest. His response to a hesitating
query as to what name he might be
called by was to lay down a few
pieces of gold.
"Now, landlord" he said, ''let me
see your rooms"
He selected a spacious apartment
in the back of the house which looked
out on the deep woods.
But little sun fnds its way in
here" remarked the landlord, appre-
hensiyely.
"Never fear that 1 shall like it less
on that account said the stranger.
Here / can imagine myself in the
heart of the forest and at all times
shall be free from the scrutiny of
your chance guests, who might take
it i'll that l should prefer to be alone.
For, understand, landlord, my cnm-
plant wants the tonic OF silence and
privacy. As l look about l see that
these surroundings suit me we'll. That
old oak bed with the great head
piece and high canopy is like the n
in which / slept in my fathers house;
the settee yonder I can draw up to
the fire on the open hearth ii we
should have a cold rainstorm, such as
sometimes breaks in these mountains
in the summer months; and the broad
mahogany table will serve me to write
on when the mood seiZes NE. Now. as
1 have ridden far since ~daybreak,
spread a meal for me in this room,
and don't forget to send up a bottle
of %claret, or. if you have not that.
some home-brewed ale. Indeed, L
should like to eat here always, and
I am prepared to pay you for the eN-
ira service L shall require"
A preference for s%eclusion so strict
was a new experience to the land
lord, who was one of the most socia-
BILE of beings, and he withdrew with
out comment or suggestion, being
struck dumb with establishment. In
half an hour he returned with a tray
on which smoked a dish of broiled
chicken, very tender and juicy, some
baked potatoes, a lettuce salad, a
plate of homemade bread and the
freshest of butter, and Indian meal
pudding and a jar of honey. The
claret vas not wanting, and the coat
of dust on the bottle told of many
years of u~ndisturbed repose in the
landlords cellar.
at is really a Burgundy" said he
land if the praises of Gen. Strong's
officers count for anything you will
find it palatable."
The stranger, who had scarcely no
ticed the preparations for his enter
tainment, nodded, but said not a
word. As the landlord went out again
he thought that he heard a sigh es-
cape his guest, deep-drawn and
mournful, as of one in mental an
guish-
"In some trouble which he must
bear all alone, I fear" said the land
lord; and this surmise he lost no time
in communicating to his wife.
AS the days wore On the landlord
found his guest more peculiar, mystic
rious and taciturn. When the wealth
er was fine he left the inn o o after
breakfast, and, avoiding footpaths,
plunged into the recesses of the for
oct Ca11a- li1 hn rafurn before
nightfall, and if rain OF hunger drove
him home he approached the house
from the rear, ascending to his room
by a private stairway. Once OF twice
the landlord observed him scanning
the entrance to the inn from a dis
lance with a distrust and uneasiness
that was unaccountable.
When the weather was Indictment
the stranger shut himself in his room,
porting over books and writing, or
pacing the floor with restless feet.
His lamp burned far into the night,
and in its still watches his tread
often resounded through the house.
Without doubt the agitation of mind
which this sentinel duty denoted re-
ve1yed around people far distant, and
liz 4Af0o o6oAA
ment and distraction.
The landlords wife was sure that
she sometimes heard their guest
strike his clinched hands together as
he walked, and utter groans of re-
morse. At first these signs of aber-
ration gave the landlord some I'M
easiness, for he thought he might be
harboring a criminal, or feared that
his guest might soon be more in need
of an asylum for the demented than
of the refuge and creature comforts
of an inn. But after n OF these
nights of stress and d~isquietude h
stranger emerged so self-contained
and serene of front that the landlord
and his wife were treasured.
One evening, after nightfaIl of q
day lowering with storm clouds and
oppressive with the m~utterings of
thunder, that the hills cast back and
forth somewhere in the distance, a
travelling carriage drew up at the
door of the inn. and there alighted
a ~weu-favored gentleman and a lady
of striking beauty. They were both
young, and evidently people of dis
tinction.
Landlord" said the gentleman, as
the host of the Green Mountain house
fastened out to meet the travellers,
'the storm seems about to break, and
if O can accommodate us we viii
pass the night here"
81 have more accommodations than
puests." said the landlord, with frank