Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1901-08-15

~ Gnu C8Q 1H6 TO6Q E6Q
along Shepherd Mountain to
Shepherd Valley, as the site
OF this town was then called,
and thence on to Arcadia, crossing
Stout's Creek where the railroad bridge
now spans hat stream, and entering
the town over Fort Hill. There we're
no bridges in those days, and as Knob
and Stout's creeks i~ntersected the route,
their crossing in winter when the
streams were flush was not easy and
comfortable. It is true some public
spirited citizen, moved by his own
necessity as we'll, would occasionally
fell a tree across the creek. but the
first freshet would lift it from its rest
ing place and float it down, so that
even this primitive abridgment of the
wayfarer's difficulties was certain, like
a fair-weather friend, to be most lack
ing when most needed. After exhaust
ing various devices, l finally adopted
the radical method of wading. Wheth-
er that the bath was naturally uncUn-
genial, or that, however refreshing
and up-building when enjoyed in rea-
son, l won't say; but know that the
daily plunge and, the wetness hat Of
ten came from overhead, succeeded in
developing a full-grown, irst-class
case of lung fever in the spring, which
came pretty nearly avoiding me the
troubles and trials of later years, with
their t~incture of hopes and pleasures.
In the spring of 1857 the family re-
moved to IRONTON, as the name of
the new town was set forth in black
letters on the posters announcing its
birth, cutting the distance to school in
half, and a foot bridge was thrown
over Stout's Creek, thus making the
way easy.
At that time the only places OF resort
in the 'scity'' were the two stores here
tofore mentioned, excepting of course
the grocery" This last named in
stitution was primitively evere in its
simplicity: a log building of very
modest dimensions, with a clapboard
roof held in place by unhewn crossing
timbers. The interior was as plain
and as little blessed with comfortable
aids to conviviality as the severest
modern statute could deYise. 1t was
divided into two rooms-a sleeping
apartment and the bar. The floor was
of puucheon, and the counter was of
the same; and, as a friend suggests.
on gala days when the ''red Ticker"
flowed freely. punchin' was The general
order. There were no decanters or
frail, thin-lipped glasses made to hold
a moderate dram, and their introduce
ton in those robust days would proba-
bly, have bred a riot amongst the pat
rons. No; 8 spigoted barrel of red
eye reposed on the counter and by its
side a pint tin cup. The thirsty Gus
toner put down his half-dime, took up
the cup, turned the faucet and helped
himself to the limit, If he desired.
Even then the profit to the seller was
ample, for he had little or no license
to pay, and the finest article of whiskey
sold at twenty cents a gallon by the
barrel. That was before intelligent
Americans had grasped the beauty of
barterlng away their inherited liber-
ties in order to avoid the payment of
a few dollars in direct taxes. The AL
mighty Dollar had its worshippers
then, too, but they hadn't braced them
selves up to the lengths into which the
latter-day swirl of money-getting has
led them.
Saturday was the day of the week at
the grocery" and there was no pes
tiferous marshal to interfere with or
let the full swing of cornwall spirits.
Bloody noses and BACKED eyes rounded
out the proceedings, but knife or pistol
was rarely used. The question be-
fore the meeting was rs to who was
1.-The best man" and disgrace followed
a resort to adventitious aids to physic-
al ability, the offender being inconti-
nently stricken from the roll of good
fellowship.
But the stores were the places of at
traction for me-more especially that
presided over by Mr.. David Hum
phreys. ''Uncle Davy" was a bachelor
on the down-hill side of life. The cause
of his single-blessedness-so opposed
to the nature of the man-was a mys-
terry which descended into the grave
with him. He was as nearly perfect
in all the attributes to true manhood
as is possible under the eternal ban.
courageous in conviction, charitable
in the true sense of the word t. his
fellow men, and in integrity beyond
question. He was, withal, a phileso-
pher, and accepted the good and ill
the Fates sent him without exaltation
or murmur. To a boy of my age his
companionship, Notwithstanding the
bridge of years between US, was es-
pecially congenial. He talked to me
freely and sometimes very ~instructively
as we'll as entertainingly. His phIloso-
ply was educed from experience rather
than books, and his conclusions were
underplnped with solid fact drawn
from the quarry of shrewd personal
observation.
One evening, while discussing neigh
borhood events and gossip, he said to
me abruptly, '.Eli, there are some
handsome girls at the Seminary; have
you fallen in love with any one of
themP" The question knocked me off
my feet, as it were, and the confused
manner of my denial was proof posi-
tive to him that in this instance words,
which it has been said were made to
conceal thoughts, failed in their func-
ton. He laughed, but the light in his
eyes grew more kindly. Never mind,
my boy;. it's an experience that comes
to all-girls as we'll as boys-and they
live for q time in the seventh heaven.
But it passes after q while, for one