Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1903-05-14

Win young anu very picttf prIuc'
Taken thus unawares, the women
friends of the late Mrs. Milligan re-
scented the act as an outrage on the
names of their valued friend, es-
pecially as the newcomer was said to
be younger than the youngest daugh-
ter of her predecessor. But curiosity
soon got the better of indignation,
and all the friends of the deceased, in
best bib and tucker, trooped to call
on and criticise the new-made wife.
1t was averred that if Mr.. Milligan
had not been handsome and rich, and
a candidate for political honors, his
girl-bride would not have looked at
him, which was only to say that she
had chosen him on his merits, and
that his future was the only part of
his career which she concerned her.
self.
As acquaintance with the new Mrs.
Milligan grew more intimate it was
decided in social councils that she
would do. Her toilettes were sur
prising revelations of cosmopolitan
fashions. She was gay and good-na-
tured, and seemed more than willing
to add to the gaity of nations. She
proved herself a good church-worker,
too, and entered heartily into every
scheme to promote the welfare and
pleasure of the community in which
she was to play her part. She spent
her husbands money with a lavish
hand, recalling the fact that the late
Mrs. Milligan was a little near
Moreover she won the hearts of the
younger women by sharing with them
all her newest fads in fashion, and
when a bevy of young maidens from
her native town trooped over and
filled the lately opened mansion with
laughter, song and merriment, the
young men flocked to Mrs. Milligan's
standard in a body and, as in duty
bound, their elders followed.
Mr.. Milligan was a good deal bewild'
cred by this sudden influx of youth
and iollity. He had not counted or
a resurrection of his dead youth
when he allied his autumn days tt
those of budding spring. He hat
been so long the idol of his wife's
worship, the II object of her unre
Taxing attention, that he felt himself
dethroned, and stood around a little
a~wkwardly, throwing out tendrils Of
endeavor to catch on to the whirlins
spirit of gaiety that surrounded him
He somewhat resented the patron
izing airs of the younger men, who
reminded him of the decades he hat
passed, by offers of assistance which
he deemed superiuous. He even pu
on his glasses with the feeling tina
he was Haunting a signal that Eccle
siastes had included in a record o:
old age. But he was a sensible maj
who had, perhaps, done a foolisl
thing, and the connubial habit being
a complacent one, readily adjust
itself to the inevitable.
One rainy evening as Mr.. Milligal
was homeward bound after a bus,
day, feeling depressed and dis
appointed, for wheat had fallen
point or two, and rumors from hi
congress district discouraged hi
prospects for a nomination, he sud
denly remembered, rs he caught tn
glow of a caterers window, that hi
wife had enioined him to order som
iced cream for the coming evening
entertainment. Some details &C
companied the order which he ran
sacked his memory to recall, an
| failing in this he recollected that tn
late Mrs. Milligan had always pre-
ferred lemon and vanilla, so retrae
ing his weary steps he left the ia
| miliar order and made his wa
} homeward.
As he entered the brightly lighte
l hall the vision of a beautiful youn
woman in gay evening dress descend
ed the stairway, and, at first, ami
the ribbons and laces and flowers @
, her elaborate toilette, he did nc
/ recognize his young wife. But whe
, he did, feeling that it was a fin
thing to be the ~possessor of S
charming a young creature, an
: thrilling at the sight, he forgot hi
WEAKNESS and encouragement an
advanced towards her with ou'
t stretched arms.
t "No, no." cried the vision in swii
retreat, don't touch me-; you ar
dripping with rain and | cannot hay
e my fresh laces and ribbons crushed
Hang up your wet things and g
right in and dress. You haven't
D moment to lose. Mary has laid OF
your dress suit. No, 1 didn't put i
your shirt studs. What with plal
ming and practising and dressing Nv
had too much on my mind"
She vanished through the door {
the dining room across the hall, an
s with her giriish voice in his ears gi
ing orders for the arrangement {
q the table, Mr.. Milligan entered tt
library at the opposite side an
passed into his bedroom beyond
for he was old-fashioned enough I
insist on sleeping down stairs.
The gas had not been lighted, b,
S a coal fire in the CRATE made a plea
ant glow in the room that painte
d the dusk and winked from the pc
ished panels of the furniture. III
first impulse of the weary man WI
r to sink into the armchair before tt
e fire, but with his hand on the bae
s he was suddenly arrested in his il
tention by the knowledge of a pre-
ence in the room, seated in a chair
little withdrawn from the reflectic
e of the fre-a familiar figure, that
It had seen seated there many TIM
e before. :
a The gown that outlined HI
IS matronly figure was of a fashion
the by-gone day. Her dark, pla
n bonnet half concealed her gray ha
W md p;oba1 n fona wan and pathafi