Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1903-04-23

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her mother had stayed. She could
think of nothing to say, and
wondered what other women said
on such occasions. 1t was fearfully
new and difficult to her.
However, Mr.. Smith was not at a
loss for something to say. He
launched out into the subject of
crops, butter, hogs, chickens and
other kindred things, told the exact
quantity of corn he gave his COW
his hogs and his horse, and discussed
at great length the value of various
kinds of grain as food for animals,
and wound up with the assertion
that shorts done a critter more
harm than good"
After a decent interval he opened
on the subject uppermost in his
mind. He had given the matter much
thought, he said, and had come to the
conclusion it would be a very suitable
match. She and her mother needed
a man on her farm, and now that all
his children were gone and doing for
themselves he could come and take
charge of the place and run it as it
ought to be run. Then he went on to
tell what alterations he would make,
what crops he would plant, what par
ticular cows he would keep, and what
ones he would sell. So he talked on
and on of all his plans, calculations,
hopes and ambitions, as if he would
never come to an end.
AS he talked, Lavinia, leaning back
in her chair, watched him in a dreamy
sort of a way. All her life she had
a hazy kind of belief that a man
would CONF some time, and now he
had come. This was the long-looked-
for man, but somehow she was not
quite satisfied. She had a lurking re-
sentiment toward fate for affording
her nothing better after her long
wait.
Mr.. Smith had a grating, disagree
able voice and his mouth was particu-
larly dreadful when he smiled. She
would marry him, of course, but why
had he proposed to come to the
brides home instead of taking her to
his? She could not know that a
mortgage was about to be foreclosed
on the Smith homestead.
After what seemed to Lavinia an in
terminable time the clock struck
nine, and PARROT Smith had about
exhausted every subject of conversa-
ton of which he was master. For the
last few minutes he sat almost
nodding with open mouth and his
head very high.
1t was his bedtime, yet he tried to
sit a while longer, but his eyes closed
and his mouth opened so often that
he had to give it up and, concluding
that it was a "pesky unsatisfactory
thing to make love to Lavinia Brown"
got up, re%marking something about
his horse gettin' uneasy an he be-
lieved as they both knew their w
minds there want no use putin
things off, an so he would appoint the
day an make arrangements, an be
sure an tell the old woman that he
meant the square thing by them
both.
cts all right, amt it?" he con-
Guided, looking down at Lavinia.
81 guess t is" she answered, an odd
expression to her patient eyes.
"All right, them" he said briskly;
take keer of YOURSELF He went into
the kitchen and began to hustle into
his things and soon he was driving
out of the yard and away.
Lavinia never moved from her
chair. She was engaged. Over and
over again she told herself she was
engaged. But through it all she won
dered if this event brought as little
satisfaction to all women as it
brought to her. She had a pitiable
feeling that something was lacking
in her case. She would not tell her
mother to-night-she could not. 1t
would be time enough in the morn
ing.
When she went up to her room she
took down the little glass and looked
at herself. She had become engaged
since she had seen her reflection last,
and now she looked on herself as
almost another person. 1t was cold
in the room and the wind whistled
against the windows, but Lavinia was
not cold. Her mind was in a state
of confusion and she felt vaguely as
if some awful calamity that she had
no power to resist, was about to be.
fall her. Ordinarily she would be
asleep in five minutes after getting
into bed, but now it seemed to her
that she could never sleep again. She
lay hour after hour listening to the
wind and thinking, thinking, think.
ing.
1t was nearly two o'clock in the
morning that Mrs. Brown became
aware of her daughter standing over
her wrapped in a comforter and
wringing her hands and saying wild
"
Mother, mother, I can't, I can't do
it! Mother, you tell him I can't, an
1 won't, I won't, I won't!"
Her mother put out her hand and
patted her daughters arm.
"There, there, dear; don't you
worry. Have you gone and engaged
yourself to that man?"
"Yes, but I amt going to stay en-.
gaged!" Lavinia cried, excitedly. "You
tell him, mother; won't you"
"That's all right. I guess I have
lived long enough in the world not to
be afraid of PARROT Smith. I want
a-goin' to let him get we anyway. He's
after this farm, an I'll tell him it
was left to me an I can will it to
whom / please, an PARROT Smiths
wife shan't have it. Go to bed, deary.
I guess we can get along by our
selves a while longer"