Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1903-03-12

u
stroked the hair of the weeping wo-
man. Dorothy raised her eyes to
look at the little face pressed to
hers. and then she started. A dozen
feet away stood Henry Egerton, an
expression of confusion and uncer-
tainty on his face.
He raised his hat and said:
pardon me, I've come for Virginia.
She ran away, and l could not catch
her until she crossed-crossed over
here.'
Dorothy still held the child in her
arms, and Virginia suddenly ex-
claimed:
Use found muzzer! Tze found
muzzer, Uncl' Hen'y. Here she is"
The face of the man worked
strangely. A softening of the firm
outlines made him look tender and
sympathetic.
"Poor Virginia lost her mother a
week ago." he murmured, land she
has come to live with me. / could
not bear to tell her the truth. But l
suppose l was wrong. Come, Vir-
ginia, come with Uncle Henry"
Not unless muzzer comes too"
pleaded the child.
The embarrassment of the man in
creased. Dorothy, understanding the
position of the two, suddenly raised
her eyes from the shock of brown
hair and said quickly:
Leave the child with mt a short
time. She is happy, and II need
some one"
There was a break in her voice, but
she continued with more self-control:
But l must go away for a doctor.
Father is very sick, and he needs
help and medicine"
Henry Egerton had been thinking
of the picture the two made framed
in the doorway, and he started at the
mention of her father. Then, APP
parently without thinking, he said:
"I1l go for the doctor if you'll keeI
Virginia until 1 return. I'll be back
SOON"
He strobe away rapidly without
glancing again at the picture, which
somehow had strangely affected him
and within ten minutes he was riding
fercely toward Oklahoma City. Dur
ing the ten miles he hardly saw al
object on the landscape, and wheI
he returned in company with thu
= physician he was quiet and taciturn
, Virginia and Dorothy were not il
, the doorway to greet him on his re
turn, but unmindful of the fued be
; tween the two families, he strod'
) into the small shack behind the ply
sician. Then, while that individual
: examined his patient, he waited pa
: tiently at the foot of the rude bee
I furtively watching two faces whicl
5 seemed inseparably associated tc
gether.
y Jared Wellington was a long tim
9 in bed, and the fever wasted him to
u skeleton. Nature had robbed him o
the power and strength to protec
!, his shack from the approach of tn
enemy. But before his complete rt
, covery the dead line" had been oil
liberated. The little footsteps of Vii
{ ginia had worn a smooth path acros
: it from shack to shack, and ofte
Henry Egerton followed after hi
~ tiny niece, "to go an see muzzer'
Somehow there was as much attrat
ton for him as for the innocent chilt
II who had found in it's bereavemeI
another who quickly healed tn
e wound.
Then one day Henry Egerto
L. walked to the old shack with line
drawn tighter around his mouth, an
with eyes hardened to bear a ne
Is burden. The decision of the cour'
Us in their respective claims had bee
handed down. The ownership of IL
lie valuable quarter-section was decide
d forever. Beyond the hearing of Il
a convalescent man, who sat i'll the ST
lie in the doorway, Egerton told tt
T. news to Dorothy. Under the BLU
he announcement she paled and f1ush'
~ by turns. Then pity for the draw
face before her made her exclaim:
"Oh, I'm sorry for you, Mr.. Eye
p ton. 1 think you should w half
is "No, it was all or none. Now II
or courts have decided it all belongs
" your father. I'm an interloper, al
VI must leave at once. You have Il
er right to order me off before night
w "But l won't do it, Mr.. Egertor
Dorothy replied, with a bright smi
"You can stay as long as you like"
a. "No man could do that unless"
81 Observation-Disclosures you will let I
VI work the place for you. [ could ST.
~ as your hired man until your faith
III was well again; but I won't. l wou
:. stay at your bidding-if-if-y
. would always be Virginia's mother
he Dorothy held forth a trembli;
= hand. He seized it and covered
~ with kisses, hastily interpreting t
III action as a plea to stay, and Dorot
did not have the courage to bre
OF his illusion. Then from the shade
TO of the shack a small figure todd
= forth and a baby's voice exclaime
"Muzzer, make UncI' Hen'y stay {
play bear with me. I wants him."
Dorothy, with a happy smile a
lis cleaning eyes, picked the child up
ny her arms and replied between h
's- caresses: "He will stay, Virginia, a
he shall play bear with you all t
morning."--N. Y. Times.
lily
he