Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1904-10-20

You're q good brother. Jimmy
Bills eyes were wet. bus the girls
hand was upon his shoulder and there
was joy upon his face.
Abruptly Jim turned and walked to
his dray. They watched him until q
grove hid him from sight, but not once
did he look back. Then the two men
returned to the storey and the woman
went into the house, leaving Bill and
the girl talking blissfully together ovef
the back fence.
Shortly afterward Mr.. Tunk de
parted for home. cogitating deeply
within himself.
Now maybe them two boys is the
biggest fools in these parts"-thus ran
his thoughts-"but l doubt 1t consid-
cradle. l doubt if there amt a bigger
fool than either n of 'em keepin'
store right in Wigglefork this minute,
and 1 doubt If he'd get out from under
a strain Of emotion half as graceful as
they did, Jim especially. I wouldn't
be a bit surprised if he'd break right
down and blubber-I wouldn't, by GIN
ger!" He chuckled softly and ficked
with his whip a bush by the roadside.
TITS Just possible now things can be
fixed SOS the Widow Ruggles will be
able to pay me for that COW and still
have a little left to make up for what
Ezra beat her out of. She certainly
made a fine figure holdin' them horses
fine. I never realized what she was
for looks before, l reckon I'll have to
go to town again tomorrow. Tonight
I'll write a letter to a Teller I know"
MI. Tunk became almost a daily visi-
tor to Wigglefork after that, ostensi-
bly,, rs he told Mr.. Rollins, to attend to
certain matters pertaining to hoop
poles and to collect the money for the
cow he had sold the Widow Ruggles.
He declared, with some show Of inlig-
nation, that he had become weary Of
waiting for that cow money; the widow
had boarders now and was able to pay
if she wanted to do so. All Of which
seemed perfectly reasonable to Mr.. Rol.
Inns. Mr.. Rollins was distinctly in
favor of the widow settling her old
accounts before he married her.
Then n day a young man arrived
from somewhere. Mr.. Tunk met him
at the train and escorted him to the
store, where he introduced him as "my
nephew, come out to see the. country"
For three days Mr.. Tunk drove him
about, seeing things, and Mr.. Tunk
during this period added a new word
to his vocabulary. This word was
"Dolomite."
Three weeks went by-weeks of most
delicious May weather. And on a GER
tain afternoon, when Mr.. Collins was
l%ounging in the doorway of his store,
Mr.. Tunk, clad in new habiliments, ap-
peared to him.
"Ezra,"-Mr. Turks voice was soft
as spring mud-"I've just come from
Mrs. Ruggles's. She's sold the bal
ance of her land"
What land-them bluffs?"
Mr.. Tunk nodded.
"Humph! Who's the fool?"
"Me, Ezra" Mr.. Tunk was yer.
meek. I'm it."
well, of all dunn foolishness!" Mr..
Rollins stared at his friend pityingly.
Got any objection to tellin' what
you gave her, Salem?"
II gave her 5000 and the COW, Ezra.
What did you get for your bluffs that
ioip hor'c m tho co,+boD
Zone hundred and eighty, and that
was a hundred more than they was
worth, too. Why, dun it, man! have
you gone stick. stark, starin' mad?"
Mr.. Tunk smiled sweetly. II reckon
not, Ezra" He drew a bundle of
papers from his pocket and drawlingly
enumerated them. There's the deed,
all signed and witnessed; there's a let
ter I got from a contractor in Chicago,
sayin' he'd send a man to look the
thing over; there's another letter from
him, writ after his man had got back,
sayin' he'd give me for the property"
Mr.. Tunk paused, moistening his lips
with his tongue-"sayin' he'd give me
$4,000, which offer l took up as soon
as l could get Mrs. Ruggles to make
out the papers shown me to be full
owner in fee simple, etcetery. There's
an almost inexhaustible deposit Of
dolomite there, Ezra,-best buildin'
stone in the world-but it's way down
deep in.
Mr.. Rollins lay back in his chair,
his face purple, his eyes bullying from
his head.
With a rather enjoyable expression of
injury upon his face, Mr.. Tunk sauntered
forth into the street. Mingled pleas.
ingly with the humming of insects
came to his ears the tinkling of bells,
and presently Bill Elliott's dray, with
Bill occupying the high seat beside the
blushing daughter of the Widow Rug
giles, appeared over the brow Of the
depot hill.
II reckon I'm a fool to do it," he
reflected; "but l don't know; there's
that $4,000 I'd have to give her to
make me feel right if I didn't; l amt
got the same sort of conscience Ezra
has. And she's willin'--struck me she
was awful willin', but maybe that's
the way with m folks. Anyway,
she didn't jump at Ezra that way.
Pears like ~everybody's fool streak has
been shown lately"
On he went, through the fields and
woods,--a wide circle, back to the
store.
Mr.. Rollins was inside, alone. He
was standing before a mirror, arrang-
ing a white tie about a standup collar.
1t was we'll known in Wigglefork that
he never wore a white tie nor a stand.
up collar excep. when engaged in
projects matrimonial.
Mr.. Tunk merely put his head in at
the door. Ezra" he announced, "Im
goin' to woke I'm with Mrs Rupplas IN.