Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1905-01-12

-S ShSi oPcLcu nIc. L ain L uluC-
in at trouble, Stowler, but l reckon
you know your girl amt got enough
comm to her to make it worth my
boys while to marry her"
Stowler reached for his boots,
paused with n in each hand as II
trying to decide which one to throw
first, and then weakly subsidized. "GoI
dern it," he muttered, 81 amt a bin
a~-teasin' your son to marry Liza"
"You dasn't," returned Walker, loft
lily. "But I jest thought as how I'd
drift up and let We know that l amt
stuck on his marryin' the daughter OF
a mar that lives in an ornery old
scow like this. Hennery 'ull hev a
ranch and he's a place to raise truck,
and he amt no call to be sparkin'
Eliza, nohow you put it."
II guess your Hennery's dom ali
the teasin' that's bin done, Walker"
said Stowler, holly, "and it's up to you
to clear out. Sabe?"
Within five minutes Mr.. Walker was
rowing down stream and Stowler was
returning his rife to the rack just
above the rear door. He was INSTEAD.
lily cursing everybody "thet sot them
sells up to be somebody" His daugh.
ter was crying v~ociferously and look
ing down the river.
This ended all open communication
between the lovers for several weeks.
During this time the spring rains de-
scended vigorously and the river rose
almost by jumps. When the rain
stopped and the sun was out once more
Stowler looked across the Columbia
and counted the trees whirling down
in the grasp of the current. After
scratching his head he spent the after
noon in tying ropes of various stages
of decay to the scow and stakes driven
in the muddy bank. He explained to
Eliza that it looked as if there might
be water so high that the scow would
float.
Two days later the skids washed
away from under the house of Stowler
and his six years residence was
changed. Eliza and he ate their bacon
unconcerneoly and went to bed, to
wake up with the sound of running
water in their ears. After a few mo-
ments of inspection Stowler summed
up the situation in one remark: "The
eddy's gone; places gone; we're
goin'."
~,
"Where?" cried Eliza.
Dunno" was the response.
All through the night they sat on
the c%areening deck of their house and
wondered when things would end. AT
daylight Stowler's eyes told him that
they were 20 miles below their old
home and still going. Lucky l corked
her seams last winter" he said to his
daughter. "She sails along in good
Wonder where we'll fetch up?"
IT hope we won't go out to sea-"
said Eliza. fearfully.
GOSH" cried her father. "I amt
O. that" So he devoted his
energies to rigging up a sweep and
with this he tried to steer the scow
INTO a shore eddy. But the Columbia
took things into it's own hands and at
midnight Stowler's house was landed
With a jar on an unknown point of
and. After an hours scraping about
t settled firmly on the new founda-
lion and father and daughter waited
or the morning to take possession of
heir newly-acquired property.
Daylight showed that the scow had
'een cast up on a tongue of land that
loped up into virgin forest. There
vas no house in sight and Stowler
'Waggered proudly out to. skid up the
'oat. This was a toilsome operation.
or in the afternoon the river began
o rise again, and as fast as he got
verifying solid the rising water I'M
lid his work. But finally by a crude
of ropes and anchors he
noored the house boat between some
protecting trees out of the current and
ested from his labors to eat a supper
ooked by Eliza, who wept secretly.
Two days later Stowler had "beach-
ombed" sufficient lumber to make
verything secure, and in a fit of pride
e went SO far as to build a fence
utting the point off from the tree
mainland.
There was one trouble with the
snce. 1t couldn't be painted. It was
OF small branches and sapplings
basketwise. But the general eff
ect was pretty good, and Eliza and
er father rejoiced exceedingly. Her
lther because he was now a house,
Older; Eliza because she was equal
| station to her Hennery.
The day after the fence was COM
lete the clouds that had been lying in
llloWy masses over the hills spread
Ut n covered the sky. Then it
tined, and the water that fell was SO
|enteous that none could see a rods
myth in any direction. Within three
ays the Columbia river was a rag
6 torrent, and trees and brush
gain began to drift by the new
~ VI WA' oLoWleI. DuI Ills mousse
as fast, and the trees along the bank
detected it against rude shocks, and
daily grew more triumphant as he !
'ndered the blessings of a benign
evidence. t
At the end of a week provisions be-
n to run short in the Stowler house. c
I'D, and the man determined to 20
ross the river to a little town to get v
me bacon and flour. He hauled out {
skiff, put in the oars and a big t
est and a tarpaulin. Then he called I
liza. Look here, sis, I don't 'xactly v
low the bearings Of this place. Pm e
ubting whether I can find my way
ok unless you show a light Of some
IT." il
All right" said his daughter, "Ill +