Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1909-01-28
aaBut people win eall me 1Miss,,u

"But people win call me Miss"
"What does it matter, and who win
be affected by itf 1t is better that these
strangers do not know of Gerald's ex-
~istence."
81 think we viii let them draw their
own conclusions. You dress in black, and
/ am sure 1 feel like 1 might be a raven,
II feeling dismal can do it-or at least a
crow. You are a widow; let them think
me one too-it will be true. Let US have
tea, mother"
Mrs. Eleanor Soule had removed from
a city in the interior of the State to one
on the State border, accompanied by her
daughter-in-law, Aileen Soule. They
brought Mandatory letters from their pas
tor in -- and united with the uItrG
fashionable Lucy Avenue church-"Tho
Lueifers, " as wicked Elizabeth had NAM
ed the Lucy Avenue church people. The
family also attended it, their father and
mother being charter members as Dudley
expressed it.
"'The matches have become 'Luci.
fers,'" said Elizabeth as she cast her
go-to-meeting hat down in a chair.
"Yes, they have" said Dudley. fWhea
they came into church today and the ush-
er showed them to the Duncan pew, I
thought I should faint. Beautiful An
mabel Leei' ISM she beautiful, Tan9"'
Extremely; handsomer than Thank
full. I thought our respected parent deep
ly smitten when he passed the frying pan
and she Clipped in a half dollar"
"Works without faith,'' murmured
Dudley.
"What do you know about her faith7'
inquired Tan rather warmly; "she may
have the faith that moves mountains.
"That's so. Let's suggest her as a
dea er-machina to get Dodd's quarry out
of the way of the new railroad below the
bluff, SO we can sell our land to the bloat-
ed corporation"
No one vouchsafed an answer. Eliza
beth took up a paper and Tan buried him
self in a law magazine; the rest of the
family were reading also; Dudley went
to the piano, where he played softly-so
softly it seemed to add to the silence.
"Mother, 1 am SO glad you have come;
am hungry; your son is about to perish;
I am a Spartan boy. None of these intel
lectual beings have a sympathetic chord
about 'em, Elizabeth is so immoral as to
read a sinful, secular story, though | Of
fered her a Sunday school lesson with
tears in my eyes. Tan is grinding away
on a railroad case. [ wish I knew the
names of 'the match boxers. +"
"Their name is Soule, mother and
daughter-in-law, both widows 1 take it;
Mrs. flanders introduced them today to
the ladies of the Sunday school. Mrs.
Soule is very lovely, but has a great grief
I think; she is no older than I, and her
hair is quite white"
"Which9 they are both Mrs. Soule;
the daughter is the widow of the elder 8
son; they both wear black, though not
exactly mourning. The daughters jet
ted silk was a marvel of beauty and cost,
and the mother wore black lace.'
"Well," said Thankful, 'tthey are an
acquisition; Mrs. flanders said their let
tiers from MI. Thomas were most compli.
mentary."
The summer passed and the early dark
ness of bleak November days came.
Lieutenant Scott Redfeld came home
for Thanksgiving; SO did Helena, anoth-
er sister, and her husband and children,
and all made merry after the uneasy
fashion of our time. The day after
Thanksgiving they sat at dinner.
"There is a skeleton in "The Match
box, " said Thankful.
"Thank is growing more odd than ev'
er; she always was as odd as Dicks hat
band,' it is the way Of old maids, +" said
Mr.. Floyd, her brother-in-law, who did
not get on with Thankful.
"Maybe it is because the front is al
plate glass; that big single window pant
makes it a c~yclopean nightmare OF q
zan4al, loY - cn;J rNap rrovn1v
"'The matches did not look very
happy nor thankful yesterday, observed
Dudley. cold Miss looked most SOU
and miserable; had a look of settled
melancholy that even the dulcet strains Of
the new tenor did not dissipate."
"The new tenor dissipate9 You sur
prise me-" said his father, stirring hi
tea carefully"
Ono sarcasms, dad; they are bad TO
our Digestion" said Theo.
at is probable that the tenor's note
were the cause of her melancholy; [ an
sure his semi-demi-sem i-quavers made M
feel very sad" said Mrs. Redfeld.
"The mouths he made were, no doubt
entertaining to him, but trying to tn
spectators said Theo.
~ do think this family is more demon
allied than when / was at home,'' sal
Helena; "you seem to deal more than us
ual in the vivisection of people outside o
the family"
, "Sometimes in it, said Elizabeth.
"This sort of talk is beyond me, = sal
! the brother-in-law, with an air of repro
: baton, "you all begin with a plate
matchbox, and Dudley winds up wit
, some poetry stuff that nobody undel