Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1910-11-10


made a clear turn across the lawn for
the ~rose-garden, where in the midst a
round pool of water lay like a flaming
bit Of the sunset day. Among the
bushes, red and ose and white, the
elder woman in her black, the young
or in her gown more glowing, with a
veil over her hair, walked, and, loiter-
ing, looked down into the water, see
ing their faces reflected, and, behind,
the tangled brambles and the crimson
sky. They did not speak, but at last
their companionship was peaceful, was
perfect.
Loud and shrill and shriller and
more piercing, from the west wing
of the house, overhanging the garden,
the sound reached them-an alarm
that set Fora's heart to leaping.
Startled apart, they listened
Would that be-is that for you"
81 think it's for me-"
The words came from them stimuli
taneously, and almost at the same in
slant Flora had started across the
lawn. The sight Of an aproned maid
coming out on the veranda and peer
ing down the garden set her running
fieetly.
'It's a telephone for Miss Gilsey,"
the girl said.
"Oh, thank you" Flora painted
She knew so well the voice she had
expected at the other end of the
wire that the husky, boyish note
which reached her, attenuated by dis
lance, struck her with dismay and
disappointment.
ELLA, oh, yes; yes; Ella" What
was she saying? Ella was using the
telephone as If it were a cabinet for
secrets.
CLARA told me you were down
there" she was explaining. Il saw
her this morning, yes. Well"-and
she could hear Ella draw in her
breath-"Tm so relieved! 4 thought
you'd be, too, to know. I was per-
fectly right. She was after him."
Flora faltered, after whom?"
There flashed through her mind more
than one person that, by this time.
| Clara might possibly be after.
"Why, after papa, of counsel" Elias
injured surprise brought her back to
the romance of Judge Butler. Her
| voice rose in sheer b~ewilderment
"Well?"
Elias voice rose triumphantly. y
got it out Of her myself. I just came
right out to her at last. She seemed
awfully surprised that I knew; bu1
she owned up to 1t, and what do vol
think? I bought her off"
Bought her Off" Flora cried. Eacf
fact that Ella brought forth seemed
to her more preposterous than the
last.
"Why, yes, it's too ridiculous; wha
do you think she wanted?"
At that question Flora's hear
seemed fairly to stand still. That wa
the very question she had been ask
ing herself for days, and asking IL
vain.
Elias voice was coming to her fam
as a voice from another world. Ssh
wanted that little, little picture-tha
picture of the mar called Farrell
Wand. Don't you remember, pap
mentioned it at supper that evenini
at the club? Isn't it funny she remen
bered it all this time? Well, sh
wanted it dreadfully, but Harr
wanted it, too, and papa said he ha
promised it to Harry; but I got it frs
and gave it to her" Elias voice enc
ed in a high note Of triumph.
Fora's, If anything, rose higher
despair. ooh, Ella!"
Doesn't It seem ridiculous" Ell
/, argued, "that If she really wanted hill
she'd give him up for that?'
ooh, mol mean yes" Flora stan
mered. Eyes, of course! thank 20
Ella, very much-very much" TIL
!, last words were hardly audible. tn
receiver fell jangling into it's bracke
) and Flora leaned against the wall b
! the telephone and closed her eyes.
For a moment all she could see we
) Clara with that little, little pictur
i How well she could remember no
Clara had looked that night Of tt
J club supper!
From the moment Judge Butler ha
t spoken of the picture, how all three
| them had changed, Clara and Kei
/, and Harry. Everything that hs
seemed so p"hantasmal then, ever
thing she had put down as a 1gmel
of her own imagination, had meal
r just this plain fact. All three
them had wanted the picture. F.
his own reason, Kerr had turned asit
from the chase, but Harry had stot
with it to the last, and now, whe
d finally the prize had been assured
t him, Clara had 1t!
s At this moment she had 1t in h
hand. At this moment she knew VIII
Q was the aspect of the figure in the pi
Q ture, whether 1t showed a face, an
if a face, whose. F1ora's hands ope
G ed and closed. "Oh," she whisper,
y to the great silence Of the great hou
d awaiting him; "where is he? WI
isn't he here?"
h All those terrible things Will
8 might be happening havond h