Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1912-08-08

erfing accuracy, ascending higher and
higher until at last he reached the
mountain aerie, the lonely hermitage
where he made his home. There ne
reveled in his isolation. what nae
been punishment. expiation, had al
last become pleasure.
Civilization was bursting through
the hills in every direction, railways
were being pushed hither n tnitner'
the precious metals were being dis
covered at various places n atter
them came boards of men and WIN
them-God save the mark-women;
but his section Of the country nau
hitherto been unvisited even by hunt
ers, explorers, miners or pleasure
seekers. He was glad, as he a
grown to love the spot where he a
made his home, and he had no wlsn 10
be forced, like little Joe, to move on
Once a man who loved the STRIFE
noble or ignoble. Of the madding
crowd, he had grown accustomed 10
silence, habituated to solitude. Winter
and summer alike he roamed the
mountains, delving into every forest.
exploring every hidden canyon, sur
mounting every inaccessible peak; no
storm, no snow, no condition Oh vino
or weather daunted him or stopped,
him. He had no human companion
ship by which to try his mettle, but
nevertheless over the world OF the
material which lay about him he was
a master as he was a a
He found some occupation, too, IN
the following Of old Adams inherit.
ance: during the pleasant months OF
summer he made such garden as he
could. His profession of mining en-
gineer gave him other employment.
Round about him lay treasures ines
Unable, precious metals abounded In
the hills. He had located them, tested,
analysed, estimated the wealth q
was his for the taking-it was as val
ueless to him as the doubloons and
golden guineas were to Selkirk on MS
island. Yet the knowledge that 1t was
there gave him an energizing sense OF
potential power, unconsciously enorm,
ously fiattering to his self-esteem.
Sometimes he wandered to the ex
IRENE verge of the range and on clear
DAYS saw far beneath him the smoke
of great cities of the plains. he
{, could be master amongsmen as ne Was
a master among mountains, II nc
chose. On such occasions he laughed
, cynically, scornfully, yet rarely die
, he ever give way to such emotions
A great and terrible sorrow was
i upon him; cherishing a great passion
! he had withdrawn himself from tn
common lot to dwell upon 1t. Fron
! a perverted sense Of expiration, In
: madness Of grief. horror n despair
. he had made himself o prisoner to nj
ideas in the desert of the mountains
Back to his cabin he would haster
and there surrounded by his livlni
memories-deathless yet OF the dead
he would recreate the past until &c
: lection drove him abroad on the Mill
! to meet God if not manor woman
q N~ight-day, sunshine-shadow, heat-cole
n storm-calm; these we're his life.
II Having disburdened his faithful an
y mails OF their packs and having see
r. them safely bestowed for the winte
/ in The corral he had built neal tn
!. base of the cliff upon which his rud
s. home was situated. he took his TN
y one morning for one Of those lionel
walks across the mountains frol
which he drew such comfort becaus
he sancied the absence OF man CO.
duced to the nearness of God. ltswa
a delusion as old nearly as the Chri
ia tian religion. Many had made then
. selves hermits in the past in remors
of for sin and for love toward God; tn
I. man had buried himself in the wilde
ID ness In part for the first of thes
~ causes. In other part for the love
IL woman. In the days of swift and 81
"a den change he had been constant to
n remembrance, and abiding IN his d
n. termination for FIVE swift movir
wears. The world for him had stoppe
IL its progress in one brief moment h'
h. vears back-the rest was silenc
nt what had happened since then o
ed yonder where people were mated
sc did not know and he did not great
care.
az In his visits to the settlements
asked no questions, he bought no ?
he pers. he manifested no interest
he the world; some things in him hi
sy died in one fell moment, and the
in had been, as yet. no resurrection. \
cit life. hope, and ambition do not d
VS. they are indeed eternal. Resurgar
en- Life with its tremendous activiti'
Ter its awful a~nxieties, It's wearing strait
IN its rare triumphs. its o%pportuniti
on for achievement, for service; no
he with its illuminations, Its encourai
ire ments. its expectations. ambiti
with It's stimulus, Its force, its powe
en- and greatest Of all, love, itself alone
an all three were latent In him. In tou
ne with a woman these had gone. Son
rit thing as powerful and as human mi
Tay bring them back.
he It was against nature that q m
lowered as he should so live to 81
,ed self alone. Some voice should cry
fhe his soul In its ceremenrs of futile
ria morse, vain axpiations and benumbt
md recollection; some day ne sho'
IN. burst these grave clothes self-wol