Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1914-03-19

oiohe Oh anu listened. Wn0S ina
singing?"
The sound drew rer lugu
brious chant, with the we4rdest mino
reflections, family suggestive of tn
rag-time ditties of the music-halls, We
with a p~iaintive cadence.
Good morning, Uncle Jefferson"
The singer broke off, set down tn
twig-broom that he had been WELDING
and came toward him. "Mawnin', sub
Mawnin'," he said. Hopes yo'.al
slep' good. All reck'n dem ar bird
woke yo' up; dey's maxim sch G
'miration."
Thank you. Never slept better il
my life. Am l laboring under a delu
sion when / imagine l smell coffee?"
Just then there came a voice from
the open door of the Kitchen: Call
yo'sef er man, yo' trilin' recon
structed niggahnW'en marstah gwine
ter git he brekfus' wild yo' ramshack
lin eroun' wild dat dwag all dii
Gawd' s-ble3sid mawnin'? Go fotcf
some mo- fiah-wood dis minute. 70
heah?'
A turbaned head poked itsel
through the door, with a good-naturet
leaf-brown face beneath 1t, which
broadened into a wide smile as its
owner bobbed ~energeticaily at Va
liant's gSeeting. "Fo' de Lawd!" she
exclaimed, wiping foury hands on q
Bingham apron. "Yo' sho' is up early
but All got yo' brekfus' ready, subj"
All right, Aunt Daphne. I'll be
back directly"
He sped down to the lake to plunge
his head into the cool water and there
by sharpen the edge of an appetite
that needed no honing.
He came up the trail again to fine
the reading stand transferred to the
porch and laid with a white cloth on
which was set a steamfng coffee-pot,
with fresh cream, s~altless butter and
crisp hot biscuit; and as he sat down,
with a sigh of pure delight, in his
dressing-gown - a creepy Japanese
thing redeemed from womanishness
by the bold green bamboo of it's de-
sign-Uncle Jefferson planted before
him a generous platter Of bacon, eggs
and potatoes. These he attacked with
a surprising %keenness. AS he buttered
his fifth biscuit he looked at the dog,
rolling On his back in morning costa
sy, with a look of humorous surprise.
"Chum," he said, what do you
think of that? All my life a single
roll and a cup of coffee have been
the most l could ever negotiate for
breakfast, and then it was apt to taste
like chips and w~het-stones. And now
look at this PLATED" The dog ceased
w%innowing his ear with a hind foot
and looked back at his master with
much the same expression. Clearly
his W needs had not been forgot
ten.
"Reck'n All bettah go ter git dat ar
machine thing" said Uncle Jefferson
behind him. cor CONAN, heah, she
low ter fix up de kitchen dis mawn-
in en- we begin on de house dis eve
min"
"Right-o," said Valiant. Its all, up
hill, so the motor won't run away
with you. Aunt Daphne, can you get
some help with the cleaning?"
"He'p?' that worthy responded with
fine scorn. mo, sub. Moughty few,
in de town 'cep'n low-down yaller new
issue trash Diet ain wu'f KILN! All
gwineter go TO dat house mahse'f TO
long. hannah en- tongs, en- git it fix
up!"
Splendid! My destiny is in your
hands. You might take the dog with
you, Uncle Jefferson; the run will do
him good"
When the latter had disappeared
and t~ruculent sounds from the kitchen
indicated that the era of strenuous
cleaning had begun, he reentered the
library, changed the water in the rose
glass and set it on the edge of the
shady front porch, where it's Haunting
blossom made a dash of bright Grim
son against the grayed weather-b beaten
brick. This done, he opened the one
large oom on the ground-floor that he
had not visited.
1t was double the size of the library,
a parlor hung in striped yellow silk
vaguely and tenderly faded, with a
tall plate mirror set wei a marble
topped console at either side. In one
corner stood a grand piano of Circas-
sian walnut with keys of tinted
mother-of-pearl and a slender music
rack inlaid with morning -glories in the
same material. From the center of
the ceiling, above an oval table, de.
pended a great chandelier hung with
glass prisms. The chairs and sofas
were covered with dusty s~lip-covers of
muslin. He lifted one of these. The
furnished gold furniture was Louis
XIV, the upholstery Of yellow brocade
with a pattern of pink roses. Two
Japanese hawthorn vases sat on teak
wood stands and a corner held a glass