Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1914-04-09

sue paused 10 1sn o a Dragged Htcn-
mond newspaper. As she thrust 1t ua-
der her arm her eye caught a word OF
a headline. With a flush she tore It
from its soggy wrapper, the wetted
nDer parting in her eager fingers. and
resting her foot on the lower rail Of
the gate, spread 1t open on her knee.
She stood stock-still until she had
read the whole. 1t was the story OF
John valiant's sacrifice of his private
fortune to save the ruin of the in
volved corporation.
Its effect upon her was a shock. She
felt her throat swell as she read; then
she was chilled by the memory of
what she had said to him: What
has he ever done except play polo and
furnish spicy paragraphs for the So
ciety columns?"
What a beast l vast" she said, adj
dressing the wet hedge. HE had Just
done that splendid thing. 1t was be-
cause Of that that he was little better
than a beggar, and l said those hor-
rible thingsi" Again she bent her
eyes, rereading the sentences: "Took
his d~etractors by surprise
had just sustained a grilling at the
hands of the states examiner which
might we'll have dried at their fount
the springs of sympathy"
She crushed up the paper in her
hand and rested her forehead on the
wet rail. Id~iotically rich-a vandal-
a useless, purse-proud flaneur. She
had called him all that! She could
still see the paleness Of his look as
she had said it.
Shirley, overexcited as she still was,
felt the sobs returning. These, how
ever, did not last long and in a mo-
ment she found herself smiling again.
Though she had hurt him, she had
saved him, too! When she whispered
this over to herself it still thrilled and
startled her. She folded the paper
and fastened on under the cherry
trees.
Emmaline, the negro maid was wait
ing %anxiously on the porch. she was
thin to spareness, with a face as
brown as a tobacco leaf, restless black
eyes and wool neatly pinned and set
off by an amber comb.
Honey" called Emmaline, Use
been fearin' TO- yo' wild all that light
min r'arin' eroun'. Yo' got tn Jess
mine? Give 'em to Em'line. She'll fix
'em all nice, jes' how Mis- Judith like"
All right, Emmaline," replied Shir-
ley. "And I'll go and dress. Has
mother missed me?"
Nom. She ain lef' huh room this
whole blessed day. Now yo' barth's
all ready-all 'cep'n tn hot watah,
en- | SEN Ranston with that tn fus'
thing. Yo' hurry en- peel them wet
close off yo'se'f, or yo' have one O.
them digested chills."
Her young mistress flown and the
hot water despatched, the negro wom-
an spread a cloth on the floor and
began to cut and dress the long stalks
Of the flowers. This done she fetched
bowls and vases, and set the pearly-
white clumps here and thereon the
dining-room sideboard, the hall nan
tel and the desk Of the living-room-
till the delicate fragrance filled the
house, quite vanquishing the rose
scent from the arbors.
AS the trim colored woman moved
lightly about in the growing dusk,
with the low click of glass and muf-
fled clash Of silver, the light tat-tat of
a zane sounded, and she ran to the
hall, where Mrs. cambridge was de-
scending the stairway, one slim white
hand holding the banister, under the
edge of a white silk shawl which
dropped it's heavy fringes to her daint-
ily-shod feet. On the lower step she
halted, looking smilingly about at the
poisoning bowls.
Don they smell up tn whole
house?" said Emmaline. Il know'd
y'o be pleas, Mis- Judith. Now put
yo' han on nah shouldah en- I'll take
yo' to yo' big cha'h."
They crossed the hall, the dusky
form bending TO the fragile pressure or
the fingers. Now heah's yo' cha'h.
Ranston he made up a little fab jes'
to take tn damp out, en- tn big lamps
lit, en- Miss Shirley'n be down right
quick"
A moment later, in fact, Shirley de-
scended the stair, in a flmy gown of
India-muslin, with a narrow betting Of
gold, against whose flowing sleeves
her bare arms showed with a flushed
pinkness the hue of the pale coral
beads about her neck. The damp
newspaper was in her hand.
At her step her mother turned her
head: she was listening intently to
voices that came from the g~arden-a
child's shrill treble opposing Ran
ston's s~tentorian grumbfe.
(To BE coNTINUED)