Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1915-02-18
CHAPTER WII-continued.

Already had she stepped several
times to her daughters and
looked in, only to meet Reuther's un-
quiet eye turned toward hers in silent
inquiry. Was her own uneasiness in
fictitious? Was the child determined
to share her vigil? She would wait a
little longer this time and see.
Their rooms were over the parlor,
and thus as far removed as possible
from the judges den. In her own,
which was front, she felt at perfect
ease, and it was without any fear or
disturbing either him or Reuther that
she finally raised her window and al
lowed the cool wind to soothe her
heated cheeks. The moon emerged
from scurrying clouds as she quietly
watched the scene.
Perched, as she was, in a window
overlooking the lane, she had but to
lift her eyes from the double fence
Chat symbol of sad seclusion) to light
OH the trees rising above that %unspeak'
able ravine, black with memories she
felt strangely like forgetting tonight
Beyond how 1t stood out on
the bluff! it had never seemed to stand
out more threateningly! the
bifurcated mass of dismal ruin from
which men had turned their eyes
these many years now! But the moon
loved it; caressed it; dallied with it
lighting up it's topping chimney ant
empty. staring gable.
Spencer's Folly! Well, it had beer
that. and Spencer's den of dissipation
too! There were great tales-but !
was not of these she a thinking, bu'
of the night of storm-(of the creates
storm of which any record remained
in Shelby when the wind tore dowr
branches and toppled down chimneys
when cattle were smitten in the felt
and men on the highway; and thu
bluff towering overhead, dared int
flame, and the house which was 1T
glory was smitten apart by the de
scending bolt as by a Titan sword, ant
blazed like a beacon to the sky.
This was long before she hersel
had come to Shelby; but she had beel
told the story SO often that it wa
quite vivid to her. The family haI
been gone for months, and so no pit
mingled with the excitement. Not til
the following day did the awful natur
of the event break in its full horro
upon the town. Among the ruins, !
a closet which the flames had spared
they found hunched up in n corne
the body Of a man, in whose scare
throat a wound appeared which ha
not been made by lightning or fir,
Spencer! Spencer himself, returned
they knew not how, to die of this sci
inflicted wound, in the dark r
his grand but neglected dwelling.
But as she continued to survey it tn
clouds came trooping up once NOR
and the vision was wiped out, ar
with it all memories save those of
nearer troubIe-a more pressing n
cessity.
Withdrawing from the window, 81
crept again to Reuther's room al
peered carefully in. Innocence WI
asleep at last. Lighting a candle al
shielding it with her hand, she gazl
long and earnestly at Reuther's swe
face. Yes, she was right. Sorrc
was slowly sapping the fountain
her darling's youth. If Reuther W
to be saved hope must come SOC
With a sob and a prayer the moth
left the room, and locking herself in
her own, sat down at last to face t
new perplexity, the monstrous enigr
which had come into her life.
It had followed in natural sequen
from a proposal made by the jud
that some attention should be Civ