Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1915-11-25

Il kANNn 01l Nv OAG 004A1 nay WNNa~
were quiet, and the two kneellng ng-
ures in the laurel made no sound. The
other men. waiting at their separated
posts. were equally invisible and noise
less. but some intangible premonition
had come to the shadow which had
lost itself in the impenetrable black
ness and began its retreat with its OBJ
ject unaccomplished.
Young Milt went back to his house
in the cold mists Of dawn. No shot had
been fred, no face recognized. but the
Hayey and the McBriar both knew
that the school had been saved by
their joint vigilance.
Some days later the news Of that
night watch leaked through to Jerry
Everson, who bore the tidings to Juan
tia. and she wrote a note to Anse Ha-
vey asking him to come over and let
her express her thanks in person.
The mail rider brought her a brief
reply penned In a hand Of copybook
care.
I don't take any credit. I only did what
any other man would do, and young Milt
McBriar did as much as l did. h
him If you to. 1t would only be
awkward for me to come over there.
Respectfully, ANSE HAVEY.
Old Milt McBriar heard Of his sons
part in the watching of the school and
brooded blackly as he gnawed at he
stem Of his pipe, but he said nothing.
The boy had been sent away to college
and had had every advantage. Now
he had unwittingly but none the less
surely, turned his rifle on n of his
fathers hirelings bent IN his fathers
work, for the oil-soaked kindling had
been laid at Old Milt's command.
The thing did not tend to make the
leader of the McBriars partial to the
innovations from down below.
One day, when Juanita vent down to
the post office, which nestled unob-
trusively behind the single counter of
the shack store at the gap, she found
a letter directed in a hand which set
her heart beating and revived many
old memories.
She climbed to the crest, sat down
under the poplar, and began to read
the letter from the man she had sent
away.
He said that he had made a sincere
effort to reconcile himself to her deci-
sion which exiled him. The effort had
failed. He had been to the Mediter-
ranean and the East. His letter con-
cluded:
Can you not find 1t in your heart to be
touched by my devotion Not only happi-
ness, but peace dwells where you are,
t and l am coming TO you.
T Do not forbid me, for l am coming any
way. I am coming because 1 must; be-
cause love you.
She sat for a long time gazing off at
the distances and shivered a little in
the bite of the raw air. Then she
i, looked up and saw a figure at her side.
= 1t was Bad Anse Havey.
He bowed and stripped off his coat,
, which, without asking permission, he
threw around her shivering shoulders.
81 didn't aim to intrude on ye," he
said slowly. 81 didn't know We was up
here. Do We come often?"
= Very often" she answered, folding
the letter and putting it back into its
envelope. when l first came to the
Widow Everson's l discovered this
! tree, and it seemed to beckon to me to
! come up. Look!" She rose and point.
. ed off with a gauntleted hand. Il can
= stand here and see the Notifications OF
: my two enemies. There is your place
. and there is Milt McBriar's."
. She smiled with unconscious arch.
ness. But I'm not going to let you be
my enemy any more" she went o
I "I've decided that you have got to be
d my friend, whether you want to be or
not-and what | decide upon must be-"
Bad Anse Havey stood looking into
her eyes with the disconcerting steadi-
ness of gaze that she always found il
difficult to sustain, but his only re-
Spouse was a sober I'm obleeged to
ye."
!. Perhaps that letter, with it's old re
q minders had brought back a little Of
the old self's innocent coquetry. She
stood with her gloved hands in the
q deep pockets of her sweater jacket
u with his coat hanging from her shout
ders. About her deep-Violet eyes ant
sensitive lips lurked a subtle appea
u for friendship-perhaps, though she
d. did not know it-for love.
81 have behaved abominably to you
IL Mr.. Havey," she confessed. TITS nat
e. ural that you should refuse me forgive
ness" For a moment her eyes danced
n and she looked up, c~hallengingly, init
W his face. But it's natural, too, that
TO should refuse to let you refuse. W.
C. are going to be friends. | am going t
IN smash your old feud to splinters an,
I'm going to beat you, and just tn,
same we are going to be friends"
Again his reply was brief.
I'm obleeged to ye."
you have been very good to me,
n she went on, and the note of bante
tie left her voice; "and you refused to lie
me thank you"
he For a moment he was silent, then h
no replied awkwardly: Il reckon it's pre-
Ia ty easy to be good to you" After tina
er she heard him saying in a very sol
voice:
Zone of the first things l remember
nd is being fetched up here by MANN
DIS when l was a spindlin' little chap. Sh
as used to bring me up here and tell m
ne Indian stories. Sometimes my papp
came with us, but mostly it was jus
he my nanny an me"
lis Your father wal a soldier. WASH
rp he?" she asked.
lat Eyes. He was a captain in Morgan
ng command. When the war ended b
llt nnunn on hnnk hnra m, rnlnnnad