Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1919-09-04
CHAPTER vi.

The appearance Of Miss Lucy Nor
gan the next day, as she sat in
Georges fast cutter, proved so charm
ing that her escort was stricken to
soft words instantly and failed to con-
troll a poetic impulse. "You look
like" he said. "Your face looks
1fke-it looks like a snowflake on a
lump Of coal. I mean "a snowflake
that would be a rose-leaf too"
Perhaps you'd better look at the
Eeins," she returned. "We almost up
set just then"
George declined to heed this advice.
Because there's too much pink in
your cheeks for a snowflake" he con-
tinued. "What's that fairy story about
.snow-white and rose-red-"
"We're going pretty fast, Mr.. Nina
fer!"
"Wesl, you see, I'm only here for
two weeks"
II mean the Sleigh" she explained.
"'We're not the only people on the
street, you know"
"Oh, they'll keep out Of the way"
'GThat's very patrician c~harioteeer-
ang, but it seems to me a horse like
this needs guidance. I'm sure he's
going almost twenty miles an hour"
that's nothing" said George; but
ne consented to look forward again.
~He can trot under three minutes, all
right" He laughed. II suppose your
father thinks he can build a horseless
carriage to go that fastr"
"They go that fast already, some
times"
~Yes." said George; "they do-for
about a hundred feetl Then they give
n yell and burn up"
Evidently she decided not to defend
her fathers faith in horseless car
Eiages, for she laughed and said moth
ing. The cold air was polka-dotted
with snowfakes, and trembled to the
loud, continuous jingling of sleigh
bells. Boys and girls, all aglow and
painting jets of vapor, darted at the
passing sleighs to ride on the runners,
or sought to rope their sleds to any
vehicle whatever, but the 1eetest no
more than just touched the flying cut
ter, though a hundred soggy mittens
sgraSped for 1t, then reeled and whirled
till sometimes the wearer of those
daring mittens plunged fiat in the
SNOW and lay a-sprawl, rejecting.
But there came painting and chug-
cling up that fiat thoroughfare a thing
which some day was 10 spoil all their
sleightime merriment-save for the
rashest and most disobedient. 1t was
vaguely like a topless surrey, but cum
brous with unwholesome e-xcrescences
fore and aft, while underneath were
spinning leather belts and something
that whirred and howled and seemed
TO stagger. The ride-stealers made no
attempt to fasten their sleds to a con-
2frivA0ce so n~onsenSical and yet so
Hearsome. Instead they gave over their
sport and concentrated all their ener-
gies in their lungs, so that up and
down the street the one cry shrilled
increasingly: "Git a hossI Git a boss !
Git q hossl Mister, why don't you git
a hOss?" But the mahout in charge,
sitting solitary IN the front seat, was
unconcerned-he laughed, and now
and then ducked a SNOWFALL without
losing any Of his good-nature. 1t was
Mr.. Eugene Morgan who exhibited SC
cheerful a ~countenance between the
forward visor Of a deer-stalker cap
and the collar of a fuzzy gray ulster,
cit a hoss" the children shrieked,
and gruffer voices Joined them. "Git
a hossi Git a hossl Git a boss"
George Minafer was correct thus
far: the twelve miles an hour Of such
n machine would never overtake
Georges trotter. The cutter was al
ready s%currying between the stone pill
lars at the entrance to ANDERSON ad
jdition.
That's my grandfather's," sale
George, nodding toward the Anderson
mansion.
II ought to know thatF" Lucy ex
claimed. 1--WE stayed there late enough
Hast night: papa and l were almost
the last to go. He and your mother
and Miss Fanny Minafer got the mu
alcians to play another waltz wher
everybody else had gone downstair'
and the fiddles were being put ava!
dn their cases. Papa danced part o
dt with Miss Minafer and the rest will
your mother. Miss Minafer's you
iaunt, isn't sheT
Eyes; she lives with us. That's out
House Just beyond grandfather's," En-
waved a sealskin gauntlet to indicat'