Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1901-08-08

il COULD show her what an insig-
L nifcant chap he was if L had a
ghost of a chance" declared Tom
Duncan, stretching himself to his full
height-which was six feet two.
Why, he hasn't the muscle of a kit
ten nor b pluck of a rabbit. He
can't row., he can't shoot, he can't
box, he can't bike any better than a
woman, half the girls can beat him at
walking or tennis-and yet they are
all crazy over him. Not that L care a
snapronly / wouldn't have thought
it of Vesta Craig"
Pooh! She's only a girl like the
rest of them,' said his friend consol-
ingly- And you can take your pick.
There's Mollie-'
"oh, hang Mollie Davis! What
does a fellow want of that sort?
Now, Vesta was the right sort till
this Irving chap bewitched her.
bright and jolly and sensible. But
what on earth can she see to admire
in. hat sickly chump?"
"Oh, there's never any accounting
for a girls fancy sagely remarked
his friend, secretly amused to see the
champion athlete of the county in
such a fume all because a certain
blue-eyed girl chose an escort to suit
herself. Tom could out-run. outlook
n out-leap any one for miles
around, but what availed all his
while society in general, and Vesta
Craig in particular, smiled upon one
who could do neither? Irving has a
pleasant way and a smooth tongue,
and that takes with ONE But Just
wait till football time comes around
and he will be nowhere. They'll all
be fiocking around you again like
bees around a molasses cask."
ANY fool can talk" Tom growled
impatiently. Poor fellow, he couldn't
Unless to someone like Vesta Craig,
whose kindly tact and interest in
sport made it easy for him,) But
a girl needn't lose her head over the
first smooth-tongued fellow who
along unless she is a goose.
Quoting poety by the yard won't pro-
tect her from any danger"
NO, I say, Tom, just suppose their
horse should run away some day
when they're out driving t~ogether?"
He won't take a horse that could
be hired to run away"
well, suppose they should be
crossing Smiths pasture, and Smiths
black bull should take after them"
"You couldn't get him into the
pasture. He's too big a coward"
.s0h, well, something may happen
to show her what sort of fellow he is.
Don't lose heart yet"
at won't. Nothing we does hap
pen when you want it."
sSome fellows have made things
happen," suggested the other darkly.
.I.m not that sort" snapped Tom,
stalking away Indignantly.
And he wasn't. His friends said he
was too honest, his enemies that he
was too stupid. He had a quick eye
and alert muscles, but he was not
rood at catching a new or complica-
ted line of thought. Lively converse
ton hopelessly befogged him. Wal
ter Irving. on the other hand, was a
small man, now just recovering from
= long and wasting illness. and
obliged perforce to take care of him
self in a way that filled sturdy Tom
with wrathfuI contempt. He was a
brilliant talker, and the same girls
who had been in raptures over Toms
atbletic achievements, but had found
him provokingly awkward and
t~oneue-tied in their parlors, now how
cred around Irving in outspoken adj
m;ration. Tom didn't like it. Who
would? To be cast in the shade by
"fbis w~retched, sickly little hop-o'-
mv-thumb, who could neither work
nor nlay," What could the girls be
thinking of-vesta Craig especially?
r. only something would happen to
show plainly what a miserable, help
Ices imitation of a man the fellow
yvas, OF course, he did not want
vesfa hurt, but if something would
gbte her badly-a runaway horse,
an overturned boat. an encounter
With n vicious animal or tramp, even
cvclone would have been welcome
= onlv it terrified Irving into leaving
her and gave Tom a chance to rescue
bar and win her gratitude and admir-
.Acn But the bright summer days
-t;.nad by. and the cyclones mean
s.rsd over the country where nobody
sSarted them. carefully avoiding this
sa-t;cular town., and Irving obstin-
ateIv persisted in taking horses that
-sssan4 run away, boats that
,vo,,ldu,t upset, and keeping out OF
aa1se infested with savage bulls or
ngLes Tom grew bitter and mis-
antbropic. almost ready to assist
+ate ard break his head II ne