The Forrest City times., 1903-12-11
Bun1ping oAgainst Ideals
By PEYTON WILLIAMS
Copyright. Isos, by Daily Story Pub. CO,

MORA SPELLMAN was the most U profound mystery Joe Mason had ever felt called on to solve. The longer he tried the more hopeless he found the solution He found his standards so inadequate and the surrounding conditions so unfamiliar and bafIling that his characteristic assurance de- serted him entirely and he groped in the greatest perplexity.
 Joe was typical city-bred boy. You could not throw him into any situation in great city where he would not land on his feet. And this made 1t all the more huTniliating for him to aeknowl- edge himself downed. awed-almost terrified by this single country maiden But Joe was learning faster than he knew
 He was a splendid type of the pro- duct of great city Born of good par entage. but thrown upon his own re- sources. he had made much of himself With but little opportunity for school ing his education had been picked up through the activity of his keen wits Of course. IL was superficial, but was suf- ficsent for business purposes and to give him good presence and carriage. He had gone into a great wholesale house early in life and by industry. energy and enterprise had been ad- vanced rapidly. His habits and morals were good-for the city. Partly through a fortunate heredity, partly through his sturdy common-sense. he had avoided the great pitfalls of drink ing and gambling. the two Molochs of the city born and bred youth To be sure he was no white-winged angel and took ap occasional fly at the ponies and had an occasional night" with the boys. But he avoided ex- eesses and attended strictly to busi- ness. Hence his advancement.
 He had the inevitable contempt for the country jay" common to every city lad and regarded the farmer as sort of half developed biped, designed by an all-wise Providence for city peo- pie to prey upo..
 He knew all about girls. too, in his own estimation. He had experienced the adoleseent yearnings and gone through the various stages. He had met the city girl of his station. admired and sought her. And her worldly wise mind had appealed to him and he liked her immensely. But he had shied at the thought of entangiements and while he was ever delighted to meet the fair sex and exchange pas sages of wit and repartee. he never had been seriously tempted to tie him. self down to married life.
 No wonder the broad -prowed. calm eyed girl with her maidenly reserve, her simple dignity. her wide range of in- formation. both of nature and books. and her habit of looking so straight out of her clear eyes puzzled him. He had never known a girl that talked so seriously and SO intelligently and the utter absence of anything resembling simper. mystiied and bewildered him. Then, too, she so often put him at so humihating a disadvantage by her ae- curate knowledge and education, which contrasted so strongly with his super feial information and flippant wit, that he began to feel uncomfortable and to lose his superabundant and override veloped confidence in himself as "the smartest ever"
 His translation from the busy city life to the quiet farm in the far west had been sudden and unexpected. The doctor had told him one day that he must give up business for long time and get away from the city in dry .It SA
 out of doors if possible. or he would die. So he had resigned his position and hurried westward, armed with a letter of introduction to Daniel Spell man. who had agreed. with true west ern hospitality, to take him as boarder on the big ranch. Spellman was not in the business of taking boarders. but a letter from a mutual friend. coupled with the natural love of companionship. had gained the point.
 Mason had not noticed Dora much at first. She was not a girl of striking ap- pearance and her manners were dis tinctly retiring and unobtrusive. She was but recently returned from an eastern college and had assumed her place as housekeeper for her widowed father. After the first novelty had worn of Mason began to notice the girl more, and the more he noticed her the more worth while it appeared. She was distinctly pretty, If not striking and possessed a personality that could not fail to impress itself upon those with whom she came into contact.