The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1904-05-03
Bun1ping
oAganSt Ideals
BY PEYToN WILLIAMS


NORA SPELLMAN was the most
IL 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
go inadequate and the surrounding
conditions SO unfamiliar and battling
that his characteristic assurance de-
serted him entirely and he CROPPED in
the greatest perplexity.
Joe was a typical city-bred boy. You
could not throw him into any situation
in q great city where he would not land
on his feet. And this made it all the
more humiliating for him TO acknowl-
edge himself downed, awed-almost
terrified by this single country maiden.
But Joe was learning faster than he
knew.
He was 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. it was superficial. but was suf-
ficient for business purposes and to
give him q good presence and carriage
He had gone into a great wholesale
house early in life and by industry.
energ- and enterprise had been ad-
vanced rapidly. His habits and morals
were good-for the city. Partly
through 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 an occasional fly at the
ponies and had an occasional might"
with the boys. But he avoided ex-
cesses and attended strictly to bust
ness Hence his advancement
He had the inevitable contempt for
the country jay" common to every
city lad and regarded the farmer as a
sort of half developed biped, designed
by an all-wise Providence for city peo-
pie to prey upon.
He knew all about girls. too. in his
own estimation. He had experienced
the adolescent 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
SHE'D at the thought of entanglements
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 girl that talked so
seriously and so intelligently and the
utter absence of anything resembling
a shipper, mystiied and bewildered him.
Then. too. she so often put him at so
humilisting a disadvantage by her ac-
curate knowledge and education which
contrasted so strongly with his super
fetal information and ffippant wit. that
he began 10 feel uncomfortable and to
lose his superintendent 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 a long time
and get away from the city in a dry
climate and live out of doors-work
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 a
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 girl of striking ap-
pearance and her manners were dis
tinetly 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 off 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