Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1912-01-04
Young Mr.. Wells
By LAWRENCE ALFRED CLAY

came he would melt. but not too
hastily.
Not at home" was the reply of the
butler.
But they must be-"
mo, sir. Went to the country three
days ago."
But they left a letter for mel"
mo, SIR, and none of us know
where they went"
Mr.. Wells and his dignity and for
g~iveness turned away. If he K
"bossy" as he assembled the steps, 1t
had fallen from him like a mantle as
he descended. He first declared that
he did not care d cooper's maledic-
tion-that he was actually glad of 1t;
that he had had a narrow escape from
marrying a girl with a dreadful tenn
per-one who would have driven him
from home after a few weeks. And
then he decided that he did care, but
that he would be the boss or perish.
The third decision was that he had
made an idiot of himself and couldn't
ask forgiveness any too soon. Give a.
donkey of a young man time enough
and he will strike the right policy.
Mr.. Wells wanted forgiveness, but
where to go for It? He had a pull at
the bank and got four days off. He
had a crisp ten-dollar bill for the but
Ter, and the butler proved disloyal to
his mistress, just as she had figured
that he would.
A grip was packed and the "bossy'
young man HE'D him to q mountain re-
sort. He hadn't planned that he
would, but some one had planned for
him. With a railroad time table and
a lead pencil and thirty minutes to fig-'
ure in she was sure ven Of the train
he would arrive on. And half an hour
before the arrival Of that train. Miss
Dora Thurston took to the woods. In
other words, dressed for a walk on the
hills, she left the hotel and took a.
path leading upwards among the trees
and powders and outcrop.
Mr.. Wells tried to arrive with his
dignity, but 1t was rather a failure.
He hunted up Mrs. Thurston and ex-
planned that he had been granted a.
few days off to cure his hay fever.
and that he had arrived at the Bald
Eagle quite by accident and she had
the courtesy not to smile. 1t was all
Of three minutes and a half before he
carelessly inquired for Miss Dora and
learned that she had gone for a walk.
Then he carelessly said he would look
her up, as she would probably be quite
anxious to know that the weather in.
town was 80 hot that truck horses
we're falling like autumn leaxes be-
fore its fiery blast. Young ladies' do
take vivid interest in these things!
Miss Dora met a boy and she met a.
man, and she met two romantic girls,
and she took pains that they should
see her take a path marked: DAN
gerous-Beware Of Avalanches!" Up
that path to a spot where there had
been a slide of rocks a week before.
and then she dropped her handker-
chief, removed her hat and tossed 1t
from her, and then went into hiding.
Miss Dora had figured time as close
as a train dispatcher. She had not
been in hiding ten minutes when Mr..
Wells came up on the run. He saw
the hat and handkerchief and uttered
a groan and a shout. He was not up
on avalanches, and he took this for a
new one. Under 1t would be found
the dead and mangled body of the girl
he had tried to boss!
Off came the coat and hat and vest
Of the frantic lover, and he went to
work like a dog digging out a wood
chuck. Help could have been had
half a mile away, but he felt he could
not stop to summon it. No hero ever
toiled harder for a quarter Of an hour,
and he was still at 1t when Miss Dora
!. slid gracefully down to his feet and
scrambled to remark:
= Now, then, If you have changed
your mind about cads and other
I things we will sit down and talk. II
= you work any longer you will have a
lame back tomorrow"
! "Oh, Dora, Ill"
:, "The girl bosses before marriage
you know, and the husband after
= wards"