Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1912-01-04
Young Mr.. Wells
By LAWRENCE ALFRED CLAY

came be would melt. but not too
hastily.
mot 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 me?"
"No, sir. and none Of us know
where they went"
Mr.. Wells and his dignity and for
g~iveness turned away. II he looked
"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 q cooper's maledic-
tion-that he was actually glad Of It;
that he had had a narrow escape from
marrying a girl with a dreadful EN-.
per-one who would have driven him
from home after q 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 of. He
had a crisp ten-dollar bill for the but
Ter, and the butler proved disloyal to
bis mistress. Just as she had figured
that he would.
A grip was packed and the "bossy"
young man hied him to a mountain re.
sort. He hadn't planned that he
would, but some n had planned for
him. With a railroad time table and
a lead pencil and thirty minutes to fig
ure in she was sure eve of the train
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 it was rather a failure.
He hunted up Mrs. Thurston and ex-
planned that he had been granted a
few days of 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 &c hot that truck horses
were falling like autumn leaxes be.
fore Its lery 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 A~valanches!" 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..
w ciIo CdIuo up VII liz Iuu. Ic bo"
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!
on 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 1t. No hero ever
toiled harder for a quarter OF an hour,
and he was still at It when Miss Dora
slid gracefully down to his feet and
scrambled to remark:
Now. then. II you have changed
your mind about cads and other
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 tho husband after
M ordeu