The Iuka vidette., 1912-02-08

asked
"Oh. it's just novel. love-story."
She stopped. but he still stood wait
ing, and she felt It incumbent to go on.
tits about little Cockney Diapers
his bicycle. and falls in with young
girl very much above him. Her moth
er is a popular writer and all that.
And the situation is very curious. and
sad. too. and tragic. Would you care
to read it?"
Does he get herr Daylight de-
manded.
mo; that's the poins of it. He
wasn't"
"And he doesn't get her. and you've
read all them pages. hundreds Of them.
to find that out?" Daylight muttered IN
amazement
Miss Mason was nettled as well a.
amused
But you read the mining and finan.
cial news by the hour" she re
| torted.
But l sure get something out Of
that. It's business. and It's differ
ent. l get money out of it. What do
you get out of books?''
points of view new ideas, life"
mot worth a cent cash.
"But life's worth more than cash.
she argued
"Oh. WE'LL" he said, with easy mas
culine tolerance. so long as you en-
joy It, That's what counts. suppose;
and there's no accounting for taste"
Despite his own superior point ol
view, he had an idea that she knew
lot, and he experienced feetlns
feeling like that of barbarian face
to face with the evidence of some tre-
mendous culture. To Daylight cuk
ture was a worthless thing. and yet,
somehow, he was vaguely troubled by
a sense that there was more in culture
than he imagined
Again, on her desk, in passing, he
noticed a book with which he was fa-
miliar. This time he did not stop, for
he had recognized the cover. 1t was
magazine correspondents book on
the Klondike, and he knew that he
and his photograph figured in it, and
he knew, also. of a certain sensational
chapter concerned with a woman'a
suicide, and with one ITO Much Day
light" After that he did not talk with
her again about books. He imagined
what erroneous conclusions she had
| drawn from that particular chapter.
! Yi'u ~ -~-ss'a- the mora In that they
were undeserved. He pumped murrr-
son, the clerk. who had first to vent
his personal grievance against Miss
Mason before he could tell What little
ne knew of her.
She comes from Sisk,you County.
She's very nice to work with in the
office, of course, but she's rather stuck
on herself--exclusive, you know"
How do you make that out?" Day.
light queried.
We'll. she thinks too much OF
herself to associate with those she
works with, in the Office here, for in.
stance. She won't have anything to
do with a fellow. you see. I've ask
ed her out repeatedly. to the theater
and the chutes and such things. But
nothing doing. Says she likes plenty
of sleep. and can't stay up late. ana
has to go all the way to Berkeley
that's where she lives. But that's all
hot air. She's running with the Uni
versity boys, that's what she's doing.
She needs lots of sleep, and can't 60
to the theater with me- but she can
dance all hours with them. I've heard
1t pretty straight that she goes to all
their hops and such things. Rather
stylish and high-toned for a stenos.
rapher. I'd say. And she keeps a
horse. too. She rides astride all over
those hills out there. | saw her one
Sunday myself. oh, she's a high
flyer. and wonder how she does it
Sixty-fve month don't go far. Then
she has sick brother, too"
Live with her people?" Daylight
asked
No: hasn't get any. They were
well to do. I've heard They must have
been. or that brother or hers couldn't
have gone to tho University Of Cali
fornis- Her father had big cattle
ranch. but he got to fooling with mlnea
or something. and went broke before
he died. Her mother died long before
that. Her brother must cost a lot Of
money. He was a husky once. played
football. was great on hunting and be
ing out m the mountains and such
things. He got his accident break.
ing horses. and then rheumatism OF
something got into him. One leg is
shorter than the other. and withered
up sor1e. He has to walk on crntches
saw her out with him once cross
ing the. ferry; The doctors have been
experimedtite ION him for years, and
he's in t4es French Hospital now, 4
thiirR,%SiM
All Of which side-lights on Miss Ma
son went tol increase Daylights inter
est inaherls' 'reta much as he desired
he faffet ito get acquainted with her.
He, Hads thoughts, of asking her t.
luncheep.I but his was the innate chiv-
airy ,pf. the frontiersman, and the
thoughts never came to- anything He
knew q self-respecting, square-dealins
man was not supposed to take hin
srtndsrAbher to luncheon. Such things
haAr,t1r, ~. l.