Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-11-19
GIRL FROM THE CITY
BY DONALD ALLEN.

Copyright. 1914. by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate.)
Now and then a college student ID
called by his name as his mother
gave 1t to him, but in the vast ma
jority of cases 1t Is by a nickname.
Sometimes the a%ppellation fits the In
dividual. and sometimes 1t is far from
It; but once bestowed 1t sticks.
Brian Jeffries had been In college
a month before his chum settled on q
nickname. and there was much rejoic-
ing that 1t fitted him.
He was walking out one evening
from his boarding house when he was
set upon by three young men. They
were supposed to be students, n to
be mistaken In their man, and they
made 1t warm for young Jeffries for
a minute. Then he rallied, and when
he had landed three separate punches
IN three individual chins the battle
was over. Brian had delivered the
punch" as sporting men say. and
from that time on he vas Punch
Jeffries. He vas neither proud OF 1t
nor disguised with it.
When the summer vacation came
the young man went to his home on
the Sound. He might have gone camp
ing or yachting or tramping, as SO
many students do, but he was way
behind In his studies, and his father
had inquired of him:
DO you think / sent you to college
to learn to row, swim, box and kick
q football?"
Hardly, father was the reply.
you stand very low in your studies,
my boy; and you must catch up.
Spend your vacation at home and do
it."
1t was a bit lonesome at The Oaks.
Brian was an only child, and his moth
err was a semi-invalid and his father
a quiet man who seldom entered into
conversation. There were fishing and
boating, and there was a trip to the
village now and then In the auto, and
the remainder OF the time vas put
in reading law and wondering why
men with sense enough to peel a
potato could not enact a law that a
%half.baked Judge could not interpret
twice alike in the same year.
On his homecoming he had noticed
two young ladies at Wave Crest-the
next manor house below. One OF
them was Miss Pryor. whose father
owned the property, and the other
was a stranger to him. When he
sought information Of his mother
she replied:
1T is a young lady from the city
visiting Miss Pryor. I do not even
know her name"
Hang it, If / had ever been intro
duced to Miss Pryor here is a big
chance for a Irritation"
I'm sorry for you, but perhaps
youm survive the disappointment
At about the same hour Miss Callie
Floyd, the visitor from the city. was
asking of Miss Annette Pryor:
And who are the people at the
other place"
Their name is J~effries.'
Aren't there any girls?"
mo. only a son."
college s~tudent?"
81 believe SO, and home now on his
vacation"
He must be a bit lonely"
well, it won't be for us to cheer
him up. l have heard that he was
very wild and reckless at college"
why, he doesn't look It," said Miss
Callie.
"Oh, you are a physiognomist. are
you? You can tell by a young mans
face fifty rods away whether he is
wild or mott"
IL thought he had a pleasant
face"
Let me tell you what they call
him In college. 1t Is Punch JEFF
fries!"
But why? Does he drink more
punch than anybody else?"
1T must be that. A young man
who knows him told me that he had
three brawls before he had been in
college a month. / hope he will make
no excuse to get acquainted with US
We must prepare ourselves to snut
him at the first advance"
Yes, we must!" sighed Miss Callie
as she turned away.
Three days later Brian saw the
young ladies start for the village In
the runabout, and he got out his auto
and followed. Why he did it he die
not stop to ask himself. Perhaps II
was because he had a hope that he
might get a ear view of the cir
from the city. He was half a mile. be
hind them, and keeping their pace
when he heard a toot behind him anc
glanced back to see a young mar
burning up the road. !
That toot meant but one thing. II
meant: 81 am coming and you small
potatoes with your cheap machines
had better take to the woods"
Even without the insulting footing
the would have found one
ready to do him battle. Brian didn't
like the shape Of his headgear. He