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Show A COMMONPLACE MAN. I BY ASA PRATT. (Copyright, 1KW, by Daily Story Put). Co.) Homer Dent was a very plain sort of a person. Ho hud been n very plain sort of u boy and nn exceedingly plain sort ol a youth arid now he wad a most conspicuously con-spicuously plutu young man. Ho hnd always worked hard and received re-ceived tho minimum compensation thorefor. As u boy he- did tho heavy end tt tho chores und his brother got the holidays and the praise. As a youtd tit did rM hard studying nnd always al-ways wmalved ut the foot of tho clashes watH other follows walked away will tho pitzes. An a young mnn ho was always glvon tho hard nnd disagreeable dis-agreeable tasks at tho store nnd when thcro was a promotion lu sight somo body olso got it. Homer did not romplnln, however, but plodded on, living out tho law of his being. Ho never was Jealous of thoso who woro advanced over him. In fact ho rejoiced In their good fortune. To be suro ho grlovcd at times that none of tho gifts of tho gods wcro his, but ho laid it nil to somo defect In his character. charac-ter. To bo suro he was n trlllo slow nnd not ut nil brilliant , but ho was as steady and rollnblo ns n plow-horso nnd his employers know, oven ns his parents and teachers had known, that when ho was given a tusk It was suro to bo dono no matter how long It took, Uut tho high places wcro for thoso with moro spectacular qualities and nobody over really thought of Homer when they woro to bo filled. Truth bo told Homer novcr thought of going after them himself. him-self. In fnct Homer never pushed himself. him-self. Folks said he was not nm-bltious. nm-bltious. Uut the years with nit their toll nnd hardships und disappointment brought one groat Joy nnd light to Homer's Hfo. It wns n woman, of course, und her dainty, fcmlnlno ways guvo tho lovo-starved lovo-starved lad n gllmpso Into a now nnd marvelous world. Ho novor ceased to wonder thnt sho crowned him with her favors ho who over had been a by- Btnnder In nil tho Joys und softer side of life. The. result, h easy to guess. Ho became be-came her nbjeel and dovoted slnvo. Her lightest wish wns law nnd thero was no sacrifici) too great, no endeavor too strenuous for him to mnko nt her most slmplo suggestion. Ilecnuso sho loved Boclety he plunged Into tho gnytles of tho town, whoro ho cut n most sorry llg-' llg-' uro, ns ho was only too painfully conscious con-scious and where ho became tho butt of tho clover ones, as ho was in till tho walks of Hfo ho assayed. Hccuuso she approved of religion ho smothered his convictions and haunted tho church of her denomination, studying Its creed wIUi desperate earnestness nnd blindly ncceptlng Its code. Ho oven attempted golf nnd ns n last sacrifice Joined a homo study circle whoro nfter u hurd day's work he sternly kept himself nwtike. And the woman. Well, sho wns u daughter of Eve, and having fulled to nt-tract nt-tract any very big fish nnd having nr-rlvcd'at nr-rlvcd'at tho period of n maiden's Hfo when sho begins to realize thnt It Is time to cast an anchor to tho windward, sho turned to Homer, Not that sho was old or devoid of charms, but sho hud set her standard rather high und tho knight of hor dreams hnd not appeared. Resides sho wns a young woman of discrimination discrimina-tion and sho saw below tho commonplace common-place exterior of this slmplo hearted man, tho truo gold or his uuselfibh character. char-acter. Sho appreciated this und film shrewdly realized thnt with him sho would bo absolutely queen. Hut, ah, yo daughters of Evo, whenever when-ever did reason govern your hearts nnd your desires? Whcnovcr did not nnd when does not nnd will not tho gny cavalier 11 ro your hearts nnd Imaginations Imagina-tions nnd mako tho plain sturdy plow-boy plow-boy seem commonplnco und Impossible? And who Bhult say thnt tho fnlr Agnes did not nccopt Homer with a mentnl reservation? And who shnll say that tho vision of tho gny cavnller did not still abldo In hor imagination? Bo all that as It may the fact remains that ouo glorious ovening sho plighted her troth to Homor with a dainty gnsp of surrender which so filled him with Joy nnd rovorenco that ft must nbido with him forovor. It was many weeks boforo ho could thoroughly bellovo that this sphmdld cronture, this wonderful being had selected htm of nil tho world for n mute unci ho bowed In roverence nnd thanksgiving overy tlmo ho thought of it, which was somo thousand times u tiny. Alwuj s frugal und saving, ho now began be-gan to lay usldo money with moro than u mlsor'H nvnrlro against tho blissful day wh'in Agnes should como to his arms. Ho wus not Impatient, ns most lovers nro. It wns enough for him to know that sho was his. Ho could wait. Ho had boon compelled to wait for ovorythlng over slnco ho was born and ho had learned tho lesbon ul' pi.Uoncu. Probably this was a mistake bcauso women Ilka to bo sought ardent.; &ud impatiently but how wns ho to know thnt, this being tho only woman ho hud pvor known'.' Well, It wns tlio same old story. Whllo ho waited nnd tolled patiently, secure In hlo happiness, tho cavnller caino nlong, smiled upon his mistress and poor plodding Homer waa forgotten. forgot-ten. Just how it nil happened has been forgotten in tho chronicles of tho town. Howovor, one T. Soymour Estorly appeared ap-peared on tho social horizon of tho town with more lino clothes than tho Johnnies John-nies over had seen nnd with nn nuto-mobllo nuto-mobllo und a debonair air nnd much Buporclllousncss. Ho was thoro, ho announced, an-nounced, for rest nnd recreation nfter n strenuous soason on tho stock market In Wall street. Nocd It bo recorded how ho Hwopt ovorythlng boforo hlra? How mnmmns courtod him nnd pnpas gave htm little dinners ut tho club, how clubs nnd societies strovo for the prlvllego ot entertaining him as anl honored guest and how tho maidens,' betrothed und unbetrothed, smiled f upon htm? Nay, tho dullest Imaglna-tlon Imaglna-tlon can seo till that. Then one day tho town wns stnrtled with nn elopement. Ves, sad ub It was, Agnes had oloped with T, Seymour Eslcrly in most spectacular manner, lenvlng a dramatic note to lltyucr thaU sho hnd mado a great mistake, but had saved both him and herself by rccog-nlzlng rccog-nlzlng tho fact that they wcro not mates before It was loo lato thanks to tho fuct that her truo ndlnlty hnd up-penrcd. up-penrcd. And sho begged him to forget her unworthy self and to find some mnldcn who could npprcclnto his good Und truo qualities. As though sho did not well know thnt there never could bo nny other woman in his slmplo hon-est hon-est Tlio months sped nnd strnngo reports enmo regarding tho eloping couplo. Tho final ono wns that tho Mr. T. Seymour Esterly was a common adventurer In fact vnlet of n distinguished member of tho stock exchange win whllo taking n, trip abroad had left his establishment In tho hands of his vnlet. Anil tho vnlet with tho curb off had started out In search of ndventuro with his employer's nutumobllo nnd clothes nnd had sue-ccedo sue-ccedo In Inflaming tho Imaglna-tlon Imaglna-tlon of tho ambitious country bollo , nnd Inducing her to clopo with him. And sadder than nil It was whls-pored whls-pored that 'ho had not married her at all nnd that sho was living In mlsernblo quartors tho very creature of his whims. Homer Deut had survived tho blow with tho stoicism which ovor had been his saving grace. God nlono knows what It meant to him nnd tho hours ot mortal ngony ho suffered, but ho mado no sign nnd plodded on as ho over had. And ono day many, many months after the catastropho thcro camo to him n letter oh such n pathetic and hopo- less and toar-stnlncd letter from tho lady' of his dreams. The end hnd come. Sho was deserted, alono nnd without , ''""H friends, money or hopo. Her own people had cast her off and sho did not blamo them. Her board was puld for tho bal- nnco of tlio week. Then sho had re- solved to end tho wholo miserable busi- ncss nnd lot tho silent river tell the story It it would. Only she could not go out ot tho world without letting Homer know how keenly rho nppre- elated her mistake and how much better she know than ho, his nobllltyf char- "1 urn saying thoso things, not to Justify myself nor with any hopo of tho future," she1 wrote. "But I want you to know your own worth which you al-ways al-ways havo underestimated and dlscrcd-tted. dlscrcd-tted. People In this world aro taken on their own valuation. Slnco I went away from tho truest lover over maiden had I havo seen many men of nil do-grces, do-grces, nnd I want to tell you for your own good thnt you uro better nnd stronger and braver than any of thom. When I am gono I wish you might for-glvo for-glvo ma for my disloyalty to you God knows I hnvo suffered enough for It. And I wish I might awaken in you somo conception of your own power. If you could npprcclnto It all success nnd all happiness would bo yours. All business success would open to ycu If only you would demand It nnd nil women would llo ut your feet If you would command Instead of beg. This Is the only reparation I can make to awaken you to your own possibilities. It is a poor ono, but bellovo mo It Is nttomptcd in nil sincerity und with all the love which woman can feel townrd man a lovo Intensified n thousand times bo-cause bo-cause sho knows sho has sacrificed it. And it should hnvo all tho weight of n volco from tho gravo because next Monday I will bo numborcd with tho Long and prayerfully did Homer Dent struggle with this letter. It rekindled nil tho passion ot his first and only lovo and ho realized all tlio lerrlblo conse-quenccs conse-quenccs of her fall. Finally in tho cold gray dawn ho threw his meager ward-robo ward-robo Into n trunk nnd wroto a lotter to his employer resigning his position and stating ho was going nwny to bo mnr-rlcd mnr-rlcd nnd would not return. Lntor ho drew his money from tho savings bank and boarded a train for tho city praying ho would nrrlvo In |