The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-05-27
RICHMOND,

Dinkle looked at her Perhaps it
was s.liberal learning" which made
his intuition SO fine and quick. In
that moment he looked down
through the past like q vision, and
his own blighted youth rose before
him like sorrowful ghost. He
went over to Theo. and laid his hand
gently on her head
"Theo., my girl, don't cry" he
said. Il have no patience with
crying women. Leave crying to
babies, where it belongs. Please
God, you and I have many q brave
days work before us, my child.
Together We will tread the glorious
paths of learning. We will climb
yet higher heights, my daughter,
and you shall lead and I will follow.
We viii wait for the promised time
together. In the pursuit of liberal
learning there is perpetual triumph,
unalloyed by a single pang, the
splendid triumph of knowing and
understanding. knowledge places
man on a level with the angels.
There are joy, consolation, and re
pose. I turned there for comfort,
long time ago, and it has never
| failed me. Theodore, daughter,
| gift of God to a lonely OLD man,
| come" 5Gt
| II will, father,' y -o s7 p. = TH
So two went out to work where IL
was to have been three. They never
mentioned the wanderer, never
heard from him. The old man and
the girl shared their studies togeth-
er. At length an attack of sickness
came upon Daddy Dinkle, and
weakened him SO that he was never
the same again. After that Theo.
heard part of the boys Lessons Lib
eral learning" brought her JOY and
consolation indeed. She seemed quito
happy, after little time. Her eye
was bright as q bird S and her voice
as sweet, hopeful, and CHEEKY. Year
after year she studied with the old
man, and year after year she took
more and more of the ''girl profess
or" and she laughed, and went on
in her own sunny, spirited, ambitious
way, steady inspiration to her
boys and the old man, now begin
ming to be little childish, and
losing his eyesight a little. But
her hair turned gray when she was
nineteen years old.
! A lover or two crossed her quiet
life, as the years went on. That
whas the only time her bright, sun
nv spirit ever seemed disturbed.
Her soft pink cheeks had turned
very pale, and she semed faint and
brenthless for moment, and then
she said mildly and firmly that her
life was devoted to the old Professor
and the boys. She never looked for,
or indeed never wished for any other
life than her present one So the
flying years still went on, and Theo-
dora lived as much shut out of the
world as if she apd the old Profess
or and the boys had been cast away
on green island in mid ocean.
At last there came a sorrowful
day, when Daddy Dinkle found
himself in total darkness. His
wornout eyes had failed him com
pletely, except for tears, dear strick
en- old man. Those rained down
from his poor old eyes freely enough,
but tears could not bring back the
lost light of day. And now Theo
dora took the old Professor task
all on her brave two shoulders, and
the academy, for the cultivation of
his liberal learning, fourished as
hardly ever before. It was still
carried on in Daddy Dinkle's name,
but almost the only thing he did
was to be led to his old time chair
in the morning, where he spread
out his trembling hands softly and
repeated the opening prayer, which
he had not missed for twenty years,
except during his illness. The acad
emy boys looked up to Theodore
with perfect alteration. She was so
wise, they thought. and learned,
and yet so young and merry in her
heart, and she could actually under
stand boys games The most un-
ruly pupil she ever had surrendered
Internationally when Theodore beat
him playing checkers. s's
''She can play checkers" he said,
in amazement s.She's the first
woman ever saw in my life who
could play checkers
Daddy Dinkle rubbed his hands
with glee, and said:
Il planned out a work for three
people, and this girl does it all her
self. better than three could have
DONE
Still the winged footed years
glided on, and the young woman
with gray hair kept her school, and
did her quiet work and lived her
quiet life bravely and well, until
one day she found herself 80 years
old, and Edward Wallace had been
gone twelve years She tied rib
bon in her hair, that day, and look
ed in the glass and saw herself, o
woman, never handsome, and no
longer very young. Not young in
yeares, that is to say. In heart and
spirit she was younger than most
girls at Is. I suppose being so
much with boys had made her so.
She looked IN the glass that day,
and saw a woman with gray hair,
soft pink cheeks, and bright, spirited
eyes She looked happy and peace
| full, as she smiled at her gray hair
| IN <1,, GLASS Sbo uoo hannv on.4