The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1877-07-12
From Harper's for JuneI
The Professors Victim.

when ! do think upon, | get what You
Americans call crick in the brain"
''les, professor" / said, meekly, al
though had never i'll my life heard an
American use the expression. But the
| professor went into altogether different
society from that in which | was allowed
to mingle, and | dare say they had a
language of their own. ! WAS merely q
dress maker. To be sure, | had good
customers, and rs many as could we'll
get along with, SO that had no occasion
to put out a sign. Miss Winthrop was
SO glad Of this. She said she didn't know
how she could board with me if | kept
sign at the door. 1t was bad enough for
her to know how hard | worked, and
what a wretched life led it was enough
for her to pity me; it would be unendur-
able if the whole neighborhood should be
called upon to extend me their sympathy.
| think Miss Winthrop was mistaken.
am confident there We're many people in
our vicinity who would have been glad to
have tared no worse than |. But Miss
Winthrop had peculiar views about labor.
| never contradicted her The professor
and she were Wranglng always and for
ever. They never agreed upon any sub
ject. He was there almost every day of
his life. Miss Winthrop was studying at
the Institute; but she was not a very
ardent student. and used to be at home
the most OF the time 50 that when the
professor got through at the college and
conservatory, he came generally direct to
the house. 1t would have seemed strange
and sad not to have seen him at least
once in twenty four hours.
remember that day 50 Well had
been more than usually perpleNed in cut
ting and fitting. The left side Of Miss
Van C0ot had to be padded all the way
up to the shoulder, and in some unac-
countable way had mistaken the left for
the right, 50 that when she put on the
basque, | should have laughed if had
not cried. | was nervous and worked
out, | suppose; and as she stood there,
poor creature not knowing what a spec
tacle she was, it was all | could do to
keep the tears from rolling down my
checks.
~ shall have to take it all apart, Miss
Van Coot." I said. at will take me at
least an hour. You might as well get
through your shopping, and com" back
again
She went of in her carriage, and be-
gan to rip out the stitches. The morning
WAS cloudy and oVelc;tst and It's | got
near the window to see, | could not help
| thinking what IL miserable world it was,
when all ut once a big shadow looned up
beside me. and a familiar Voice cried out
"Who is it has made thee to weep
Give me their bones that | may crack
them"
And then fell to laughing. Suddenly
the morning seemed to be bright and
beautiful, the form of Miss Van Coot
shapely enough, if only | would not be
stupid, and mistake the right side for the
left. AS for the professor he WAS like a
dcmigod made out of flesh and blood Il
great deal of fine wholesome flesh and
gallons Of splendid blood. could not
help thinking, III my SOrdid way, that the
professors tailor, whoever he might be,
was a Wondrous lucky man; for nobody
but those whose trade it is to puzzle and
design for the human anatomy can have
the least idea of how teartully and Won
derfully we are made. The professor was
reSplendent III a new raiment of some soft
gray material that suited well his fine
complexion and rudGv hair In his but
L''Ii-ll'lt Ntlt >tllt fltSll NltltlS, lol IL
was already spring. He pulled the gloves
from his plump white hands, and Went in
to the piano. 1t WAS open, Just as Miss
Winthrop had left it,
'.Wll she return to luncheon :" he said.
running his fingers over the keys and
thought us he spoke how nice it was to
be the one "shc" in that big generous
heart.
Yes, professor" replied.
"Then will stay" he said, and imme-
diately went to prepare his favorite pud
ding and while | stirred the materials
together he came out into the kitchen to
talk about Miss Winthrop. Never by any
chance when we were alone together did
he talk of anything else.
IL saw your tears" he cried, in his
tragic way. "Were they because of Miss
Winthrop? | should not wonder. OF all
women, she is the most aggravating, the
most unreasonable
1T was not Miss Winthrop" | said !;
land You do not think all these disagree
able things that YOU say of her.
II do ! do" he cried. 'You think,
now, tha. | am what you Americans call
'spooney' about her: but it is not that at
all have only the puerility to be curl
GUS" and then the professor went on to
tell me that the mystery i'll Miss Win
throp's life gave him a cricl in the
brain"
"At times" said the professor, ''she is
moody. She is what the French call dis
tait-she is plunged into Il melancholy
profound and touching. | tell you, my
gracious Fraulen, there is IA burden upon
that yynnap'r SaI,1 Now what n,n il lao
| did not reply. How could [! | had
also noticed these periods Of sadness and
abstraction upon lIelen's part, but how
could | speak my heart out to the pro-
fessor9 How could tell him that he was
unconsciously trtling with Helen, making
her happy ut one time, only to render her
the more miserable at another; that tins
capricious conduct of his was the cause
of Miss Winthrop's melancholy! did
not dare be thus frank with the professor,
for fear that he would 90 straight to Helen
and tell her. He was like Il child in i'm
pulse, and many Il time, when ! had un-
Willingly trusted him, he had unblush-
ingly betrayed me.
Fortunately, Miss Van Coot came in.
The professor went into the parlor and
began to bang upon the piano with the
fervor of an enthusiast. While was try
ing on Miss Van Coot's basque, he poured
out his whole soul upon the keys, so that
Miss Van Coot tidgeted from one foot tc
the other. and at last tore herself away
from me and sank upon d chair near the
door
LET the dress Co." she said. 81 must
listen. oh, how beautiful it is! Who is
he 3? Where did he come from? How
do you manage to have an instrument
like that? The high notes are perfect; >
and she peeped through the crack of the
door
pardon me-" | said, respectfully, fol
she was the best customer had, "but in
ten minutes | shall be done. The basque
fits you to perfection. He is Professor
Wagner, of the Grand Conservatory. He
does indeed play wonderfully well. The
instrument is not mine; it belongs to the
| e 4 - I.