Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1877-06-27
Kate Brown.

Soon after my father graduated at ole
Dartmouth, he had an invitation TO 90
to Connecticut to teach, which invita-
tion he accepted. At the time of which
we are writing, about 1892, it wa.
thought great acquisition to the peda.
gogue that he held a diploma from q
college, and the student found in Con-
necticut nice new Academy. as it wa.
called, where young ladies and gentle
men could finish their education i'm the
common branches, and acquire knowl-
edge of the higher pursuits of life.
OF those who attended this school
was young man of about 20 years who
for external appearance would not
cause the whole world to fall in love
with him-much less were the young
Edies inclined to do so, and the reason
assigned for this Aversion was that for
the most part of his time he attended to
his own business, instead of other peo-
ple,s.------
Jonathan was person of good judg-
ment, reticent in manner, often called
bashful, of good moral attainments :
and, withal, an excellent scholar. He
was well versed in the common
branches of education, but delighted
most in mathematics, and was never
more in his element than when solving
problem in Euclid.
During the first winter term there
was a mathematical question proposed
by the teacher for the whole school.
and the one who could first answer cor
rect was TO receive a valuable present.
The answers were to he i'm writing and
numbered as they were handed in, the
opening 10 take place the next Monday
There We're eight answers, of which
JOnathan's was No. l, and the only one
that was correct, so he bore off the
prize,
This superior knowledge of figures
created an envious feeling, and some
called him the Dutchman's Jonathan:
that his apparel was tell-tale about
onions, etc.
moment, to explain little. The father
of Jonathan, Jacob Gutridge, was of
Dutch origin. who after the war. in
which he was soldier. went to Weth-
ersfield and bought large tract of land
bordering on the Connecticut river,
whose flats were long time noted for
their production of onions.
About the same time Colonel Brown,
a title which he had received because
he was a tory and had taken COM
mission under New York to oppose the
colonists, moved into the place. He
was a man..of property, and with it un-
dertook TO speculate and depress the re-
turned soldiers, buying their cOntinen-
tai scrip for mere nothing, with the be-
lief that the government would redeem
il at it, full value. Alas, however, ii
became worthless, an the colonel be-
came poor.
Brown was educated to believe that
there were two classes in society, the
high and the low-that prosperity was
one of the adjuncts of the high-the
want of it subjected people TO the other
In fact he was an aristocrat of the
blueSt kind. He has become greatly
reduced in prosperity, but not in his
aristOcratic notions of society, and had
a beautiful daughter. whom he wished
TO educate for the higher circles in
society. 50 sent her to this school.
There was a rumor among the schol-
ars that Kate was not so much related
10 Colonel Brown as she was To her
mother. Kate possessed all the virtues
of the colOnel's wife-kind to assOci-
ates, obedient to parents, possessing
that confidential, loving attribute which
placed her i'm that class of society her
guardian so much revered-
We will now return TO the school on
Monday. when the answers were opened |
the result of which was as before |
stated. The scholors began to rally |
Jonathan. and all except Kate called |
him names. She took his part, as the |
saying is, and rather put tOshame those |
who could not answer the question pro
posed.
The next question proposed was in |
grammar. the answers to be given a. |
before. There were but five competi- |
tors for the present. and on inspection |
kate's answer was marked No. /, and |
was the only one given as correct. She |
then became the object of ridicule, and |
l,a -.
Jonathan, they called her the Dutch
mans associate, and the tory's ward or
step-daughter.
20 Now Jonathan had good opportu-
nity to pay his associate, as she was
called. and he undertook to show the
good qualities ofthe grammarian which
good will was reciprocated with inter-
est. The term of school having ex-
pired. the teacher thought to go home
TO New Hampshire, but the committee
proposed 10 hire him for three years
and he accepted the offer, being the
preceptor during that time.
The spring opened and with it came
young merchant who filled a stors
with goods and proposed to do smash
ing business in his line. Being with
out family, he boarded at Colonel
Browns. The two scholars had now
become very much attached to each |
other, which intimacy was apparent to
all, especially to the colonel, who for
bade his daughter to have any conver-
Sation with the low Dutchman. To
break up this intimacy the colonel pro-
posed that the daughter should court
the young merchant a little, and to /