The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-06-23
THE PROFESSORS VICTIM.

YOU Americans call a crick in the brain"
eyes, professor" said, meekly, al
though | had never in 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 lam
guage of their own. was merely
dressmaker To be sure, ! had good
customers, and as many as | could well
get along with, so that had no occasion
to put out sign. Miss Winthrop was so
glad Of this. She said she didn't know how
she could board with me if l kept
sign at the door 1t was bad enough for
her to know how hard worked, and
what wretched life l led; twas enough
for her to pity me; it would be unen-
durable if the whole neighborhood should
be called upon to extend me their sym
pathy. think Miss Winthrop was mis-
taken. am confident there were many
people in our vicinity who would have
been glad to have Jared no worse than l.
But Miss Winthrop had peculiar views
about labor. ! never ContradiCted her.
The professor and she were wrangling
always and forever They never agreed
upon any subject. He was there almost
every day of his life Miss Winthrop
was studying at the Institute; but she
was not very ardent student, and used
to be at home the most of the time, SO
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 the twenty-four
hours.
remember that day so well. had
been more than usually perpleXed in cat
ting and fitting The left side of Miss
Van Coot had to be padded all the way
up to- the shoulder, and in some unqc-
countable way | had mistaken the left
for the right, so that when she put on
the basque | should have laughed if l
had not cried. l was nervous and
worked out, suppose; and as she stood
there, poor creature! not knowing what
n spectacle she was, it was all | could do
to keep the tears from rolling down my
cheeks. n .......
81 shall have to take it all apart, Miss
Van Coot," said. 1T will take me at
least an hour. You might as well get
through your shopping and come back
again" ...... ..-s.
She went off in her carriage and l be-
gan to rip out the stitches. The morn
ing was cloudy and overcast; and as l
got near to the window to see | could
not help thinking what miserable world
it was, when all at once big shadow
doomed up beside me, and a familiar
voice cried out:
I" Who is it has made thee to weep?
Give me their bones that may crack
them"
And then l fell to laughing. Sud-
denly the morning seemed to me 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 demigod made out of flesh and
blood-a great deal of fine, wholesome
flesh and gallons of splendid blood, l
could not help thinking, in my sordid
way, that the professors tailor, whoever
he might be, was 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 fearfully
and wonderfully we are made. The pro-
fessoI was Respondent in new raiment
of some soft gray material that suited
well his fine complexion and ruddy hair.
In his button-hole were some fresh vio-
lets, for it was already early spring. He
pulled the gloves from his plump, white
hands and went to the piano. 1t was
open, just as Miss Winthrop had left it.
p" VIII she return to luncheon" he
said, running his fingers over the keys;
and I thought as he spoke how nice it
was to be the one she" in that big, gen
erous heart.
Yes, professor" replied
"Then Twill stay" he said, and imme-
diately l went to prepare his favorite
pudding; and while / stirred the mate
rails 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.
~ saw your tears" he cried, in his
tragic way. "Were they because of
Miss Winthrop? ! should not at all
wonder. OF all women, she is the most
aggravating, the most unreasonable"
" 1t was not Miss Winthrop" said;
" and you do not think all these disa-
greeable things that you say of her"
. 2" do do" he cried. You think,
now, that am what YOU Americans call
Fspooney' about her; but it is not that at
all, have only the puerility to be
curious;" and then the professor went
on to tell me that the mystery in Miss
Winthrop's life gave him " crick in the
brain"
AT times" said the professor, she
is moody She is what the French call
diSrGit-she is plunged into melan-
cholyprofound and touching. tell you,
my gracious Fraulein, there is burden
upon that woman's soul. Now what can
it be?pAh II II EHti1 'l'i. ~.
| did not reply. How could l? 1 had
also noticed these periods of sadness and
abstraction upon Helen's part, but how
could ] speak my heart out to the pro-
.fessor? How could | tell him that he
was unconsciously trifling with Helen,
making her happy at one time only to
render her more miserable at another;
that this capricious conduct of his was
the cause of Miss Winthrop's melan-
choly? | did not dare be thus frank
with the professor for fear that he would
go straight to Helen and tell her. He