Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-06-05
aMistellang.



Harley Whiting arrived at the town of
Brrne, with face and hands sunhurned to
deep brick red hue, and nose of fiery and
inAamed aspect. A sun bronzed complex
ion and blstered nose are paltry consider
otions to student emancipated from his
hooks for summer vacation in Europe.
with Cooks ticket in his pocket us the
Golden key to unlock the treasul es of the
Old World When he appeared at Il table
d'hote he felt nervous concerning his nose,
until the advent of other tourists. also sun
baked and devoid Of any supertluOus skin
on the ornamental feature of the human
COuntenance.
Professor Harley Whiting was as shy
a man rs America can produce, despite the
cmincnce and fame of his reputation in
science, and the fluent eloqucnce of his
average discourse before the class. Into
duce him into the drawing room and the
presence of women, and he sat on the eX-
IRENE verge of his chair uneasiy, was
either dumb or rambled weakly in his con-
versation, and nervously dropped every
article in the shape of coffee cup and-wine
glass confded to his keeping. The ladies
at home had "given him up" long ago,
lcr in carry youth he had built about HIM
self rampant of ponderous volumes.
while his fond mother, believing firmly
that he had no equal in the universe, had
stood between him and other feminine in
iuence, until now she had passed away
leaving him small, dry gentleman of
forty-iive, with II bald spot on the top of
his head {. closely clipped brown beard
tuged with gray, blue eyes, usually down
cast and distracted, formed to the mould
of life early assumed.
Here he was at Berne, having done
Chamounx and Zermatt with ardor,
prowling about chiefly in the society OF
guides alone, and delighling all his senses
in the pure upper atmosphere of the Rhone
and Rosenau glaciers.
Having entered his name in the register,
Professor Whiting inspected the box of Il
chamber assigned him in the large and
crowded hotel.
No 205. and up three flights of stairs, u
he mused, reckoning on the points of the
compass, rs it were, with the aid Of II
garcon, before quitting the branching cor
ridors. Then he stroIled forth to survey
the q a mt town, with its arcades, mechnni
cal clock figures and ramparts. lie also
directed his steps to the bank, with such
interest us inspires traveller who may
possibly draw prize OF home news Ill
this lottery, and was rewarded by pack
age of newspapers, pamphlet by al
graduate of the college, and several letters.
Banking hours were over, and the profess
sor, returning to the hotel. selected Il quiet
corner of u reading room in which to
peruse his missives. The pamphlet was
likely to prove simply eXasperating to
scholar Of the professors temperament;
defiance was hurled at one Of his own pet
theories of seed propagation in ferns.
Whether first glance excited him, or the
chatter of some young people near still
further distul bed him, he opened the first
letter abslractedly, and peered in bewlder
ment at the thin sheets inclosed. 1t was
one of those maddening episIles written in
u slanting femme hand, ON paper so trans
parent that the characters on the other side
disputed such IegibiIity MS was possible in
lines that crossed each other in little
corner notes and exclamation points made
slnnlwisp. and an occasional blot. Pro
fcssor whiting sighed and polished his
spec,aclrs. What wonlnn hId written to
INN? Then he sat himself diligently to
the task of discovering beginning or
end of the ctIusion, and WAS finally re-
hdlNittl ny llil'lll'r ~ mum ''''' ''NN va Wv
top Of the page.
"NIy dear Ncd," he read and stopped
His own name was not Ned. He iook NJ
the cnvplope it was addressed to Mr.. Ed |
ward Whiting. luvountarly he sought |
the signature at the close. The correspond !
cnce Of II stranger seemed likely to remain
sacred, for anything the most intense
curiosity would be able 10 make of those
closely crossed sheets; and his eye rested
on these lines: " Martha brgs me 10 add
that Professor Harley Whiting is abroad
this summer. If you and Fanny could
catch and tame him for Emily, he would
prove an excellent husblnd; only You
must not allow her to perceive any match
making proclivtes, as she will become
prjm and old maidsh at once
The ears Of the reader tingled, and hel
dropped the letter as lift burned his fingers
His first impulse WAS immediate flight.
Good heavens! Who was Martha, com
mrnding him us an excellent match? Who
was Emily, about TO dccoy him into ma,ri-
mony? OF course the bank clerk had
mistaken the two names. and given him
the wrong letter. He folded the sheets
carefully, and went to dinner In the
morning he would restore the letter to the
bank The carelessness Of having opened
it was simply inexcusable. Stay! Was
not u ray Of warning light shed on the
darkness of his own path by such an obli-
que shaft from the lantern of accident as
reading those awful lines from Martha?
Somebody had designs on him. He be-
held in horror his quiet home invaded, his
books mislaid, his papers scattered, by
usurping feminine rule, while he submitted
captive bound hand and foot. Professor
Whiting never moderated feminine in
hucnce-his mother had taught him better
but he avoided it,
The sale munger was very large,
brilliantly lighted, and excessively warm.
Professor Whiting, sheltered by crowd,
slid into his seat, and blinked ut bis neigh
Dor shyly through his specacles, until able
to submerge his embarrassment, as 1t were,
in a plate of soup. A cheerful young Ger
man on his left also sun histered, and
with Il sky-blue cravat, speedily took him
into conversational custody, and discover
ed in our student good listener. Why
cid II cold chill creep over the professor
when he observed the opposite group?
The party consisted of n stout gentle
man and two ladies; one very tiny in per-
'OH AI' tlISNJ III pow, WY '' "
large type of serene and placid beauty.
The Tiny lady sparkled and rustled and
chartcd pcrpctuaIly, with bird like motions
Of the head and throat; the larger lady
wa, dcmure, staid, silent, with brown hair
gathered ino classical knot, such as
renders the wearer so conspicuous amidst
the modern coffures of IL degenerate
world, II brown dress and brown eyes.
Imagine the feelings of Professor Harley
Whiting when the tiny lady chlrped,
Ned dear, give Emily more salad
The stout gentleman WAS Ned, and the
brown lady Emily. Of course The protcs-.
sor flushed easily, and upset his g lass OF
caret on the table cloth, which flowed
toward the lady in question. The young
German laughed good humoredly; the
tiny woman Immediately concentrated her
dating glances on the professors scorch-
I'd nose with malicious interest; even
Emily gazcd at him with the serene
brown eyes, which were velvet soft and
luII Of u quiet power.
pprhppe thny tn L a mo for a hard drink