The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1879-04-18
5Aisccll anruus.



Professor Bonds brows were knit in hon
est perpleXity, and he brushed up his shaggy
gray hair with his slender white hand, while
his keen but kindly eyes were fixed upon a
sweet faced girl standing modestly before
him.
"You are such child ~ he said present
ly.
81 am fifteen, Herr Professor"
"a great age! and these are all big boys,
you see"
"But do not have to do more than teach
them, and can do that because" and here
her low, sweet voice broke, and the sensitive
lip quivered piteously-"my father was train
ing me for a teacher"
HIN! Yesw
"lfyou will only let me try, Herr PROBES
sor, until my father is stronger. The doctor
says few weeks of entire rest is all he needs,
but if his salary is stopped how are we to
live?"
Professor Bonds brows knit again 1t was
dilemma out of which he saw no way
Professor Schon was his German teacher,
and three distinct classes of pupils were eX-
pecting to recite to him that very day. 1t
was impossible to find another competent
teacher for some days, and Professor Schorn
had had stroke of paralysis, In this cmer-
gency the professors only child, Doretta, had
offered her services.
Professor Bond was puzzled about the cx-
pcdiency of substituting for grutf, gray
headed German of sixty or Whereabouts, a
slender girl of fifteen, with voice like a
flute, and smile like baby. Yet there was
resolution too in the blue eyes and on the
pretty lips, while the low, broad brow prom
Used intellect.
well" he said after a long pause, "you
may try. am within call if you need me-
And Dorctta, with long quivering sigh,
followed him to Il class room where about
twenty boys awaited the arrival of the Ger
man professor After Professor Bond left
her, she said, with a gentle pathos:
My poor father lies helpless mt home, and
we shall starve if cannot do his work here
You know him and love him, and | am sure
you will not make it hard for me-"
All the boy chivalry awakened at this, and
the class as II whole was exemplary. There
were some imperfect lessons, but little mat
tenton, and the new teacher excused nothing,
let no mistake pass undiscovered. Her own
knowledge of English was better than her
fathers, and, greatly to his amazement, Pro
fessor Bond found the classes progressing FL,
vorably.
The second school term of the year made
some changes and one morning Doretta, lift
ing her soft blue eyes TO her class found d
new boy facing her He had large, dark eyes
handsome face, q tall, strong figure, and
rather awed her because he was older than
any of her class. She found his name upon
her book-Sidney Rynear, and her pretty
face clouded as she read it, for there were
vague but unpleasant memories associated
with the name of Rynear in her mind
But Sidney Rynear was the very pink Of
courtesy Just from New York, his clothing
was in the latest style, and at nineteen fop
pishness is not so offensive, as at twenty nine
Only boy and girl liking was the result O.
the meeting
The romance of a first love lasted all win
ter, and, rs spring opened, Professor Schon
gained his strength until he could hobblt
about on crutches, and talk ofresuming his in
terrupted duties. 1t was in April that little
Doretta stayed at home to cook the soup, ant
her father went once more to the seminary tC
teach the boys German. She was restless
this pretty Doretta, that day. She told her
| self she missed Che boys, but did not admi
even to her own heart that if she could have
| retained one scholar she could well have spar
| ed the others.
Only one hour had passed when carriag,
drove swiftly to the door of the little cottage
and Doretta hurrying out, saw three mel
carrying her father up the garden path, Will,
following, with frightened face, came Sidne,
| Rynear and the doctor.
81 went for the doctor as fast as | could,
Sidney whispered, taking Dorotta's little colo
hand in his warm clasp, land we met thu
carriage at the gate | am no end of sorry
Retta, but lin fact-hc-it was seeing me
4 | am afraid"
"What ?" she said.
"Why, you see he was all right, teaching
the class, when he saw me suddenly, ant
turned as white as ghost He asked me m,
name, and, ms soon as he heard it, dropped
down like dead man !"
| All this was spoken hurriedly, and Dorett,
was too busy for hours to weigh the hasty
words.
| "a second stroke" the doctor said, ant
loretta watched hungrily for one return o
| consciousness
| Towards midnight, the invalid moved
slightly, and in moment Doretta was bend
ing over him, meeting the glance of his larg'
haggard eyes fixed upon her face.
| "RynearW her father said in thick utter
ance ale hcre-diamond studs-and you
acknowledgement him curse himp
| The passionate utterance of the last word
exhausted him, and he lay painting, while DO
retta tried to coax him to take u stimulan
| lett by the DOCTOR but lie moved MS neat
| from the spoon-muttering, "Rynear Ry
near my ruin-my curseW and again tin
distorted face warned Doretta of thrt
stroke. Before the day dawned she was faith
eress.
1t was not strange, with the death seem
fresh in her mind, that she shrank from Sid
ney's well-meant effort at consolation; but a
the weary days wore on this gave way befor
his kindly services How could he hay
wronged her father, when he must have bcel
a mere child, twelve years before, when TIN
Schorns had left New York;
Time, with its many changes, brought com
fort to Doretta, who obtained situation a
governess ina private family, and went abroa'
with her pupil and her parents Sidney Ry
near left the country village to enter his faith
er's counting house in New York, vowed eter
nal consistency to Doretta, and forgot her il