Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1879-05-24
MISS MAY.
[Harper's Magazine. ]

and Tom Kingsley was lounging IN the
bay window of the little sitting-roOm,
his Latin and Greek books all around
him, and, what was worse, broad snow
covered hill before him, down which
sled alter sled was gliding with the most
tantalizlng rapidity. Tom was twenty,
and devoted to learning. but he was not
above good coast when the chance pre-
sented Itself. Occasionally he favored
his sister, who was the only other occu-
pant OF the room, with very audible
growllngs against the restrictions OF
study hours.
The two were students in the academy
whose mathematically square buildings
rose almost opposite to the Kingsley
house. They were nearly OF an age;
but the one was preparing to enter CO :
lege; the education of the other was
considered nearly completed. The two
young people. with their father and
mother, made up the whole family; but
MIR. Kingsley, In the simple. unpretend-
ing way OF the village. received into his
house as boarder one of the academic
professors, and also occasional students
when they happened TO be friends OF the
children. 1t was this frst-named indi-
vidual who was exciting TOMS attention,
in lack of any thing better to look at.
MAY" he said, jerking his head over
his shoulder with u quick, characteristic
movement, lust come here and see
Professor Rensel go BY"
His sister dropped her work and came
to the window. On the other side of the
street stood tall. ungainly man, with a
scholarly stoop in his shoulders, head
LOT bushy hair much threaded with gray,
a pair of mild, wise spectacles, and u
general air OF perplexed acquiescence in
Jail mundane affairs whatever. In his
Ihands he held very tiny sled. looking
at 1t at arms length, as if it was some-
thing of an explosive nature. One six
year-old little fellow was surveying his
broken plaything with despairing eyes,
while two other excited urchins danced
Iup and down IN front of the professor,
l9ndeavoring duly to set forth the nature
Of the accident that had happened to
he runner. Two dogs wagged their
alls hopefully in the background, and.
o complete the procession, a disabled
crow. the pet of one OF the villagers.
brought up the rear. 1t hoped gravely
along, now on one foot. now on the
Other, setting its head on one side in orac-
Iular fashion, and looking ten times
|blacker and wickeder than ever against
the whiteness OF the snow.
After considering the situation a few
minutes the professor started off again
dragging the sled by the rope. and the
procession, crow and all, trotted along
behind him.
Now said Tom. he will go straight
to the carpenters shop to get that thing
mended; and the carpenter. after i'm
pressing upon him the arduous nature of
the job, will charge just ten times what
it is worth, and he will pay it without a
word"
No doubt he WILL
And those little beggars will run off
without even thanking him.
But they are fond OF him, Tom
i don't care. May, you can make
that man believe anything
Il know it,
Just fancy his going out with a tele-
scope and watching the moon all night
because we boys told him there were
changes on its surface indicating some
great interior convulsion! And when
be couldn't tlnd them, and came to US to
point them out. we pretended to see
them p aInly enough, told him his eyes
were getting weak. and he believed
every word OF it. and has taken to wear
ing spectacles from that day.
Well. they are becoming g at any rate,
and he is short 81 ghted,' said his sister,
laughing.
But, May. the best joke of all you
never heard OF. Promise me you won't
tell any body about it,
'Ot course not. except Jem.'
oh, Jem knows all about it already
he was in it. Seems to me you're very
dutiiul, though, all ut once. Getting
engaged has improved you.'
We'll pray that it may last said his
sister, demurely.
Which? the Improvement or the en-
gagementP How many people have
you been engaged to before this, Mayp'
About halt a dozen, l think
Il think so, too. Don't treat Jem In
that way. He's friend of mine; and,
alter all, it's rather Notifying, you
know, to iellcw.'
1t can't very we'll be mortifying in
this case, because nobody is to know OF
the engagement
i should like to know if they don't
Why, May, it is known all over town.
Jem told Of it himself. You. see, you
are rather pretty Tor girl; and then
there's that bit of money grandmother
left you. On the whole, Jem's rather
proud OF 1t, and no wonder.'
Lets have the joke now, Tom; never
mind the compliments"
Never complimented any body in my
life. What are you talking aboutp But
about that little affair: you remember
Whpn WE yyara axnor;nont;nrr ,,,,ty ehox
nitrogen iodide in the laboratory, May?'
Yes
You remember how explosive it was
sale as long as you kept it wet but
going off like ro-glycerine and dyna-
mite put together when it got dry?'
1T didn't 60 off unless some one
touched it, Tom
Il rather guess it did. II a fellow
merely breathed a yard away from it,
off it went But that's of no conse-
quence. for in this case somebody was
expected to touch it,
And that somebody was the professor.
of course?'
'Oi course. We made lot of it, and
put some on the handle OF his door,
some In his slippers, and some among
his books; the rest we scattered round
Piouli>SoouSly. Auu, aS SOOu luck
would have it there came up q heavy
thunder-shower that very afternoon. The
professor came hurrying in; accident
ally Jem and 1 met him on the stairs.
We asked him to explain a difficult
Latin passage. oh, come right in
come right in, boys he said, in that be-
nevolent way OF his; and laid his hand
on the door-knob. Bang! He jumped
back as il he had been shot. Bless me.
what's the matter p he exclaimed. rub
bing his nose. We didn't say any thing,
but acted as If twas the most every
day occurrence. Well. we went in, and
he pulled off his boots and started to
get his ippers on. Bang! bang! Oh.
May, y"u never saw the like of that
jump! l believe he actually struck the
ceiling. When he went to draw down
the window-curtain,b bang! again. When
he took down the Latin uook-it was a
big and heavy one-bang! bang! bang
And so on with every thing he touched
in the room. til l began to think the
poor man would lose his wits. But the
best OF it was hc never even suspected
the cause. You know his wi.dom lies
in Latin and Greek; he doesn't know
anything about the sciences, though [
believe he regards them with more awe
than all the rest Of the curriculum put |
tDpp1 her Wall Ion ;uet told Ill.,, -,