The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1880-04-30
THE PROFESSORS VICTIM.

dare say they had language 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 occa.
sion to put out sign. Miss Winthrop was
so glad of this. She said she didn't know
how she could board with me if | kept a
sign at the door. 1t was bad enough for
her 10 know how hard worked, and what
n wretched life led; it was enough for
her to pity me; it would be uncomfortable If
the whole neighborhood should be called
upon to extend me their sympathy.
think Miss Winthrop was mistaken. | am
Ncontldent there were many people in our
vicinity whowoud have been glad TO have
Jared no worse than |. 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 gen
orally direct to the house. 1t would
have seemed strange and sad not
to have seen him az least once in the twenty
| four hours.
remember that day 50 we'll had
been more than usually perplexed in cut
ting and fitting. The left side of Miss Van
Coot had to be paded all the way up to the
shoulder, and in some unaocountable way
| had mistaken the left for the right, so
that when she put on the basque, should
have laughed if ! had not cried | was
nervous and worked out, suppose and as
she stood there, poor creature not knowing
what spectacle she was, il was all could
DO to keep the tears from rolling down my
cheeks.
81 shall have to take it all apart, Miss
Van Coot," | said. at will take me at
least an hour. You might as well get
through your shopping, and come back
again
She went of IN her carriage, and began
to rip out the stitches. The morning was
cloudy and overcast; and as got near to
the window to see, could not help think
ing what miserable world it was, when all
at once big shadow doomed up beside me-
and familiar voice cried out:
"Who is it has made thee to weep Give |
me their bones that may crack them"
And then fell to.laughing. Suddenly |
the morning seemed to be bright and beau
tiful, the form OF Miss Van Coot shapely |
enough, if only ! would not be so stupid, |
and mistake the right side for the lett. AS |
for the professor, he was like demigod |
made out Of flesh and blood--a great deal
of fine wholesome flesh and gallons of splen.
did blood l could not help thinking, in
my sOrdid way, that the professors tailor,
whoever he might be, was wondrous
lucky man; Tor 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 professor was resplendent in a
new raiment of some soft gray
material that suited well his fine
complexion and ruddy hair In his but
ton-holc were some fresh violets, for il was
already early spring. He pulled the gloves
from his plump white hands, and went in
to the piano. 1t was open, just as Miss
Winthrop had left it.
"Will she return to luncheon" he said,
running his fingers over the keys; and
thought as he spoke how nice it was 10 be
the one "She" in that big generous heart.
"Yes, professor ! replied.
Then will stay" he said, and immedi-
itely | went 10 prepare his favorite pud- ,
ling; and while | stirred the materials to.
5ether he came out into the kitchen to
ak about Miss Winthrop. Never by any
,hance when we were alone together did he {
ak of any thing else. I
81 saw your tears, he cried, in his tragic ,
way. "Were they because OF Miss Win c
hropt | should not at all wonder OF all q
women, she is the most aggravatng, the
most unreasonable"
1T was not Miss Winthrop SAID; "and
'ou do not think all these disagreeable {,
hings that you say of her.
II do--do,' he cried. "You think, now, I
hat | am what you Americans call D
spooney about her; but it is not that at o
Ill. have only the puerilty to be curl.
us;" and then the professor went on to tell
ne that the mystery in Miss Winlhrop's life /
ave HIM "crick in the brain" S
AT times" said the professor, "shc is S
moody. She is what the French call dis. o
rait-she is plunged into a melancholy ii
roiound and touching, tell YOU my gra- Il
lous Fraulein, there is burden upon that h
'oman's soul. Now what can it bet' b
did not reply, How could II | had o
lso noticed these periods of sadnes. and y
Distraction upon Hclen's part but how S
ould | speak my heart out to the profess G
orr How could tell him that he was un.
triilDg with Helen, making
er happy at one time, only to render her Of
ne more miserable at another; that the cap. p
cious conduct Of his was the cause of Miss il
melancholy did not dare be C,
nus frank with the professor, for fear that s
G would 20 straight to Helen and tell her. II
lie was like child in impulse, and many p
time, when | had unwittingly trusted
i'm, Ne had unblushingly betrayed me,
Fortunately Miss knn Coot copo IN Tho 49,