The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1881-10-27
A Modern Love Story.

AId} OH, lcCV-1 tul uGltueI nervous
| nor hysterical, but at this moment | am
sorry that | have mslaid my smelling
salts. A mana young man-said to be
good looking-has been admitted here
into this house, and is actually unpacking
his portmanteau in the room over my
head And this is a boarding house for
girl students; and he has been admitted
by Mrs. Williams, our landlady and my
old friend. am afraid that | shall sleep
badly tonight; and have five chapters
of Roman history to prepare for my class
tomorrow. 1t was Jane who said he
was looking: she took his portman-
teau in from the cab. Is this a matter on
which Jane is competent to give an opin-
ion
May 7th-I did sleep badly; and my
analysis OF the motives which led Caesar
to attempt the conquest of the Britons
was not so clear as | could have wished
it to be. But | am better now, for have
heard the whole story. The gentleman,
whose arrival and admission into this
house last night produced in me, and in
deed in all of us, such an extreme degree
Of astonishment, is Mr.. Arthur Lindsay
1t seems that he has known Mrs. VIII
liams ever since he was boy at school ;
and she says that she feels like a mother
to him. She is in the habit of saying
that she feels like a mother to us girls ;
but that is different thing. | have
known several young gentlemen since
they were boys at school and | don't
feel like mother to them, and am sure
they don't feel like sons to me.
We heard all about it-I should say
"him"-at breakfast this morning. Mrs
Williams was down first as usual, and
Lola Brown was down last us usual; and
Mrs. Williams had to begin again to
please her (lf Lola wouldn't lie SO long
in the morning we should be better
| trlendS.) Mrs. Williams says that Mr..
Lindsay arrived here at 1910 o'clock
last night from the East India Dock
having come straight from the ship Wei
lington "a good subject for an essay for
my class-"The Tactics OF Wellington
and the Tactics Of WoLseley,") of which
be is First Lieutenant. He lived with
Mrs. Williams and her husband siN years
ago, before he went to sea and arriving
in London, hers was the first house he
| thought of. lie knew nothing of the
change that had come over her establish
| ment; that is to say he knew nothing of
us We are the 'Echange" There were
no female students when Mr.. Lindsay
boarded with Mrs. Williams. Nj. Lind
say was astonished to hear Of us; we
were astonished to hear of Mr. Lindsay.
1t seems that we were all astonished.
When Mr.. Arthur Lindsay said that he
had come to stay with Mrs. Williams
Mrs. Williams said that it was impossible.
| She explained to him the situation. She
| sad tnat she now received only lady
! boarderS; all except one, who was Il lady
tutor, were students Of Queen Anne's Col
lege; that all of them were pretty (She
| told lis that she said "all ~ and that it
was certain neither the parents OF the
girls or the Principal Of the College would
he pleased to know that she had admit
ted gentleman as permanent boardcr
among them. Lola Brown asked what
color Mr.. Lindsay's hair was; and asked
| Lola Brown if she had finished her French
| exercises.
/ Mrs. Williams, reSumlng after this in
tcrruption, said Mr.. Lindsay caught at
the word Npermanent" almost before it
was out of her mouth, and said, "Oh. but
! Shan't be permanent. | have only two
months leave; in nine weeks must be
on board again. | need see nothing OF
the ladies, and they need see nothing OF
me; and what could possibly happen in
| nine weeks"
| Ethel Austin demurred to the first part
| OF the last sentence, and Lola Brown said
a great deal" might happen i'll nine
weeks. She said that her Aunt Sarah
had married her Uncle George in six
| weeks and separated from him in three.
| Lucy Fair said that Lolas Aunt Sarah
and Uncle George ought to have known
better; and Lola asked Lucy, rather IT.
reverently, as | thought, whether her
| grandmother was still alive.
| "The end of it all was, dears, said
Mrs. Williams, "that | consented to take
| him in. You see it is only nine weeks at
ter all, and he will use the bedroom at the
top Of the house and will use the small
library for sitting room. He will take
his meals alone, and he will hardly be in
at all during the day. | shall have a
wire Blind fastened across the study
which overloOks the little room and you
| had better, think, say nothing about Mr..
Lindsay at the college"
Mrs. Williams says that Mr.. Lindsay is
better looking than when he went away
May llth-Ought to tell Miss Grin
die? Miss Grindle, as Principal of the
college and responsible to some extent
for the surroundings of the students, not
only III the Glass; but at home, would, |
am afrald, object peremptorily and de-
| cidedly to Mrs. Williams new boarder.
She would take it as no excuse that Mrs.
Williams had known Mr.. Lindsay ''since
he was boy" and was prepared to
vouch for the gentlemanliness of his con
duct at all times and in all places. In
deed, am not at all sure that she would
not decline to listen to any reasoning on
the subject, but would bring matters to
a head at once, and give Mrs. Williams
the alternative of losing or retaining the
girls and myself, and, with US, her lucra-
tive connection with the college, by los
ing or retaining Mr. Arthur Lindsay
But is there, in actual fact, so far as |
myself can see, any danger to be appre-
hended from this gentleman's remaining
nine weeks among us? do not know
To be sure, Mr.. Lindsay himself expect
ing a negative answer, asked, "What
could possibly happen in nine weeks ?"
But | can't help remembering Lola
Browns reply about that ill-considered
union of her ridiculous Aunt Sarah and
Uncle George. Let me think, now, who
we are here, and what quantity Of posi-
bic self-control and proper feminine dig
nifty there is contained among us.
/, Susan Finn, aged twenty five, lady
professor of mathematics and ancient
history, and tolerably good-looking, am
certainly safe. Miss Grindle has nothing
to fear from me.
Mary Merven, aged twenty three, stu
dent of Queen Anne's College pretty in
| aquiet way, hard working, undemonstra-
tive and reserved-is also, | think, per-
fectly safe. She has told me herself that
the majority of gentlemen she has met
are not attracted to her, and that she
herself uses no arts to attract them. She
says she is wholly wrapped up in her
work and | believe her. No, if there is
| frAt 1,l f1,i l., . |,