The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-01-26
DORA'S IGNORAMUS.
By CLYDE RAYMOND.

II was a lovely June morning in tn
country, the air redolent with the seen
of myriad blossoms. and musical wit
the songs of as many wild birds, whel
| Dora Glade stepped over the threshold
/! of her rustic schOolhouse to encounter
surprise not altogether pleasant.
Since the first of May Miss Glade hat
\ been teaching this school of perhaps tw,
dozen urchins, whose ages ranged al
the way from five to fourteen years.
On this particular morning. however
there sat within the school-room, patient
ly waiting for the arrival of the teacher
a tall, well-built young man, who wa
certainly several years her senior, ant
whose appearance indicated that he hat
come to stay.
The teacher herself was Just nineteen
slender and graceful as a willow, with ,
charming atlmixture of womanly dignity
and girlish shyness in her manner. She
did not always know exactly what to dc
even with some of the rough youngsters
already in her charge, and now her fail
face darkened with a look kofundisgrlised of
dismay as she stopped short in the door
way, regarding this new specimen with
private conviction in her soul that she
should never prove equal to the task OF
managing him.
She looked upon his intrusion into her
little fold much as some peaceful shep-
herd might at the sudden appearance of
"a mountain lion among his innocent
flock. Mastering her chagrin as best
she could, Dora called her school to-
gether, and soon after approached her
unwelcome visitor with very evident
air of embarrassment.
..Do-do you intend to remain in the
school sir?''
For the life of her she didn't know
how she ought to address him.
.'Yes'm," answered the newcomer,
with n meekness which, coptrasted with
his fine, powerful physique, made her
strongly inclined to laugh in his face.
Il calk' late to come afternoons. Can't
come much mornin's, bein' as l hev to
help Uncle Jake with the crops.''
''Or' said Dora, gently, suppressing
a smile '.your name, please?''
Larry Farnswortll. Squire Jake
Farnsworth, over yonder,'' with an
awkward nod of his handsome head in
the direction of the squire's mansion,
''where I'm stayin', is my uncle"
"Yes," said Miss Glade, with polite
you wish to study, Mr.. Farnsworth.
this great, fine-looking fellow, with the
used to bein' Mustered, an, any how, I
reckon I'm one of yer scholars, iist like
the rest"
49, .'Ccrtainly," said Dora, somewhat re-
lieved, and determining to put bold
face upon the matter at once. ''And
now, Larry" with rosy blush, in spite
of herself, "let us proceed toselect your
Studies"
But tho verdant young gentleman
soon disclosed the fact that what he did
know of books might be comprised with
i'm very small space indeed, while n
modest list of what he didn't know
would form n record as voluminous as
that of the Whitaker testimony,
DAYS passed on, and Miss Glade found
them passing very pleasantly. Her new
pupil, though extremely ignorant, evil
IDENTIFY did his best to improve, and was
otherwise a perfect model of good be-
havior. The younger boys, also, gave
far less trouble than at first. Whether he
issued private orders to them outside, or
it was threatening glance
from those commanding bright grey eyes
whenever any incipient rebellion arose
against the teacher, certain it was that
the troublesome urchins behaved much
better than before the advent of the "big
scholar"
As for Miss Glade's opinion of our
hero at the end of month, perhaps we
could not ascertain it more easily than
by glancing at this portion of a letter
written by her to her bosom-friend in
The city:
"You have not forgotten my ignora-
mus, of whom / wrote you, kittieP Well.
we still have the honor of his attendance
nj the school, and win frankly admit
that l should hardly know now how to
keep that same school without him.
How or why he does it l do not pretend
to know, but he seems to have those old
Time .intractables' under such a spell
that do not believe one of them would
iare disobey me, if he felt so inclined.
Lone other fact is unquestionable TO
my mind. Were he only blessed with
The cultivation and gentlemanly, social
polish which Mr.. Arthur Hughes posses
,es, Larry Farnsworth would be my
very beau-ideal of a man. Often, as he
sits pOring hopelessly over the multiple
in his homespun suit, sans
coat, catch myself watching the splen-
did figure, the clear-cut, intellectual face.
with its broad, sweeping brow and fas-
grey eyes, almost expecting to
hear their owner charm my senses with
he elOquence of Cicero, or thrill my
soul with poetic disquisitions on the
wonders and beauties of the old masters.
He looks as though Nature had formed
him for leading spirit among the choic-
,st f:ivorites of literature and art. ST.
lent, those handsome lips seem the very
home of poetry and eloquence; but the
moment he opens them to speak-shades
Of Murray! how my fairy castles tumble
70 the ground! He is an ignoramus,
Kittie-a hopeless ignoramus calling
NE to his side twenty times a day. to
nnravel problems which ought not to
puzzle the intellect of child often.
Worse than all, he does not realize what
he has missed. o, what blunderer
was Destiny, thus to deny this man the
one Gift that would have made him ire
sistible!
And then the postscript:
Il have at last fully decided not to ac-
cept the hand of Mr. Hughes May he
ind etterappreciation elsewhere! With
all his elegance and culture, he is not
.he man who can fill the heart of
Dora GLADE"
And these words of Kittie's letter, in
reply:
Look out, my dear, or the Ignora-
mus may capture the heart that a man
pf ;nfalleet haa failed tn win. StrnNQ0H