Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-11-12
''Did you have good passage, Mr.. Mul

S0A -AouSu-DOiStefUuS. OudIll0 . 1COoD
had become slightly Teutonic, and hi
words followed each other more slowly.
."You know my daughter, hear"
/ 81 do, but would like to know her bet
ter; she has great qualities. All hel
friends love her-I love her."
1t was now Mr.. Merryweather's turn Il
bow, which he did with gratifed paterna
pride. The unusual warmth Of the ex
preston he passed over as merely the nat
ural mistake of foreigner. He knew
nothing of German, and very little o.
French; still, he knew enough to realize
the different applications of the verb ssaim
err" no doubt the German word was equal
ly feeble.
II hope she profits by your lessons?"
"Oh-ah-yes-but she does not obey
me yet. hope she will some day.
"Yes, yes. that will come. Girls are apt
to be wilfui, you know, but shs appreciates
your teaching, / can assure YOU
The Professor bowed. There was such
safety and polite acquiesence in that move
ment, and silence would be considered to
proceed from ignorance of the language.
II was SO difficult to speak at all and not
speak too we'll.
Sir. Merryweather began again. 81
must apologize for the lateness of our din
ner hour. fear everything here will be
different from your German customs. All,
here is my wife,"
Mrs. Merryweather shook hands warmly
with the prepossessing German Professor
of Geology. She could see better than her
husband, and her maternal heart took
alarm at his youth and good looks.
"No wonder Kitty raves about him, !"
she thought. "Dear, dear, I hope she
won't be wanting to marry him! She
never mentioned his age, certainly, but ]
took it for granted Professor would be
old. I'll never ask him to the house again,
and really Kitty had better come home.
I'm afraid Germans are lax in their ideas
of intercourse between teachers and pu-
pills. A foreigner in the family would
never do, and of course he's poor.''
Beatrice now summoned up courage to
return, supported by brother, young
hobbledehoy about sixteen, and pretty,
slim sister, who looked very shy and re-
firing. Mrs. Merryweather introduced
them all, Charlie rising and making fresh
obeisance to Beatrice with polite gravity.
When dinner was announced Mr.. Merry
weather rose quite briskly and held out his
arm to his daughter in a jesting manner.
This proved he was in high good humor.
The young brother and sister followed;
Charlie brought up the rear with Mrs.
Merry weather, ''the main body" so to
speak.
Seen in the full light of the lamp.
Charles certainly failed to come up to the
ideal of a Professor, aud feeling, half
misgiving, half suspicion, crossed Mr..
Merryweather mind. But it was very
transitory; much more important subject
engrossed his attention, namely, the weigh
ing and measuring Of his principal meal.
A dainty pair of silver scales and a small
measuring glass stood by his place at the
| table.
81 don't know whether yon have given
much attention to the subject of food
scientifically, of course. | am Of the opin-
! ion, in common with many great and learn
ed minds of past generations, that the
amount generally eaten by the people in
health is greatly in excess of the body's
| requirements.
Charles bowed acquiescence. He was
conscious that his host talked much more
like Professor than he could, and he was
also well aware that nothing would stamp
him so successfully as man Of intelligence
and mental culture in the eyes of the Hoa-
orable Horatio as the listening in silence to
that genteman's wordy exordiums.
'Indeed, people in the present generation
are becoming alive to the fact. A learned
coantryman Of your own, DR.. Ebsteir by
name, and also a gifted lady writer in one
of our new periodicals, are endeavoring to
stem the torrent of boosting and gluttony
which threatens to engulf this county
strive to fellow the example of the noble
| Venetian, Cornaro, who preserved his
health to one hundred years and upward
He maintained his vigor, both mental and
bodily, upon diet which never exceeded
twelve ounces of solid food and fourteen
ounces of wine
sTs that all you allow yourself, SIR"
asked Charlie with as good an imitation Of
German accent as he could manage, for
his present audi. nee, especially the young
hobbledehoy Of sixteen, disconnected him
Mr.. Merryweather shook his head
stNo," he answered in tone of deep re-
gret, 'tmy rule is thirty ounces altogether,
but often reduce it to twenty eight. l
differ from Cornaro in the proportions, al
lowing myself less wine and more food.
But this is sorry conversation for you, who
are young and have no doubt healthy ap-
petite. Do not let my abstinence, due in
some measure to my unfortunate health,
deter you from making good dinner. AZ
ter the fatigues of your journey it would
be unwise to expect too much of your di-
gestive powers, but no doubt there has
been waste to be repaired. I hope our
English viands may tempt your palate"
Now Charlie needed No tempting; he
was ravenously hungry, and could have
made clean sweep of everything he saw
before him, but Mr.. Merryweather's dis
like to great eating had long been confded
to him by Beatrice. 1t was the subject on
which her father enlarged most frequently,
with the one exception of the boundary
lawsuit
So Charlie sat fasting and silent, bowling
at intervals to Mr.. Merryweather, who,
more and more enchanted with the defer
ential Professor, laid down the law more
dogmntieally than usual; while his trem
bling hands, white and delicate as wom-
ans, measured out his various ounces of
bread, meat and vegetables, and his various
tablespoonful of whisky and water.
Mrs. Merryweather, On the contrary, was
quite distressed at her guests want of ap-