Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-12-30
A COLLEGE ROMANCE.
A Story Of Love and Constitu-
tional History.

The lecture was just over. We foul
girls, the lectured, were standing
notebooks in hand, in little group il
the corridor, talking in subdued tones
consulting one another on knotty
point in the history of grand jury. The
lecturer came out of the lecture-room
and passed us. He bowed gravely az
he passed and went hastily down the
stairs, his college cap in his hand, his
long gown falling Imply about his tall,
thin figure. We were silent until he
was out Of sight; then our tongues
were loosened, and we no longer spoke
in subdued tones.
'.Poor young man." said Lottie,
feelingly.
''He is grave as a judge" said Nell.
''That said Claudia, weightily, lis
nervousness. He is nervous, girls
nervous of u.s."
But it was who had most to say.
leant against the balusters, with nv
face towards the open door of the
lecture-room, and gave the girls the
benefit of all my observations.
Eyes, he is nervous" said. s.Poor
young man, he is shy! When 1 asked
him if the grand jury still existed he
blushed, girls-oh, he is copper-col-
ored to start with, l know, but he
blushed through the copper-color--"
gested Claudia.
HE is very shy" said l. "He is
not used, expect, to teaching girls. He
can not forget that we are girls. He
waited-did you notice?-until we had
left the room: the other lecturers stalk
out before us. think he wanted to
open the door and to bow us out. Oh,
poor young man, he is shy! shy and
The girls were frowning at me.
Claudia was touching my elbow, with
mysterious meaning, on one side; Nell
pulling my sleeve imperatively on the
other. Lottie formed her lips into
a silent ''hush."
'Shy and young-very young
what is the matter?' l said.
Nobody answered me. No answer.
indeed. was needed. At that moment
our lecturer passed us again, and went
back into the lecture-room. He had
come up the stairs behind me-he must
have heard me. He seemed to glance
my way as he passed. There seemed
to be a twinkle in his gray-blue ewes.
The girls moved slowly away, but I
turned precipitately and fled.
Past tho lanfuro roa,, d..
the corridor, upstairs fled, to my own
little room (study, bed-chamber and
reception-room) near the sky. 1 meant
to work and took my Stubs and turned
over its leaves, and found my place
hurrledly. with an unusual energy.
But work would not drive away the
remembrance of my unlucky speeches:
the sentences bore no meaning to me.
could not fix my attention on the his
tory OF early Germanic institutions. r.
smut up my Stubs in despair; the girls
were playing tennis in the courts be-
low; seized my racket and ran swift
~ down to join them. Tennis would
make me forget.
But If my thoughts were distracted
1of an hour or two they attacked me
again when the game was over. II
stood before my glass and changed nv
dress for dinner and grew rosy red as
the remembrance of my words came
back. had said that he had blushed
because l spoke to him-I had said
that he was shy-I had implied that he |
was shy of me because l was a pirl. II
should never dare to speak to him or
look at him again. l had called him
copper-colored-at least might have
spared him that reproach. Hooked in
the glass at my own little face: il was
brown as berry-brown by nature in |
the first place and made more brown
Dy the summer sun and the breeze from
the sea at home. His eyes were blue
and his hair was fair. l was Alto
gether brown-hair, eyes, skin, all
brown alike. And l called him copper.
colorcd!-I had called him young!-
what else had called him? / brushed
pack my brown hair tightly and severe
~, tied my soft silk sash with a Jerk and
Rundown to dinner with arush. bopinr
70 escape froR, my thoughts again. The
girls were as happy as usual They
could contemplate the situation tran.
gully; it even afforded them amuse.
ment; they found something humorous
IN my discontinue. 1t was /. not thew.
whom he had overheard.
We sat In half circle on the floor
before the fire that night in our pretty
bright dressing-gowns, and drank
cocoa and ate sweet biscuits before
going to bed. l was hostess. Mv
guests were merry. but tonight was
silent and depressed.
'.After all, said Claudia. sensibly.
;rying to comfort me-"after all. what