The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-06-05


panion, looking up with laugh. Baroko
was two inches the taller, being five feet
eleven, and painfully gaunt. Arcturus was
young and handsome, as the Professor
said, and he was, moreover, wonderfully
winning fellow.
"Why do you talk so?'' he proceeded.
"You know you are not really cynical"
Il object to Miss Alicia, returned the
Professor snappishly. "Beware of her,
Frank, my young friend. She gives her
self the airs of Senior Wrangler."
~ have a new pupil, said Madison,
good humoredly changing the subject.
ssMiss Drummond-Molly, the girls call
her What do you think of her?''
"Think ?'' replied Baroko grimly. "I
can get nothing out of her. She is always
staring at her ribbons. That girl wears
new ribbons every time she comes to the
class No wonder she can't understand
logic =
'tShe is very bright at botany" said
Madison apologetically.
SAT botany? Yes Girls are. 1t is a
subject calculated
'Stop," said Madison, laughing. II
won't hear any more
II was merely going to say-calculated
to inspire the weakest mind, said Baroko
blandly. ''Certainly will refrain
The logical girls met that morning and
the two masters separated, Arcturus to the
correction of exercises, Baroko to the sixth
class lecture-room. The pupils were as
sembled, with books before them and with
weary faces that betrayed no natural afin-
ity for logic. Only Alicia Hargreaves was,
as usual, equal to the occasion. Molly was
nervous, and well she might be, for she
had not done her exercise, and the Profes-
sor had a reputation for being rigid in the
extreme He looked over the neat pile on
his desk.
aNine books" he said frigidly. "Har-
greaves, Matthew" he ran over the list
Of names. "I should have ten. Miss
Drummond, will you kindly hand me your
exercise 2
Molly was frightened. She had only
been half dozen times to the class, and
her first awe of the Professor had not yet
evaporated She was also tired, and her
head ached, owing to previous dissipation.
She had tried to do that exercise, but the
logical girls were all too busy to help her.
Moreover-an this weighed her down
with sense of guilt-there had been a
party last night in which she had played a
prominent part, and she could not help
wondering whether, if she had not gone to
that party-but regret came too late. Her
fellow students had been consoling her,
since she arrived that morning, with the
assurance that they should not like to be
in her shoes, and she was inwardly quaking,
though she lifted up brave face.
II am sorry, Professor Brandon. l
have not done it."
"Indeedr' said Baroko, in voice of
profound civility, just tinged with surprise,
that scared her yet more "Might L ask
the reason 2"
''I could not do it" replied Molly, feel
ing very much ashamed of herself-she,
who had been accustomed to place consid-
cradle faith in her own talents. "It was
too difficult" !"
''Too dificult!' repeated Baroko suavely.
aI understood you to say that you had
studied logic previously, Miss Drummond.
How long?"
"I studied it about year" replied the
doomed one, Gin my last school. The
book was different" she added desperately.
$50 1 should have judged, said Baroko,
''from your previous exercises. If you will
kindly give me the name of the book which
you have studied, Miss Drummond, l shall
be happy to read it. 1t will doubtless cast
new light on the principles of logic. As,
however, your attainments are quite be-
yond the level''-
He had gone so far in the bland, sneer-
ing fashion the pupils detested, when a
smothered sob interrupted him. He eglanced
at Molly She had bent her flushed face
over the desk, but the next second she
raised it again, and he saw how desperately
and Indignantly she was striving to keep
back the tears. His heart smote him,
though none of the logical girls knew that
he had heart at all. After all, he had
been too hard; he should have remembered
that Molly was a new pupil, and not ac-
customed to the cool, scathing remarks
with which he was accustomed to indulge
the logic students. He said no more, and
the work Of the class continued. Molly
recovered herself and Joined in it more or
generally less. When she did speak
it was to blunder; but the Professor was
not hard upon her. If it had not been for
the inevitable satire in his tones one would
almost have said he tried to be encourag-
ing. The hour passed slowly-very slowly,
but it was over at last
"You may go" said Baroko. "Miss
Drummond, will you stay moment ?"
One or two of the girls cast sympathetic
glances at Molly as they went out Alicia
wore exactly the look of mingled hatred
for sin and pity for the sinner which was
appropriate under the circumstances. The
Professor saw her expression, and it did
the culprit very good service. As for
Molly, she remained alone, feeling little
stubborn, utterly determined not to break
down, however exquisite might be the tor
ture; and sarcasm always narrowed her
feelings. How could she have cried for
that odious man? Why did he not speak?
1t was another method of torture. The
Professor spoke:
81 think you are not quite equal at
present, Miss Drummond, to the work OF
the class" He paused.
'No, indeed, 1 am not" said Molly
proudly. "Thank you, | will not return
to ii"
The Professor smiled, in spite of him
self, at the idea that any of his pupils
should adopt tragedy air with him. But
he proceeded, trying to smooth the satire
out of his voice.
"You misunderstood me. l think all
you need is little help at the beginning,
'Ce nest que lie premier pas qui coute, you
know, Miss Drummond (Does she know?
he wondered mentality Your natural
faculty is quite equal, / think, to that Of
any Of the pupils, but as yet you have not
chosen to apply yourself to the subject.
But if you will come to my room once OF
twice we will just run over the old ground
together; and you will soon be qualified to
take your share in the class work. Let me