Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-09-04
request to make must make it in per-

son."
Beware It is plan She wants to
see the celebrated professor Of physiol-
ogy You need not frown. | saw
woman buying your photograph at the
Stereoscope the other day. Now you
are caught in your own net, for you
know YOU never admit that women are
| foolish"
"But what am to do about Mrs.
Vernon's piano?"
"My dear fidgety Professor, I cannot
| imagine you climbing up Mrs. Vernon's
stairs, knocking at Mrs Vernon's door,
| and begging of Mrs. Vernon to give up
Chopin because he interrupts your
scientific studies! If she happens to be
nice looking"
| go on" the Professor breaks in.
| "You have the move"
Then, as he absently followed Mrs.
| Teesdale's lead, he muttered half aloud:
1.-TWO lives were shipwrecked by Mr..
| Chopin before; at least mine was"
| The game lasted barely ten minutes,
and the Professor was beaten. ga poor
victory" said Mrs. Teesdale; II be-
lieve you were thinking all the time of
| Mrs. Vernon and her piano."
81 was not thinking of Mrs. Vernon"
He snapped the words out quite vicious
ly, and presently babe his friends good
night.
Standing in the open doorway, half in n
and half out, he spoke again. II shall
send you my new address when move,"
he said. II know it will come to that"
There was work waiting for him when
| he got home but he was not in the mood
| for work. He opened some letters
which had come for him by the last
post; gushing epistles, some of them,
from women VINO followed the fashion
| in running after the cleverest and most
attractive man Of his day. Strange to
say, these letters did not make him
angry. Gentleness and liberation for
women seemed to increase anc multiply
| in him as his fame grew; but not one of
| the many fair ones who burned incense
| before him could f1atter herself that he
| was falling IN love. He was charming
| in every mood, and nearly always pleas
ant of speech. Now and then came
crushing re buke or whitening sarcasm,
but Immediately after followed the old
sweet pleasant smile that each woman
tried hard to win for herself. Whether
in good temper or bad, DR.. Gray was
fascinating.
He was not very amiable, however,
this evening, for he was vexed at his
inability to work. Events in his lie
which he had told himself were dead
clear and well-ordered brain. Memory
played him fantastic tricks. Imagina-
ton, more capricious than memory,
filed his study with the sweetest,
brightest pictures and made his heart
beat as it had beaten years before
when -
He took up books one after another
and flung them here and there about
the room; for, just as the mental picture
was fairest and most adorable-just as
in imagination he felt two soft arms
round his neck and saw two sweet eyes
looking into his own, some one stirred
| in the room overhead, and Immediately
one Of Chopin wild waltzes filed the
up by memory and fancy fed, and the
| Professor, with an indescribabie eX-
preston on his face, leaned his elbows
| on the table and propped up his head
with a cheek or either hand.
Five. minutes-ten-passed thus; then
| he got up quietly and looked at his
watch. It was nearly 1920. cit is
rather late to call on a strange woman"
he said, "but | have no time by day,
and if this goes on l shall go mad.
| Why in the name of all that's distract
| ing must she play that music?"
He picked up the books that he had
| his study table without knowing that he
| did so, then went to the door, opened
| it, and stood for second or two irreso-
| lutte, with the sound of Mrs. Vernon's
piano in his ears. The next moment
| he was out on the public staircase and
had begun the ascent of the third floor.
To ring Mrs. Vernon's bell, to be ad-
mitted and to find himself at her draw
| ing-room door was the work OF q few
seconds. He got rid of the sleepy
| looking servant by saying that her mis-
peared down the passage, ne knocked.
| A voice said: "Come in," but the play
| ing did not cease. He went in and still
| Mrs. Vernon played on.
| She did not look around. She thought
| it was the servant who had come in to
fetch something.
The Professor felt exceedingly I'M
comfortable. When Mrs. Vernon told
| her to come and ask her himself to ar
range her practice for the hours he was
absent, he knew she did not mean him
| to come at 1920 P. NJ.
Madam" be began, "aIlow me to
| apologize"
The lady at the piano-she had her
| back to him, and the room was so dimly
| lighted that she sat in deep shadow
gave a start, but she did not look
around, and she did not stop playing.
The Professor felt so obviously in the
wrong that courtesy, tact and temper
| deserted him at the same moment. But
he made a fresh start.
| Madam" he repeated, ST do not in
trude upon you for pleasure. l come
because you refuse to receive mes
sage, and / cannot wait until tomorrow.
| VIII you allow me to make my request
and be gomez Your music is distract
ing"
| With clashing of chords and sud
den sweep of her fingers over the keys,
Mrs. Vernon stopped-closed the
piano-pressed her hands for moment
to her temples-rose and faced her
visitor.
| She was beautiful woman in the
| very fullest bloom of life and lowell
ness; small of stature $50 small, indeed,
| that the Professor looked tall beside
her and he was by no means a giant.
but exquisitely formed and very grace
jul. Her fine gray eyes had a mis-
chievous light in them as she bent
them upon the startled man, who had