The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-03-25
A PROFESSORS FAD.


him so much as finding them or even steal
ing them off parcels on the sly, and he al
ways kept the little pocket on the inside
of his coat filed with rubber bands Sc
| cured in this way
This was we'll known among the stu
! dents, some of them even saving he would
! hook rubber band off a Testament, and
| it was a regular joke with them to ask
him for one just TO see the woebegone look
| come over his face; for rather than part
with one of his precious bands he would
help on a lesson, or even excuse you alto
| gether, and the college journal had squibs
on the professors fad every month.
! One clear beautiful day in January the
| professor was walking smartly up the
| Beacon street mall, whistling cheerily and
observing everything as was his won't He
| felt very happy for that morning friend
! had told him that there was tree on the
common that The Autocrat had immortal
lied in single line and that was very rare
First-It had been transplanted from the
| Gardner Green estate on Pemberton hill
some years BEFORE therefore it recalled
memories of old Boston, on which the pro-
fessor was a profound student.
Second--It was the Ginkgo bilboa, of the
thin, sparsely foiiaged character, a native
of Asia, the trees of which the professor
was just then deeply interested in, and
Thirdly and lastly, it was the only speci-
men of it's kind in the east, probably in
the country, which of course made it vastly
more valuable.
Well, he had seen it; of course it being
winter there was no foliage but he could
imagine that till summer came, and he had
stood and gazed lovingly at it, and viewed
it from the long path and the mall and
from all sides thoroughly, and had even
cut off piece of the bark TO examine with
the microscope when he thought nobody
was in sight; continuing up the hill, he
had just got it in his notebook and was
putting the broad rubber band about it
when, CHANGING to look across the street,
he caught the pretty girl who occupies the
window of the infants outftting and
furnishing store' the main part of the day
laughing at him.
With an assumption of dignity he did
not feel, he turned about and snapped it
on, when-horror! it broke--the only hand
some large band he possessed, and he had
stolen it from Fred De Jones, one os his
young men, only the day before. With
groan he slipped the book into his pocket,
and, mounting the stairs to the street,
walked back down the hill.
In thinking of the tree he soon forgot the
band, and, as we said, was whistling cheer
lily, etc, when be noticed quite a crowd of
little children on the opposite side of the
street They were evidently Back Bay
children out to recess from one of the pri-
waite schools in that vicinity, as they were
in charge of two ladies, evidently teachers,
one of whom was already half way across
the street with some of them.
She was a little DOT of lady, with an
enormous cinnamon bear boa about her
throat, and very timid, shrinking man
ner. She was trying to get her detach
ment ont of the way of large coal team,
which didn't seem disposed to stop, and at
the same time hold muff, parcel done
up in red napkin, and pocketbook with
a wide elastic about it.
The professor looked Just in time to see
her drop the pocketbook, and Immediately
ran out ard held mp the horses, despite the
maledictions of the driver, who didn't
want to stop on the steep up grade, until
both squads of children had crossed, then,
picking up the pocketbook, be started to
overtake them.
They were already on the mall, when at
that moment he noticed the rubber band
Stealthily pulling it off he advanced his
six-foot-one of humanity gracefully and in
quired If she had not dropped it. why,
yes, Helen,'' said the tall lady, CHANGING Sc
verely at the little lady, 'how very careless
of you" Poor Miss Helen blushed rosy
red and in her confusion dropped the par
eel in the red napkin. The professor hand
ed her the pocketbook, at the same time
skillfully passing the beautiful rubber band
about his wrist and then calamity made a
clutch at the parcel lying on the snow
Manlike, he got it by the corner, spilling
the contents in every direction. ooh,
goody, goody. seed cakes" cried the little
boys and girls, and like common, low priced
creatures they scrambled for them, dirt or
no dirt.
There, there, Worse and worse! Chill
dren-form in ine!" said the tall lady,
looking more severely than ever at the
conscious professor, who was stammering
apologies and fioundering in the snow
helping pick the cakes up; then to the
helpless Miss Helen. Big men are hate
full, thlnk-Tnank you, sir, we can get
along very nicely now Sir" sharply. as
he still persisted in picking them up, do
You imagine for an instant that we would.
SeesA LIS. Cav NAClth OiNc tLNN nave IAN
upon the earth, Be so kind as To pass nly.
friend her pocketbook elastic Good dav.
sir. Children, form but the professor
stopped TO hear no more.
About 8 p. u. that same dav the profess
or-his daily duties done-thoughr he
would take a little walk across the Public
garden 10 clear his brain. He had cot
well down the avenue past the Vendone.
when he noticed a trim little figure and the
futJering ends OF an enormous cinnamon
bear boa Just ahead II him, by Atridesr'
- very powerful oath with the professorl
"the little teacherl' Then he did a very
unaccountable thing for proper, old. set
tied down, dried Up professer-one who, IN
IA MS thirty years of lie, had never given
thought 10 females but IN the abstract.
lie turl4ed the collar of MS ulster up about
his ears, pulled his tourist way over his
eyes, aud putting his hands deep in his
pockets watched her with interest.
What a nice little girl she was; really
she was an Bwfal young teacher. surely
moi more than twenty ana in his excite
menJ lac hurried Up 80 that he almost TEL
against her. Tor ON seeing long s.s>Sy
slide made 10y some Of the neigilsorins
children he stepped suddenly, saep. tax