The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-04
A. CHINAMAN'S STORY.
What John Can Do in the Way Of an
American Romance.
How a Pedagogue's Happiness Was
Nipped in the Bud-The Story of a
New England Courtship.

school in New England town not many
miles from the "Hub." The teacher of
classics in that institution was a man by
the name Of Virgil Monson, who was by
birth and training Puritan, but one
whom culture had somewhat iberalized,
though he retained many preiudices Of
the average yankee.
| In person he was short, heavy and
thick-set. His head was dome-shaped,
but it appeared to me that his bumps Of
yeneration and combativeness had been
unduly developed at the expense of the
bumps Of conjugal affection, which was
sufficient explanation of the fact that he
had not yet committed matrimony, though
he had turned S5 at the time first knew
him.
Whatever may have been his defects, 1
| must do him the Justice to say that his
forehead was bread and high, a sure sign
OF intellectually; his nose of the Roman
variety, which always indicates strength
of character and tenacity of opinion;
while his manner of COMPRISING his lips,
pointed not the less certainly to his firm
ness, to which square chin also con-
| tributed.
His disposition was by no means lamb
/ AAhOt MI lis tblAlRCI udbAC' DO A4Ao AO0
hair (what there was of it, and red beard
bore abundant testimony to the contrary.
| l grleVe TO say that much learning had
| made MIR. Monson not mad, but bald. The
| dome part of his head, was wont to shine
| like the golden dome of the state capitol
in Boston, especially after the vigorous
| pollshings he gave it in his toilet. A
| fringe Of sandy hair surrounded the
aforesaid bald surface like the diverging
rays of light around the aurora borealis.
Add to the foregoing an excitable tenn
| permanent, quick and nervous manner,
love of pedantic display fondness for
| Greek and Latin roots, and most of all
for natural science, and you have toler-
ably fair description Of an interesting
personality.
1t was our professors habit, to seek
recreation in the woods during the inter
walls Of pedagogical labor, and there,
amid the sighings of trees, the singing of
birds and the chirpings Of crickets, to
combine his pursuit Of health with the
study of natural science. After spending
an afternoon in the fragrant seclusion of
the forest he would returnsowith his
| pockets full of botanical and entomology
ical specimens. Among the last may be
mentioned catefpilars, moths, butterflies
and other deniIeas Of the woods.
WE BOARDED IN THE SAME HOUSE.
His room was Aext door to mine, and
! had the appearance Of museum. There
were numerous books, of course, on all
sorts of subjects, ferneries, cabinets Of
minerals and chIoroformed butterflies,
| suspicious bottles containing queer crea-
| lures in all stages of alcoholic intoxica-
tion, and aquaria containing living fish,
| toads, lizards. and so on.
Absorbed as he was in his duties at
school, his favorite studies and pursuits,
Mr.. Monson had had little time to think
| OF matrimony, and though some designing
mammas had pressed the question home
to him, his ipVariable reply had been.
~ don't need a wife. am happy
| enough as am"
This reply served as a wet blanket to
| the enthusiastic interest his lady &C
| quain tances entertained in his happiness
| Though his character and disposition in
| were not such as to make him popular
with the fair sex, still the few who knew
and respected him, WONDERED at his pro =
| digious learning, which he took no pains
to conceal, and secretly laughed at his &C.
centricities and hobbies.
Having evaded Cupid's darts so long
and with such signal success, no one sup
| posed for moment that he would sue
| cum bat last to the charms Of coquettish
country girl, But so it turned out-thus
| proving the truth of the old adage that
there is no fool like an old fool. He fell
/ d NlCb1Iu LD love IhL6 lllG budb. ike
| humps und measles, it attacked him with
greater virulence than it would have
done in his younger days"
| The girl, whom we will simply call Lii
| ian, was a brunette Of fascinating man
ners, but rather homely features. But if
she satisfied Mr.. Monson's notions of an
! ideal woman, no one else had right to
complain She was still attending school,
though past 81 years of age, and, as fate
would have it, was boarding in the same
| house as the professor. 1t was observed
| by the landlady and her daughter that
after Lilian's advent Mr.. Monson was
changed from his own self. He paid more
attention TO his toilet than before, brush
| ing his fringe Of hair with unusual care
and having his beard trimmed oftener
than had been his wont. At the table he
had alternate fits of abstraction and To-
| quacity. He fingered there as long as
Lillian remained, and would, after supper,
| follow her TO the sitting room, where he
would talk to her by the hour about some
| Greek poet or natural phenomenon. And
when he showed her his various bugs, in
sects and reptiles, making running com
| plimentary on their peculiarities, the
landlady formed the very natural conclu-
sion that the professor was badly "stuck."
The girl was splendid listener and
| fiattered Mr.. Monson's vanity by her at
tertion rather than by words of praise.
In aOoutI three months Jne professor
| had wound himself in net as completely
as the silk worm in its cocoon. AS he
| grew more persistent in his attentions
the girl became more coquettish. She
would be kind one day and distant and
hard to please the next, thus tormenting
the very life out of him.
THE PROFESSORS wooING.
At last, unable to bear the strain, he
determined to risk all by test question.
A favorable opportunity presented itself
one night when everybody had retired
and the twain were alone in the parlor
What took place there had better be
told in the words of the young lady, who
! related the affair afterwards to the land
| lady's daughter, not knowing that l was
listening and taking it all in.
"Well, she said, ito begin from the
! beginning, your mother left the parlor as
| the clock struck 9, taking care to close the
| door after her. This emboldened him to
| draw his chair closes to mine DO you
think one can be happier when married
| than single ~ he asked. replied that l
/ didn't know, not having had the expert
ence OF a married woman.
so2'
why that depends on circumstances.
| Mr.. Monson, / answered. l knew what
was coming all the time, but didn't want
| TO show il.
/ q Il : Ato..z -