The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-02-15
NIPPED IN THE BUD.

When | was a boy, I attended q pub
lie school in a New England town not
many miles from the Hub. The teacher
of classics in that institution was a man
of the name of Virgil Monsoon, who
was by birth and training a Puritan,
but one whom culture had somewhat
liberalized, though he retained many
prejudices of the average Yankee.
In person he was short, heavy and
thickset. His head was dome shaped.
but it appeared to me that his bumps of
veneration 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 35 at the time I
first knew him.
Whatever may have been his defects.
| must do him the justice to say that
his forehead was broad and high, sure
sign of intellectually; his nose of the
Roman variety, which always indicates
strength of character and ~tenacity of
! opinion, while his name of compress
ing his lips p%ointed>not the less certain
ly to his tirmness, to which a square
chin also contributed.
His disposition was by no means
%lanblike. nor his temper %equable, As
his red hair-what there was of it-and
red beard bore abundant testimony to
the contrary. l grieve to say that much
learning had made Mr.. Monsoon not
mad, but bald. The dome part Of his
head was won't to shine like the golden
dome of the state capitol in Boston, es-
pecially after the vigorous p~9lisbbiipaggfh d hs
hair surrounded the aforesaid bald sur
face like the diverging rays of light
around the aurora borealis.
Add to the foregoing an excitable
temperament, a quick and nervous man
ner, a love of pedantic display. a fond
ness for Greek and Latin roots and
most of all for natural science, and you
have a tolerably fair description of an
interesting personality.
1t was Our professor habit to seek
recreation in the woods during the in
tervals 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
secluslon of the forest he would return
with his pockets full Of botanical and
chronological specimens. Among the
last may be mentioned caterpillars,
moths, butterflies and other denizens of
the woods.
His room was next door to mine and
had the appearance of Il museum. There
were numerous books, of course. on all
sorts of subjects, ferneries. cabinets of
minerals and chloroformed butterflies,
suspicious bottles containing queer crea-
lures in all stages of alcoholic into1ica-
ton n aquarla containing living fish,
toads. lizards and 80 on.
Absorbed as he was in his duties at
school, his favorite studies and pursuits,
Mr.. Monson had had little time to think
of matrlmony, and though some design
ing mammas had pressed the question
home to him his invariable reply had
been:
Il don't need a wife. | am happy
enough as | am.
This reply served as IA wet blanket to
the enthusiastic interest his lady &C
quaintances entertained in his happi-
ness. Though his character and dispo.
sition were not such as to make him
popular with the fair sex, still the few
who knew him respected him, wondered
at his prodigious learning, which he
took no pains to conceal, n secretly
laughed at his eccentricities and hob
bies.
Having evaded Cupid S darts so lons
and with such signal success, no one
supposed for a moment that he woult
succnmb at 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 OLE
foo.. He tell a victim to love so late il
life that, like mumps and measles, j
attacked him with greater viruienc,
than it would have done in his younge,
days.
The girl, whom we will simply cal
+ Lillian, was il brunette OF f%ascinatin;
, manners, hut rather homely features
But if she satisfied Nj. Monson's no
. lions of an ideal woman no one els
9 had "A right to complain. She was still
a attending school. though past 81 year
, of age. and AS fate would have it wa
, boarding in the same house as the pro
lessor. 1t was observed by the landlad,
and her daughter that after Lilian's ad
, vent Mr.. Monsoon was changed from hi
own self. He paid more attention to bi