Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1895-05-16
A FRESH PROFESSOR.

such antitheses with similar names, why
she should have brought us to one and
the same college is inscrutable lido not
upbraid l thank her from the bottom
of my heart. I forget the frayed shirts,
"dickeys" and antediluvian collars of
Don Jones that the laundress fathered on
me. l do not regret my wines, but not
the bills therefor, that went to his cellar
instead of to my humble cupboard. ]
forgive the torn envelopes in ladies'
hands marked mot for Professor Jones"
everything, and why?
1t was q sunny afternoon in the merry
month of May as l returned at o'clock.
in flannels and blazer, from an hour s
tagging at the cricket nets, and tripped
up the stairs OF my digs" that over
looked the dear old college gardens,
whistling "Oh, Phyllis Minel" I burst
open the door, and =" "Are visions
about?" came the lightning thought, as
saw, seated in the armchair by my
window, gazing out on the glories Of the
horse chestnuts opposite, one of the-no
the wide subsequent events )-most
charming little girls 1 have ever seen
BY the side of the armchair was a lee
ture note book, and what / knew only
too we'll to be Herr Crammer's Latin
Prose-" She rose, bowed deferentially,
and somewhat nervously began: "Oh,
Professor Jones, am so sorry am late
Mr.. Boothby of Gamaliel said he hadn t
time to look over my prose, and asked
me to bring it to you at A 40, and said,
as you sometimes took his work, you
would correct it for me.
saw it all, or rather I saw nothing
but her-slim, petite, with stray strands
Of nut brown hair peeping from beneath
dainty straw hat trimmed with mar
guerites. The porter had directed her to
my rooms instead Of to those of the pro-
fessor Il gave him sovereign at the end
of term). One more to the long List of
mistaken identities, but worth them all
Should undeceive her? And thought
of the dryasdust Jones. He was the sea
monster, was Persens, and she was
Andromeda. "a thousand times no, u
said my heart. I shall be a professor
for 80 minutes With all of him could
muster, and re-enforced by my gold rim.
med pince nez-
"Ah!-er-let me see, what-or--is
your name?"
ETHEL Mayner," said Ethel-red, for
the rosy hue had mounted to her cheek,
as it did to Virgil's Venus, "I'm-I'm
one Of Mr.. Boothby's extension pu-
pills.
"Of course" I said and looked pro-
fessorially at a card I Ipicked up, "here's
your name"
1t was a card Of the XL's summer
term fixtures Inwardly vowed it
would be more extension" than "lec-
ture" But did she think I was pro-
fessor? Could she not see my chin, in
nocent Of a razor--the galaxy Of London
actresses on my mantelpieoe, the hunt
ing sketches, my bat ON the table, the
siphons cheek by jowl with McTavish Is
"best?" Did professors play banjos and
whistle "Oh, Phyllis Mine," as they
bounded up to unravel the mysteries Of
"Oratio Obliqua" with fair pupils? ]
stifed surmise and lived only in the
present and the sunshine of-Ethel. She
resumed her seat, and ! rang the bell
Up came the landlady.
Bring up tea for two, Mrs. Grabbs, -
/ said, "and send out for the best cake
Boffins have in the show-I-er-mean
the premises. 2"
"Oh, professor" she interposed,
"please don t trouble about tea for me- y
Madam" rejoined, I'VE cannot
discuss the position Of Caesar in winter
quarters or that plebeian bricklayer
Balbus without some light refreshment.
Come, let us commence. Bring your
chair up to the table. +" (Oh, how brutal
Of mel And / would have carried Il
miles for her dear sake, but I was a
professor. And she drew her chair SO
close to mine that I could almost
page a., grunted, with beating
heart, for ! knew that the sentences
were plain sailing till about page 80.
"Oh, no. she said. "I'm at page
21Ol"
My heart sank, at least such Of it as
was not in my mouth. How could a
twice plowed fresher essay the snares
and pitfalls of page 210?
"The passage begins" she contin-
ued, The rotation of crops and ends
at rustic simplicity.
1t was hopeless. She, Ethel-well-read,
was an "Honors" candidate, and I, the
anread-y, nothing but manufacturer
Of "howlers" and classical faux pas.
"Er--er, ah-let me see, err
I gasped. and her deep brown eyes,
with look of incipient perplexity, met
mine. Her hands were toying with the
handle of my bat Would it had been
me!
II used the word rotatio, she said
II hope it's not too doggy"
"Oh, no." I sighed, Sits an excel
lent word by Bohn, believer"
How could any word she used be
wrong? thought only Of the miserable
Don Jones from whom I had saved her.
Then Mrs. Grabbs came in with the tea
and cake.
Ethel, a-er-Miss Mayner, / beg
your pardoni Do let me pour you out q
cup Of teal,
The emphasis was more undergradu.
atey than professional, the work Of i'm.
pulse rather than discretion, but pru.
dence was out when beauty was in.
"Oh, thank you, she smiled "Yor
are dear good old manl'' Il had just
turned is. 1 good? A hypocrite in 6