The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-16

trouble you for it,
She had no idea the professor was sneak
ing TO her Dear me- what very bad man
ners he has she thought. But he is
English"
Then she nearly sprang out of her chair,
for some one had logged her elbow.
l-l-beg your pardon" Her eyes We're
quite startled as she turned to the pro-
fassor.
The SALT ma'am. the SALT he said tes-
my. one salt cellar has to serve US
both. and you have taken it
You can have the salt: but didn't take
il from YOU she answered. Cecil Carew
stared at the quiet voice. IL was under
better controfthan the hand that shook as
MSS Blake pushed the salt towards the
professor.
Take care you will spill it," he said,
But the spoon had already tumbled over,
and the cloth was sprinkled with salt.
Dear me, dear me-" she faItered. 1T
is such bad omen, toor'
couldn't be worse TO begin your stay
IN Davos with" said the professor, cheer
IuIly- It's your first day here, isn't it?
Aou are the young woman l saw on the
balcony Just now?'
throw some salt over your left shoul-
oef' suggested Cecil Carew, seeing that
MSS Biake was really agitated That
VIII counteract the bad luck"
+'-NA"N SCNs No. she NlatQmered. Il
me-"
Her finger trembled as she traced a
cross on the salt; and the professor fol-
lowed the action with cynical smile.
grunted.
am afraid am very silly" she said
apologetlcally
You are a woman" he answered.
her eyes hlled with tears; she looked up
deprecatingly. Then a sudden interest
flashed into her face. She had seen those
blue goggles before; she could not mistake
that iron-gray beard. He had seen her
on the balcony. The professor was the
figure on the road
1t was a delightful discovery. 1t con-
/ quered her shyness and her distress at
spiling the salt, even her surprise at his
rudeness.
The last had really set her more at ease
it recalled Aunt Sabina and was SO nat
ural that she forgot she was among stran-
! gers. II restored the spirit with which
she had been used to meet Aunt Sabina' s
thrusts She looked up at the professor,
meeSly.
ITO be wcman is punishment enough
for any fart. Don't you think SOP"
From behind the goggles he gave her a
keen glance.
hon
Cecil Carew looked Miss Blake up and
down, but could not account for any clev-
! erness in the retort
But II was strange how Miss Blake and
| the professor got on after that little
| breeze had blown them together.
More than once his book lay unopened
| beside his plate, and his voice roared in
| fierce argument with her over some topic
the name of which Cecil Carew had never
| heard. She listened wonderingly to the
! meek replies, the smooth pebbles which,
! thrown from Miss Blake's artless sling,
1 some times lodged in the head of the pro-
| fessors argument and laid il low Il was
not in vain that Miss Blake had spent
twenty years in reading aloud The heavy
treatises Aunt Sabina loved. and in argu-
ing over the subjects afterwards In this
manner Aunt Sabina had encouraged in
dependence of thought, while discouraging
every sign of her nieces independence of
action and character.
1t was like old times for Miss Blake to
| wrestle over the dry bones of erudte theo-
| rics, and though the professor snarled and
showed his teeth he enjoyed the argu-
ments as much as she did. She found
times even forgot that she was not arguing
| with Aunt Sabina.
Soon an atmosphere of the old days en-
clrcled the professor, and she began tc
show him the little attentions she had
been used to render the old lady. The
/ professor cQdiF
screened and cushioned, was always ready
for him in the sunniest corner of the bal
cony, that there was always a foot
stool for his equity foot, ant
his favorlte armchair close t
the fire in the reading room. No one was
ever reading the Times when he wanted
1t. He never had to scold Henrielte fol
letting his soup get cold.
Babette upstairs kept his fire going
however late he might be- He had had &
stint himself in tirewood before, but nov
it was marvellous how long box of Woo
lasted. He did not notice that his shirts
seemed thicker and warmer even thar
when they were new. His bed was un
usually comfortable. but he had not dis
covered the hot-water bottle that warmed
it, nor had he seen that the Duvay, which
would not stay on through the night, haC
been exchanged for an English eiderdown
The wheels of life were oiled for him
but no one ever saw Miss Blake doing it
and Babette would have died rather thar
betray her Miss Blake was too meek anC
apologetic, too highly dressed, to be {
very interesting person. But she haC
made for herself a certain position in In,
: hotel Cecil Carew took her toboggan
ing and skating in spite of her hair, auS
the make of her gowns; and when the pro
fessor wanted quotation or a reference
he went about The hotel shouting for Mis-
Blake.
She always seemed to be on the spo
to answer him; and her face would lighter
up pleasantly, and her eyes brighten a,
she gave him what he wanted. She looked
quite young when she had the best of an
argument. and sometimes a grlish mis-
chief twinkled i'm her eye
AS the weeks went on the professor of
ten came TO table without his book. an,
Cecil Carew noticed that Miss Blake fire.
, quently wore a flower pinned primly unde
her collar.
One morning Cecil sat at a luncheon
with red eyes. Ii happened that day tina
the conversation turned to anthropoids :
subject on which the professor cousid
: cred himself an authority. II made hin
furious when Miss Blake detected him i,
an error. and in the storm that rage,
/ nobody remarked that Cecil scarcely last
ed anything.
But she had not been long in her room
E when Miss Blake came up Could Mis-!
r Carew lend her a little glue? Miss Blal,
t stayed on talking. till. quite naturally
= Cecil told her trouble 1t seemed strang,
to have Miss Blakes arms round her
, and to find comfort against that ill-fttin,
e gown. Finally the girl drew down be
3 friends head, and kissed her in a passio,