Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1898-08-30

should spend $50, 600 In five months
while travelling for pleasure And Is
your uncle angry with you for that?
How unreasonable"
"Can you direct me to Saints Rest
the residence Of Mr.. and Mrs. Baxter!"
asked wheezy voice beside them. They
started and turned toward the speaker,
whose footsteps had made no sound on
tho soft sand. 1t was the speck they had
noticed in the distance half an hour be-
fore, now grown to the proportions OF
short, rather stout, middle aged gentle.
man. Dorothy was the quicker to recov.
or herself and replied:
Certainly. It's only short distance
from here. You can see the cottage
through those pines-straight ahead. "
"Thank you, said the stranger. He
was observing Dorothy with respectful
but Ill concealed admiration. Like all
ugly men. he had an almost abnormal
appreciation Of pretty women. And this
man was undeniably, hopelessly.
phenomenally ugly. He was even gro.
| tesque, which gave him an air OF dis.
tinction that comeliness could never
have impaired. His features were large
and set far apart in his wide, rooiny
face; his small dark blue eyes sparkled,
and he was flushed with exercise. Over
all played an expression Of bland and
playful innocence. like that Of q good
humored child.
II am Mrs Baxter's UNCLE" he an.
nounced
"Oh. Professor Swithinl Mrs. Bax-
ter has spoken of you to us-we are her
guests-and she has wondered much
what has detained you. said Dorothy
Then, to Cuthbert's disgust, the profess.
or walked with them to the cottage,
usurping the conversation in the inter
est Of his own affairs He had been de.
layed by business exigeDcies; he had
come without sending advance notice.
presuming he could obtain carriage Mt
the station. he had been unable to do
90, and therefore had been compelled to
walk the entire distance, which must
be over o mile and be had left his lug
gage at the station, among which was
a valuable telescope. He hoped it might
not be injured.
"You are interested In solar biology.
Mrs. Baxter tells u.s." observed Doro
thy after all these incidents had been
laid bare.
II have made study Of II for over
80 years. said the professor with pride.
Indeed may say that am onu Of the
pioneers who searched for knowledge
along this line in this century"
IL suppose it is very difficult to un.
derstand. murmured Dorothy politely.
"Oh, that depends upon the amount
Of application given to 1t to certain
extent Though have natural grasp
of scientific subjects. can usually tell
the place any person occupied in the
great solar world merely from observa-
tion. Now. il might venture to hazard
an opinion-as to yourself, for instance
If you would not consider mo imper.
tinent -
Certainly not" said Dorothy, smil
ing.
~ am Of the opinion, then, that You
are Sagittarius II You will be so good
as to name the day Of the month OH
which your birthday arrives, we can see
whether or not have blundered.
| Dorothy named Dec. IL. She wEj
amused by the eccentricities Of this
quaint old gentleman.
Right! Quite righti" exclaimed the
professor joyfully.
They had now reached the cottage.
and Mrs. Baxter was advancing to meet
them, full Of welcome and introduc.
tons General Stanhope, tall, thin.
intellectual man, who surveyed life
calmly through pair Of big. round
eyed spectacles, was delighted, in his
cold. deliberate way, TO meet again his
old friend, and they sat down on the
piazza for chat about old times. Lalla
Braddon, a delicious little creature IN
pink, with short curls and big violet
eyes, seized Dorothy and bore her away.
Were going to have little Hal
loween dance tonight. Did you know
it," she said. And we shall try some
old charms afterward. Some people are
going to drive down from the Point.
There will be wood fires of pine logs in
the fireplaces rejecting on the big red
screens And we have found such a
funny lot Of old portraits in the garret
Jack and brought them down and
put them on easels; elderly men, you
know, with narrow foreheads, high col.
lars and long hair curling up at the
ends, aud thin women with sloping
shoulders, holding little books. How
odd people look when they get out Of
fashion, don { they? shall wear yellow
with touches Of black. We are to have
the Dead March from Saul played
softly while we go out to supper. Will
Ii not be weird:"
Dear Uncle Swithin," said Mrs.
Baxter the same evening, approaching
the professor "as it is Halloween,
wonder IL you would be so good as to
entertain us after supper with some
demonstrations Of solar biology. II you
would tell our fortunes, for instance! II
would be SO charming for the young
people to look into futurity. When one
gets older. it isn't 80 fascinating, is itT'
II never tell fortunes; that belongs
to the quacks, said the professor, with
dignity. However, II the young people
will allow me to register their birth.
days In my notebook will give their
ineations-that Is, descriptions OF
their dispositions and abilities as infiu-
enced by the planets under which they
were born," be exclaimed, seeing q
blank look in his niece's face.
"That is so good Of you. And is II
all true?'' inquired Mrs Baxter naively.
"As true as history. No one should
be without Wedge Of solar biology.
1t gives valuable information along the
most practical lines Of life. II indicates
whom one should marry, what business
one is adapted for and what friendships
to form. Then. once You know per-
sons characteristics think what IN i'm
mense advantage! You know what biz
strong and weak points are; how to ad'
dress him; what will hatter or interest
him; you wind him around your finger
Just like this" Here the professor held
one forefinger horizontally aloft and de.