The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-30
MIR. Lows story of the Professor in
the Basket.

One of your contemporaries, writes a
correspondent to the New York Sun,
says that Mr.. Low at a luncheon re-
Gently told story of school life that
much amused his auditors. 1t was
learned by one OF the professors in a
| Western seminary for young women
that number of the students had ar
ranged an entertainment for that even
ing at which several young men were
to be present. Those guests We're to
be introduced into one of the windows
by means of a basket at one end of a
rope with the girls at the other end.
In his Investigations after nightfall
the professor found the basket, slipped
into it gave the signal to hoist, and his
upward journey began. His head
finally appeared above the windowsiil
and he was recognized. The professor
heard one frantic scream of terror in
unison from a dozen charming pupils,
and then"-Mr Low paused.
What happened?" demanded the
listeners eagerly.
They let go the ropel"
1t is about forty-two years since /
heard this story from the lips of a
young relative of mine, Miss G., who
had just been graduated from Rock
ford Female Seminary, at Rockford,
| Ill. The young woman had partici-
pated in this college lark and as no Sc
| rious results attended the extremely
sudden descent of the Rev. Mr.. b. from
the window of a first-foor dormitory.
twelve feet to the ground my infor-
want was able to tell the story with
| considerable gusto. l was all the more
interested because the Rev. Mr.. B. had
married my parents several years be-
fore his removal from Dupage county,
Illinois, to become a professor in Rock
| ford Female Seminary.
! The professor, though hale and
| hearty, had a glorious crown of snow
white hair; the girls were simply
! frightened out of their wits when it
| suddenly doomed above the windowsill
out of the darkness, like jack in the
box; their terror grew in the next in
| slant when they heard dull thud
and realized that distressing results
| had Poss' oty followed their spontaneous
release of the rope. The young men
who had been earlier passengers in
! the basket rushed for the main en-
trance to lend helping hand, greatly
| to the establishments and scandal of
one of the women professors, whom
| they jostled in the corridor. They got
out of doors just in time to see, by
the light from a basement window,
the coat tails of the Rev. Mr.. B. disap-
| pearing around a corner of the build
| ing. Then they held a solemn meeting
! downtown, sent their names to the un-
invited guest whose instantaneous dis
appearing act had so greatly alarmed
them, and absolved the young women
from all responsibility which they
themselves could possibly shoulder.
1t was within few days of com
mencement. A number of the grad
uating class, including the honor stu
dents, were involved in the little affair.
| They expected nothing short of ex-
pulsion; and to his dying day they
| loved the old gentleman whom they
had so unceremoniously dropped for
his successful efforts to have disci-
pline relaxed for that occasion only. He
was a jolly old fellow, with a keen
sense of humor, but he did not enjoy
the pointed personal application of this
| joke. 1t was probably the only time
in his life that he tried to stop the
| circulation of good story.